Civil Disobedience And Martin Luther King s Letter From...

In order to achieve the Good Life, sometimes we have to fight for what we believe in. In those instances, we may be forced to commit actions that may not be looked upon lightly such as committing civil disobedience. In Sophocles s â€Å"Antigone† and Martin Luther King’s â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail†, both, King and Antigone, were supporters and activist of civil disobedience. However, both, Antigone and Martin Luther King had different methods of conducting civil disobedience and viewed civil disobedience differently. Furthermore, Antigone and Martin Luther King were both steadfast in what they believed in and used civil disobedience to fight for their cause. Despite this similarity of theirs, they each had a different approach to carrying out civil disobedience. Antigone crossed the King of Thebes for the honor of her family and it was against the moral law, while King’s justification for his actions was to achieve racial equality for those that w ere oppressed at that time. On the other hand, Antigone was also brash and stubborn in the way she explained her reasoning for her civil disobedience, while on the other hand, Martin Luther King was very humble and subtle with his approach. The difference between Antigone’s and King’s reason for committing civil disobedience is that Antigone wanted to honor and gain pride for her family, while, King wanted to acknowledge the injustice that was occurring to African Americans. Furthermore, Antigone s past was riddled withShow MoreRelatedCivil Disobedience, And Martin Luther King Jr. s Letter From Birmingham Jail1018 Words   |  5 PagesToday, the word disobedience carries a negative connotation that acts as a deterrent for necessary disobedience. The common way in which people view disobedience is as a rejection of a rule, law, or a simple standard. Historically, rules were implemented in ways that were deemed immoral by society. Therefore, civil disobedience is justified to combat immoral standards implemented in society. However, civil disobedience is only justified under these circumstances, mainly for the betterment of societyRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr.’S Persuasion in â€Å"Letter from Bir mingham Jail†1569 Words   |  7 PagesMartin Luther King Jr.’s Persuasion in â€Å"Letter From Birmingham Jail† After being arrested and imprisoned in Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote one of his most famous works to the people of Birmingham, titled â€Å"Letter From Birmingham Jail on April 16, 1963. This piece speaks of the evils of the segregation laws and how the blacks had been treated unfairly in Birmingham, in an attempt to get the white people to support the desegregation of Birmingham. He had been imprisoned because of hisRead More 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 More Exploration of Civil Disobedience in Sophocles Antigone, Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail, and Platos From Crito580 Words   |  3 PagesExploration of Civil Disobedience in Sophocles Antigone, Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail, and Platos From Crito Civil disobedience spawns a major and widely debated issue by many who established by well-known intelligent scholars and many examples of civil disobedience become displayed. The acts of civil disobedience can be noted in major works such as Sophocles?s Antigone, King?s ?Letter from Birmingham Jail?, or even from Plato?s ?from Crito?. A specific claim exemplified throughout theseRead MoreBirmingham Jail Functional Theory1638 Words   |  7 PagesMartin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail (1965) is important from both historical and sociological points of view. It is an example of self-sacrifice as in idea for the of equality of all people. Formally, King addresses this letter that he wrote while in Birmingham jail at the clergymen who opposed his protests. In fact, he applies it to everyone who approves of racism, and considers the methods of nonviolent struggle to be too radical and far fetched from achieving an actual goalRead MoreDevelopment of Transcendentali sm901 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 MoreAntigone And Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. s Letter From Birmingham Jail1233 Words   |  5 PagesIn Sophocles’ Antigone and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail†, Antigone and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. used resistance against powerful leaders to follow their morals and make a statement. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s approach towards the reconstruction of society’s cultural understanding of segregation used civil disobedience in a more public and large-scale approach, whereas Antigone’s use of civil disobedience defied the law in a much more private, small-scale way toRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail812 Words   |  4 PagesDuring the 1960’s, racism was still a prominent problem in America. The Civil Rights Movement was under way. African Americans were fighting for their basic human rights. One of the most notable figures of the Civil Rights Movement was Martin Luther King Jr. He fought for African American’s rights using nonviolent resistance; however, during a protest in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. King was thrown into jail. While in his jail cell, Dr. King wrote a letter to clergymen from the Birmingham jail claiming hisRead MoreCivil Disobedience By Henry David Thoreaus Letter From A Birmingham Jail1605 Words   |  7 Pagesbe comparing Civil Disobedienc e by Henry David Thoreau and The Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and taking 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 More Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter From a Birmingham Jail Essays1088 Words   |  5 PagesDr. Martin Luther King Jr.s â€Å"Letter From a Birmingham Jail† In King’s essay, â€Å"Letter From Birmingham Jail†, King brilliantly employs the use of several rhetorical strategies that are pivotal in successfully influencing critics of his philosophical views on civil disobedience. King’s eloquent appeal to the logical, emotional, and most notably, moral and spiritual side of his audience, serves to make â€Å"Letter From Birmingham Jail† one of the most moving and persuasive literary pieces of the 20th