Matt Donoho
Eng 101
Calls for Peace
The year was 1963. African Americans were facing rough times throughout the United States, predominantly in the South, and in this year took a bolt stand against segregation. Sit ins, boycotts, protests, and parades were carried out in peace, even though those who were being protested against were responding in violence and rage. In the town of Birmingham, Alabama the majority of these actions took place and caused an abundance of controversy. A man known as Martin Luther King Jr. led these peaceful calls for change and during a march for desegregation on Good Friday, King was arrested and spent eight days in jail. While confined King wrote a moving letter called, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in response to another letter entitled, “A Call for Unity: A Letter From Eight White Clergymen”. In the following essay I will be examining the argumentative methods each author used in their emotionally driven letters.
In “A Call for Unity: A Letter From Eight White Clergymen” it opens with stating that even though segregation is a problem, and should be addressed immediately, the issue should only be handled in the court system and not on the streets. Also, in the meantime the clergy men ask that the decisions made by the court be “peacefully obeyed” to maintain order. The clergy men go on to state that all the protests, sit ins, boycotts, and parades are causing problems for the responsible citizens and businesses. Instead of taking action by these means the clergy men say, “In Birmingham, recent public events have given indication that we all have opportunity for a new constructive and realistic approach to racial problems.” Basically, the clergy men are asking for no one to stand up and make a difference, but instead for African Americans to sit back and let things fix themselves.
The Essay on A Man Called Horse
A Man Called Horse I have viewed the film, A Man Called Horse, and when asked if I would want to be depicted as the Indian people were in this movie I would say that I would be proud to be a part of that way of life. The Indian people were proud of what they were and things were sacred to them like nothing is to us today. Some argue of there barbaric-like ways when in fact they have just not yet ...
King responds to the clergy men’s call for negotiation in “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. He claims that by participating in direct action, eventually a negotiation will be found. Also, he brings up that by confronting the issue head on with direct action that the real problem, segregation, cannot be ignored any further. The word “tension” is seen as a positive factor by King because he feels that to solve problems, and form a better quality of life, or society, there must be something that starts it all. This catalyst is “tension”. To conclude on this topic King states the following:
“The purpose of our direct-action program is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation. Too long has our beloved Southland been bogged down in a traffic effort to live in monologue rather than dialogue.”
Towards the middle of the clergy men’s letter they call King and his associates “outsiders” in the following statement:
“However, we are now confronted by a series of demonstrations by some of our Negro citizens, directed and led in part by outsiders. We recognize the natural impatience of people who feel that their hopes are slow in being realized. But we are convinced that these demonstrations are unwise and untimely.”
Not only are the clergy men stating that King and his associates should not be in Birmingham, but also that people are being impatient and should wait until the time is right to demonstrate. They go on to say that these issues like these should be handled on a local level to accomplish any sort of long term goal. In the last sentence the clergy men say the demonstrations are untimely and ask that African Americans wait even longer to get the justice they deserve.
The Essay on The novel All the King’s Men
The novel All the King’s Men was published in 1946 and written by Robert Penn Warren. The title of the novel is taken from a popular children’s nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty. The novel has won many awards and has been adapted into films in 1949 and 2006. Based in 1930s, this is a story about a politician named Willie Stark who rose from a rural county seat and managed to reach the governor’s ...
In response to the clergy men’s statement that King is an “outsider”, King responds with explaining who he is and why he is not an “outsider”. He explains that he is the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and how there is a branch of this conference in Birmingham, Alabama that asked for his help. Later in the text he compares himself to the Apostle Paul, and how he spreads peace like Paul spread Jesus’ teachings. Also, Kings says, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”. This statement shows that King will continue to peacefully call for a change from the American people. Another topic King addresses is how the clergymen ask the African Americans to wait. King states that that word “…rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity.” He claims that this word is a synonym for “never”.
Martain Luther King Jr. and The Eight White Clergy Men have different styles of argument. They produce their points clearly, however, they are written in different forms. I believe that King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is an ethical paper because he addresses examples throughout history and fully explains his ideals. “A Call for Unity: A Letter From Eight White Clergymen” is unethical because it has no supporting evidence or solid examples, they simply state how they feel and that is it. In conclusion, both letters were very powerful and got their message across in their own way.
