Civil Disobedience, by Henry David Thoreau and Letter From...

The essays, Civil Disobedience, by Henry David Thoreau, and Letter from a Birmingham Jail, by Martin Luther King, Jr., incorporate the authors’ opinions of justice. Each author efficiently shows their main point; Thoreau deals with justice as it relates to government, he asks for,†not at one no government, but at once a better government.†(Paragraph 3). King believed,† injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. (Paragraph 4). Each essay shows a valid argument for justice, but Kings philosophy is more effective, because it has more logical points of views. King’s letter from a Birmingham Jail was an act of his encouragement for protest against the white’s traditions in which were unjust. King, a leader of civil rights†¦show more content†¦King uses many similes in the paragraph, but when hes analyzing the justice too long delayed is justice denied. King uses phrases such as Asia and Africa are moving with jet-like speed and we still creep at horse-and-buggy like pace. He uses symbolism when saying the cup of endurance runs over, and plunged into the abyss of despair. By this King is trying to emphasize that there is a point when the black people collectively will no longer conform to being mistreated unequally, and no matter how much endurance they might have a revolt. King felt protesting against the unjust laws and traditional beliefs of the white was the only solution for them to change. The letter was written to his fellow clergymen to explain his actions and to attempt to justify them. In the letter he tried to explain to the Clergymen, his actions were for the justice even knowing it was illegal, but he knew he was he would been have been punished. All of the arguments King puts in his work have the ability to appeal to everyone in some way, the style and the way he shifts his tone and rhetoric many times throughout the text in which to recognize a specific audience, is what makes this document so powerful. Since so many of Martin Luther King Jr’s arguments are based on emotionShow MoreRelated Henry Thoreau’s Influence on Martin Luther King Jr. Essay898 Words   |  4 PagesHenry Thoreau’s Influence on Martin Luther King Jr. Henry David Thoreau was a great American writer, philosopher, and naturalist of the 1800’s who’s writings have influenced many famous leaders in the 20th century, as well as in his own lifetime. Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts in 1817, where he was later educated at Harvard University. Thoreau was a transcendentalist writer, which means that he believed that intuition and the individual conscience â€Å"transcend† experienceRead MoreCivil Disobedience and Birmingham Campaign993 Words   |  4 PagesCivil Disobedience and Birmingham Campaign Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther king Jr. fundamentally altered the American tradition of protest and reform. Both of them shared the same idea, but viewed them differently. Dr. King wanted to ultimately raise awareness and open doors for groups while Thoreau wanted more individual rights for people. The Birmingham campaign was a movement organized by King Martin Luther in the spring of 1963 to bring attention to the integration efforts of AfricanRead MoreMartin Luther King And Gandhi910 Words   |  4 Pages Martin Luther King Jr. had illustrated civil disobedient to the world during a challenging time, by quoting inspirational words from Gandhi and Thoreau. Gandhi had also quoted Thoreau throughout his stimulating time. Before Martin Luther King and Gandhi, Thoreau exemplified civil disobedience in the 1800’s. The purpose of Thoreau’s civil disobedience was to make a different world. King and Gandhi had the same purpose. That is one of the main reasons why they connected to Thoreau’s essay. BornRead MoreDevelopment of Transcendentalism901 Words   |  4 Pageswhile philosophies of civil dispute and nonviolence may seem like a well-accepted idea today, many who fought for this type of negotiation were often considered radical for their introduction of it to society. Among those transcendentalists was Henry David Thoreau, who wrote â€Å"Civil Disobedience†, Mohandas Gandhi, who wrote â€Å"Satyagraha†, and Martin Luther King Jr., who wrote â€Å"Letters from Birmingham Jail†. Henry David Thoreau used the theory of transcendentalism in â€Å"Civil Disobedience.† These three transcendentalistsRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr. and Henry David Thoreau Essay976 Words   |  4 PagesThe essays by Martin Luther King Jr., â€Å"Letters From Birmingham Jail† and Henry David Thoreau, â€Å"Civil Disobedience† show how one can be a civil person and protest against unfair, unjust laws forced upon them. Both authors are very persuasive in t heir letter writings. Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr. write about the injustice of government laws, of right and wrong, and one’s moral and upstanding conscience of a human being. Martin Luther King Jr. is a religious, peaceful man who usesRead MoreCivil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau1260 Words   |  6 PagesCivil Disobedience was written by Henry David Thoreau. The Letter From A Birmingham Jail was written by Martin Luther King Jr. They both had similarities and differences. There were injustices that were done wrong to each of them by others in the society in which they both lived. The injustices and civil disobedience they incurred should never happen to anyone. Henry David Thoreau spoke in an emotional tone in his essay â€Å"Civil Disobedience.† The emotional part of his essay of Civil DisobedienceRead MoreComparisons On The Advocacies Of Henry Thoreau vs Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.941 Words   |  4 PagesThere is a higher law than civil law- the law of conscience- and that when these laws are in conflict, it is a citizens duty to obey the voice of God within rather than that of the civil authority without, (Harding 207). As Harding described in his brief explanation of Henry David Thoreaus Civil Disobedience, there are some instances in which it is necessary to disobey a social law. Martin Luther King, Jr., in addition to Thoreau, reasoned that should a civil law be judged unjust, one had a moralRead MoreCivil Disobedience By Henry David Thoreaus Letter From A Birmingham Jail1605 Words   |  7 Pagesbe comparing Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau and The Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and ta king a closer look at their rhetorical devices and strategy’s. In Civil disobedience by Henry David Thoreau shows us the need to prioritize some one’s wellbeing over what the law says. American laws are criticized mostly over slavery and the Mexican-American war. In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s â€Å"Letter from a Birmingham Jail† was written in response to a letter written byRead MoreLetter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis961 Words   |  4 Pages1. In his letter from Birmingham jail, Martin Luther King Jr., a civil right activist a Baptist Minister and the creator of â€Å"In Letter from Birmingham jail.† King uses concepts of logos, pathos, and ethos to convey his points. Racial tension was high during Martin Luther King’s time, and he was the voice of the black community. He articulated his words carefully and had use methods of civil disobedience to convey his point. One of the first appeals he makes in his letter is from a log os perspectiveRead MoreAnalysis Of Henry David Thoreau s Letter From Birmingham Jail951 Words   |  4 Pagesconfrontations and have practiced freedom of speech rights for justice. In the two articles, â€Å"Civil Disobedience† by Henry David Thoreau, and â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† by Martin Luther King, Jr.; both speakers focused on challenging social and political complications for the better of the future, country, and the government. â€Å"Civil Disobedience† by Thoreau, Henry David follows the author detaching himself from the government due to it favoring the majority based on the powers the certain group possesses