‘Instructor’s Name’
Abstract of “Letter from a Birmingham Jail"
‘The Letter from a Birmingham Jail’ written by Martin Luther King Jr., is an open letter composed during the year 1963, addressed to the local religious leaders. The letter is King’s response to the criticisms leveled against him by the Birmingham clergymen, calling his protest march as, unwise and untimely and to be violating the principles of law and order.
King’s letter attempts to justify, the desperate need for a nonviolent protest against the racial prejudice prevalent in the country, and also to stress on the immorality of the segregation laws of that era. King refutes the claim that he was an outsider, by stating that injustice happening anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, and says he will fight injustice wherever it happens.
He adds that, while it is wrong to break a law, it is immoral to use a law to prevent a just cause. He says all segregation statutes are inhumane, sociologically degrading and immoral laws, and are ones that are supposed to broken. He questions how breaking laws such as those, which are based on prejudice and hatred, can be termed as an anarchic act.
He points out that, while Asian and African countries are gaining their freedom and democracy at an immense speed, Black Americans are continued to be denied their rights, and yet they are asked to be patient. He says ‘'Wait' has almost always meant 'Never’.
He also adds that, he is deeply disappointed with the White Church of South, which did not support and at times misinterpreted the fight of the Blacks. He ends his letter with hope that, their fight will be met with more understanding and empathy from the White moderates, particularly the White Church. It is a letter with a profound and urgent message, and yet, Martin Luther King conveys this all in a diplomatic and inoffensive tone.
Works Cited
King, Martin Luther. Letter from a Birmingham Jail. 16 April 1963. Web. 8 February 2014.
