Struggle For Equal Rights and Freedoms

Since the creation of the United States, African Americans have risen to fight for equal rights and freedoms which should have been granted to them under the United States constitution. In his April 16, 1963 Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King argued that nonviolent resistance to racism is crucial and justifiable. Through his direct use of short and stipulative definitions and his indirect use of an extended definition, King emphasizes to his audience that he is not advocating that his audience evade or defy any law.

King vents his frustration and opinion to bring national attention to the mistreatment of black citizens and to convince others, to join him in abolishing racism and prejudice in not only Birmingham but the entire world. While he directly states he is writing to his fellow clergymen, it becomes obvious that King’s audience also consists of white people who are morally conflicted and part of the power class.

The writer compares and contrasts an unjust law to a just law in paragraph 16 to help develop the extended meaning of both through his use of short definitions.

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According to King, a just law is supposed to square while an unjust law He wants his audience of clergymen and morally conflicted white citizens to realize that by agreeing with these unjust laws, they are defying god himself, causing them to feel guilt. King is clarifying to his audience, the meaning of both of these laws as he emphasizes that he is justified in standing up for the black community in a nonviolent manner because segregation is not moral.

King believes that segregation is not just because a just law is but segregation, on the other hand, strips away the power to vote, earn equal wages, and receive the same education as black people and is therefore politically, socially, and economically flawed. Through his use of short definitions and compare and contrast, the writer repeatedly shows the audience what is right and wrong. Martin Luther King attempts to persuade readers that his nonviolent resistance is justifiable. He wants his audience to help force an end to unjust laws as he calls for nonviolent tension.

King also utilizes stipulative definitions of just and unjust laws to further persuade the audience that he is justified in taking action. King tells the audience several definitions of just and unjust laws in an attempt to prosper his argument. King believes an unjust law is when a. He is emphasizing to readers that while white people force certain things onto the black community, they do not subject themselves to those same standards. By pointing this out, King is appealing to the blacks who were subjected to hasrhment or other acts of cruelty that were not subjected onto the white citizens. He is also appealing to the morally conflicted white people by urging them to see the irony of their ways. The author is indirectly stating that he doesn’t want to face harassment and violence if the white community does not face the same terrors. In addition, King also believes a law is unjust if it is forced upon a group that had During this period, white citizens had the right to vote, while black citizens did not have that right. Therefore, the white community had a say in the laws that governed them, and the black community was supposed to just agree to those unfair laws. According to King, if this is the case, how can anything in the United States be democratic? A democracy is a system of government controlled by the whole population, not just the white community. The writer’s use of stipulative definitions helps to further promote his argument and adds to the overall meaning(extended definition) of just and unjust laws.

Through his direct use of stipulative and short definitions, King indirectly defines the extended meaning of what a just and unjust law is, thereby justifying his toin actions. He formally persuades his audience to join his nonviolent organization to help fight for the removal of racism and prejudice as he restrains himself from displaying any signs of anger, highlighting the hypocrisy in dehumanizing the black population and the urgency with which his audience should stand up to racism because it is justifiable. Citizens need to stand up and join his movement because whatever impacts one directly impacts everyone indirectly. What’s happening in Birmingham today, can affect a different area tomorrow.