English 2 Final 1 Period 3
Analyze how King develops and refines his claims to further his purpose in "Letter from Birmingham Jail"
King takes pride in being called an extremist by his fellow clergymen and the white church by naming extremists for love. #
In response to the clergymen’s anxiety over their willingness to break laws King states,
To explain his disappointment of the white church of the south and to why he came to Birmingham, King states,
In response to being called an extremist, King is initially disappointed about the title, but grows attached to it.
“There are two types of laws: just and unjust” (King 15).
When the question of what the differences between the two types of laws are introduced King explains,
“Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust” (King 16).
The quote illustrates that the laws King is disobeying, and addressing the clergymen about, are unjust and morally wrong.
King depicts that the laws regarding segregation degrades human personality, and are therefore unjust.
To express how the church is not following moral laws, King claims,
"But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before." (King 33)
"I came to Birmingham with the hope that the white religious leadership of this community would see the justice of our cause and with deep moral concern serve as the channel through which our just grievances could get to the power structure.” (King 29)
King's quote can be related to his following sentence in which he claims that the church will lose its followers and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club
King depicts that the white church would rather ignore their movement and claim that the gospel has nothing to do with the movement as it is a social issue.
“But as I continued to think about the matter, I gradually gained a bit of satisfaction from being considered an extremist.” (King 24)
The quote illustrates the fact that King lets the title grow onto him, embracing it and enjoying it.
King asks his fellow clergymen and protesters if they will be extremists for love like historically good figures.
"Will we be extremists for hate, or will
we be extremists for love?" (King 24)
How do King's claims relate to current events?
King describes the police brutality happening every day, stating,
"When you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick, brutalize, and even kill your black brothers and sisters with impunity" (King 11)
This quote relates to the current Black Lives Matter movement who are against police brutality towards black people.
Both King and the Black Lives Matter depict that the police attack and even kill black men and women out of hate, which is unjust. #
When they are constantly told to "wait", King responds,
"For years now I have heard the word 'wait' It rings in the ear of every Negro with a piercing familiarity. This "wait" has almost always meant 'never.'" (King 11)
King being told to wait is like how the All Lives Matter is in response to the Black Lives Matter, and ignoring the true point of their movement.
While the All Lives Matter movement was created in response to the growing Black Lives Matter movement, King is rather told to wait, but that wait is seemingly turning into never, showing that both the people saying wait and the All Lives Matter movement would rather dismiss the issues and continue their lives..#
King's claims are able to be related to current events, like the unjust ways that police officers are able to get away with brutality against black people, and how the All Lives Matter movement dismisses the real issues.
King then shifts his focus onto his disappointment of the white church's ignorance of their movement.
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King addresses the fact that the both the white church and his fellow clergymen would rather see him as an extremist instead of a peaceful protester. #
King uses his criticism by both his fellow clergymen and the white church to become an extremist not for hate, but for love.
The reader can infer that King will contrinue to describe the difference between the two laws
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The evidence displays that King can accurately determine if a law that is created uplifts or degrades humanity.
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The reader can infer that King is trying to open the church's eyes and realize that it will fail if it continues in the way it does #
The evidence displays King expressing his disappointment in the white church's ignorance of moral laws. #
King relates this quote to his previous statements, noting historical figures that were extremists for love, such as Jesus Christ, the apostle Paul, and Abraham Lincoln.
The reader can predict that King encourages the fellow clergymen and protesters to accept the title with him. #
The evidence displays that King has fully embraced the title, and is wanting others to embrace it and not let it discourage them. #
When King is asking what kind of extremists his followers would be, he says,
"Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice, or will we be extremists for the cause of justice?" (King 24)
As King wants to be an extremist for love/justice, and names historical people, he is now one of them that we would name.
Martin Luther King is now recognized as a historical figure that was, in his words, an extremist for justice and love, just like how the figures he names in his letter are.