Letter From the Birmingham Jail by Martin Term Paper

Letter from the Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr., and "A Letter from the Clergy" by some leading spiritual clergy in Birmingham, Alabama. Specifically, it will summarize the two letters. Both of these letters provide compelling reasons for what the authors believe in, and they are both very persuasive and convincing in their own way.

The clergymen believe that King's actions, in creating a march that led to many arrests (including King's own arrest), is the wrong way to attempt to gain civil right for black Americans. They believe that these measures are "extreme" and not necessary for the circumstances. They write, "We also point out that such actions to incite such hatred and violence, however technically peaceful these actions might be, have not contributed to the resolution of our local problems" (Miller 486). This is persuasive for a number of reasons. First, the clergy note that even peaceful marches can end up in violence and hatred, and then they commend law enforcement and the community for handling them effectively. Thus, they use positive and negative in their argument, seeking to convince both sides of their argument, and then they speak directly to the black community to not support the demonstrations and to work peacefully, through the courts, to win their rights.

It is clear these clergymen feel that King is an outside dissident who is bringing trouble to the city of Birmingham. They list their arguments, offer a solution they think works, and write a compelling letter asking for support of their ideas. This is a very persuasive letter, but it did not gain the support they had hoped, largely because of King's lengthy response in his "Letter from the Birmingham Jail."

King's letter is very famous and it gained notoriety from the time it first appeared. The letter is a response to the letter from the clergy, and it directly and eloquently…