The Letter

The Fighting for Racial Injustice, Non-violent Demonstration, and Police Brutality

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” takes audience on a journey into the realm of the racial inequality that plagued the United States in the 1960. The letter was written to fellow clergy men and it was specifically aimed at addressing concerns regarding the wisdom and timing of the nonviolent demonstrations that took place in Birmingham, Alabama that Dr. King and other leaders coordinated and carried out in 1963. King employs all three types of appeals; however, I find I am particularly moved by pathos and ethos in this work. So much that, I must admit, I was initially confused by my own emotions. Dr. King’s letter evokes in me strong feelings of empathy, indignation, and even pride.

One of my first reactions to this reading was a sense of guilt by the mere virtue of being part of what King describes as the “oppressor race” (par 31). But after allowing myself some time to inventory and analyze my reaction, I came to the realization that I can no more take responsibility for the actions of the white segregationists King describes than I can place the responsibility for crimes perpetrated by African Americans of previous generations on the African Americans that I know. The accurate description of what I felt is not guilt, but rather empathy and Dr. King creates several opportunities for his audience place themselves in his role, as in the following passage: “when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech

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stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year old daughter why she can’t go to the pubic amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told fun town closed to colored children,” (par 14). As a parent, a heartbreaking scene is etched into my mind. Instantly, I picture my own seven year old child looking up at me, the innocence in his eyes distorted by...