Martin Luther King Junior’s Biography in Relation to Letter from Birmingham Jail

Martin Luther King Junior’s Biography in Relation to Letter from Birmingham Jail

Martin Luther King Junior is remembered across the world for the way he was vocal in advocating for justice and equality in the United States of America. King Jr. may be described as a civil rights icon who was never afraid of castigating any discriminative actions against colored people living in the U.S. Among the iconic works of King Jr. is Letter from Birmingham Jail, in which King Jr. responds to criticisms from some clergymen for organizing and participating in nonviolent protests. Like in most of his speeches, King Jr. maintains his commitment to fighting for the justice of the colored community. A critical analysis of Letter from Birmingham Jail reveals that King Junior’s concerns as well as writing style are largely influenced by the events in his life. In this essay, an analysis of Letter from Birmingham Jail will be conducted from the viewpoint of King Junior’s biography in order to show the connection between the author’s life events and his work.

Throughout his letter, King Jr. clearly expresses his discomfort with the injustice that has prevailed in the United States for a very long time. He says that he is in Birmingham “because injustice is here”… [and that] injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (King 1). He quotes different people who have supported the call for justice, as well as others who have been overtly opposed to the desegregation policy. Looking at King Junior’s biography, it emerges that the author’s passionate desire for justice was shaped by his upbringing. King Junior grew up in a society where discrimination and segregation of blacks was the norm. Bruns (8) records that during his youth, King Junior lived in a society where “for the black community…, much of American society was off limits”. Black people were denied access to public libraries and restaurants; they could not board same buses as whites. What’s sadder is the report that blacks were denied voting rights despite the fact that they paid taxes (Bruns 8). It is, most likely, in reference to these incidents that King Junior is unapologetic in his Letter from Birmingham Jail. His unapologetic tone is seen when he responds to the statement that his and his associates’ actions are untimely. King Junior (2) asserts that “it is an historical fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily”. This statement shows that the author’s tone and point of view are largely shaped by the discriminative acts he witnessed when he was growing up.

King Junior’s family did not condone segregation of colored people, hence Junior’s passion in fighting for equality and justice. Oppression and discrimination were directed against all colored people, yet most of the black people seemed comfortable with the situation (Bruns 8). For King Jr., however, his family was strongly opposed to the status quo. His father, for example, is recorded as having refused “to be muscled into acceptance of the degrading system” (Bruns 8). King Junior’s father acted as a role model who inspired his son to challenge the status quo. For instance, Junior and his siblings were not allowed by their father to attend entertainment places were segregation was evident. His mother, too, patiently guided him to confront segregation and its evils (Bruns 9). It can be argued that such a background is what gives King Jr. the drive and passion to mobilize the black community to fight for equality.

In his letter, King Jr. responds to the clergymen by quoting passages and examples from the Bible in a manner that is highly impressive. Justifying his participation in nonviolence direct action, King Jr. states that civil disobedience is recorded and accepted in the Bible through the examples of Abednego, Shadrach and Meshach who refused to comply with King Nebuchadnezzar’s directives. He quotes Jesus’ command to people to love their enemies; he also gives the example of the crucifixion of Jesus to explain why he is not disturbed when the clergymen label him an extremist. Junior’s response to the clergymen’s criticism shows that he is well-versed with the Bible. Again, this resonates with his upbringing. According to Bruns (5), King Jr. was the son of a minister and his life “revolved almost exclusively around the church”. King Jr. in fact describes the church as being his second home (Bruns 5). This background gives him sufficient and appropriate words to defend himself against the allegations by the clergymen. To the reader, Junior’s responses to the criticisms are very convincing as they are based on examples from the Bible.

The use of figurative language in King Junior’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is another aspect that indicates the influence of the author’s biography on his work. In the opening paragraph of the letter, King Jr. makes a somewhat sarcastic comment: “if I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything other than such correspondence…and I would have no time for constructive work”.  From this statement, it is clear that King Jr. is a person set out on a mission. Again, this is influenced by the guidance he received from his mother, who told him to always pursue what matters to his life. His sarcasm when responding to the clergymen’s criticism reflects the fact that King Jr. considers certain matters as being more important than anything else.

There are lots of metaphors and symbolism in King Junior’s letter. Statements such as ‘responding to the Macedonian call’, carrying the gospel of freedom’, ‘tied in a single garment of destiny’ are just a few of the phrases that King uses to communicate to his critics that he is on a noble mission of fighting for the oppressed. Throughout this letter, one can identify many symbolic words that indicate King’s prowess in literature. Again, this has a lot to do with his background, particularly his interest in language during his elementary school years. King Jr. is reported to have been not so excellent in academics, but his passion for language was remarkable. Bruns (5) notes that King Jr. appreciated “the power of language [and, inspired by] the especially effective oratorical talents of a visiting minister, [he] announced to his family that one day he would employ big words”. True to his words, King Jr. employs big words in his letter from Birmingham. His undeniable mastery of literature, as seen in Letter from Birmingham Jail, is arguably rooted in his childhood experiences and ambitions.

In conclusion, Martin Luther King Junior’s determination to see justice prevailing in the United States is unparalleled. Despite harsh criticism from different quarters including clergymen, King Jr. maintains his position that black freedom is a right that is long overdue. His articulation of viewpoints and ideas in Letter from Birmingham Jail matches the author’s life events. Key among these are King Junior’s upbringing in a family that was overtly opposed to racial segregation, as well as being brought up in a church environment where he mastered the Bible and could, thus, base his arguments on Scriptures. His childhood ambition to become a great orator is fulfilled in the Letter from Birmingham Jail, where symbolism, metaphors and other figures of speech are excellently employed.

Works Cited

Bruns, Roger A. Martin Luther King, Jr: A Biography. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2006. Print.

King Jr., Martin L. Letter from Birmingham Jail. 1963. Web. https://swap.stanford.edu/20141218230016/http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/kingweb/popular_requests/frequentdocs/birmingham.pdf

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