Social Change and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther
King, Jr.’s “Letters from Birmingham Jail” is his response to a criticism of
the recent protests in Birmingham which had led to his arrest. The critic had
described these protests as “unwise and untimely” (331), and stated that the
events taking place in Birmingham should not have happened. In response, King
claims that the black citizens of the United States would never be able to
improve their lives unless they took action, and that the protests in
Birmingham were entirely in the right. King is correct in his assertion that
the action is necessary in order to improve their lives, and proves that his
actions and the actions of his fellow protesters are completely justified by
explaining that equality can only accomplished through definite action on the
part of the oppressed.
King begins his
letter with a description of the daily suffering experienced by the black
population. He lists off numerous situations that the white population will
never have to experience, such as being attacked and killed due to one’s skin
color, or being forced to tell one’s daughter that she is not allowed into the
amusement park because of the way that she looks. King expertly juxtaposes the more
brutal situations with the more common, everyday occurrences to create a wide
portrayal of all types of oppression that the black population faces. This
technique is particularly effective given that some of the examples he uses –
such as being forced to explain racism and segregation to one’s small child –
are the types of issues that will never receive media attention. Without
someone drawing attention to these types of problems, it would be easy for the majority
of the white population may never even think of. This ignorance wouldn’t be
born from malice, but rather, created by an honest lack of information. By
bringing attention to the variety of different issues that exist within our
society, King expresses why the protests are necessary, and invites the readers
to think about the types of discrimination that may not be immediately obvious
to them.
King continues
by expressing the hopes that he had had for the future, all of which remain
unfulfilled. He had hoped for a just country, an understanding from the white
population about the fact that social equality will not come without effort,
for a rejection of the idea that time will magically heal all wounds, and
several other reasonable requests. He purposely phrases these hopes in such a
way as to make them appear as common sense. At one point, King states “I had
hoped that the white moderate would understand that law and order exist for the
purpose of establishing justice” (332). King purposely chooses a hope that the
vast majority of Americans would find reasonable. By stating that this is
something that he had hoped would occur, he makes it clear that America had
failed to live up to what most would view as the obvious thing to do, and clearly
presents his efforts to bring about the realization of this hope as the obvious
and logical decision.
King also
addresses the way that some of his opposition has marked him as an extremist,
and says that he “gradually gained a bit of satisfaction from being considered
an extremist” (333). He claims that all of the great men that history remembers
– such as Lincoln, John Bunyan, Jesus Christ, and many others – had all been
extremists, because they spoke against the social norms, and they were punished
for it. King also rejects the idea that extremism is automatically associated
with violence or hatred, stating that “[Jesus Christ] was an extremist for
love, truth, and goodness” (334). In stating this, King associates extremism
with acts of tolerance and love, and therefore associates himself and his
followers’ extremist actions with the idea of morally-correct actions. They are
not extremists because they commit acts of violence, despite what the
connotations of the word may suggest. Rather, they are extremists because they
fall above the norm when it comes to teaching peace and brotherhood, making
their version of extremism far different than what the average man might
imagine. Though King agrees that he can be an extremist, he clearly states that
he is an extremist for the correct reasons, and because no change will come
about without the people being willing to take an extreme stance.
King is correct
in all of his assertions throughout his letter, but particularly in his claims
that society will not change unless the people take action. Throughout history,
people have only been able to change their situations by working for a better
world, and the civil rights movement is no exception. Sitting around and
waiting for the world to change has never done any good; history has shown that
a cruel situation will only change when the oppressed are no longer willing to
lie down and accept their fate. This fact is highlighted in the current
protests in Ferguson, which are raising awareness for the racial inequality and
police brutality still faced by black citizens today. Michael Brown, the young
man who was murdered by officer Darren Wilson, was not the first black youth to
be killed without reason, nor has he been the last. However, it was only after
the people of Ferguson began their protests that the rest of the country began
to grow more aware of the issues and racial inequalities still permeating
American society. It is clear that what King preached about taking action is
still applicable today, and that actively standing against injustice is the only
way that any sort of progress can be made.
King uses a
variety of different techniques to express the importance of his goals. He
begins by clearly describing the types of inequality faced by black citizens on
an everyday basis, King expresses exactly why the protests are completely
necessary, then continues by expressing his hopes for the future. All of King’s
hopes are reasonable ones, and by listing them in this manner, he invites the
readers to wonder with him about why they have not come to pass. Finally, King
describes himself as an extremist, and aligns himself with other famous figures
whom history remembers as good men. In these ways, King makes it clear that his
actions – though extreme – are necessary in order to bring about racial
equality. All of these teachings are still applicable today, as the riots in
Ferguson have shown. Therefore, King proves that his actions are far from being
the untimely or unwise behaviors that they were described as. Rather, King’s
actions and those of his followers, in fact, entirely necessary if they wish to
have any hope of creating a better world and a more-equal society for both
themselves and future generations.
Loeb, Paul Rogat. The Impossible Will
Take a Little While: Perseverance and
Hope in Troubled times. New York: Basic, 2004. Print.
No comments:
Post a Comment