A Letter from Birmingham Jail

Major Paper 1

During the time Martin Luther King, Jr; wrote "A Letter from Birmingham Jail" and Frederick Douglass' wrote his autobiography oppression was a big issue. Frederick Douglass' made oppression seem real in his autobiography by creating a unique religious tone to describe the way slaves were treated during this time. Although oppression still exists today it does not fall under the same categories as it did during this time.

The Narrative of Frederick Douglas is a memoir written by ex-slave, Frederick Douglass. His autobiography consist of real events in his lifetime. By using pathos he described events vividly. Douglass uses religion as a reference to state his opinions and explain that slave holders in the South weren't the right definition of Christians. He quotes "I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and incur my own abhorrence. From my earliest recollection, I date the entertainment of a deep conviction that slavery would not always be able to hold me within its foul embrace"(39). He's confessing that he has to be faithful to his beliefs, and he believes he was destined to be free. Later on he quotes again " and in the darkest hours of my career in slavery, this living word of faith and spirit of hope departed not from me, but remained like mistering angels to cheer me through the gloom. This good spirit was from God, and to him I offer thanksgiving and praise"(39). Douglass gleams with excitement about how he believed God has this plan and that the "ministering angles" are there to comfort him through out slavery.

"A Letter from Birmingham Jail" was written on April 16, 1963, by Martin Luther King, Jr., an American activist, and civil rights leader. King wrote the letter from the city jail in Birmingham, Alabama, where he was sent after being arrested because of his participation in the Birmingham Campaign, a non violent protest directed by the "Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights" and King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference against segregation. "A Letter from Birmingham Jail" was King's response to eight clergymen's "A Call for Unity." His impulse came from the clergymen's biased propositions and accusations. This letter allowed King to not only come up with a counter statement but to confirm his own civil disobedience, as well as explain the crudity of racial segregation. Throughout his letter, King uses several rhetoric strategies to create a powerful tone to back up his opinions and ideas. Martin Luther King Jr. effectively got his point across to not only the eight, white, members of the clergy, but to an entire generation as well.

Frederick Douglass' autobiography made oppression seem more real than Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from a Birmingham Jail.