"Letter from Birmingham City Jail"

Martin Luther King Jr.'s, "Letter from Birmingham City Jail" is a compelling essay that deals with segregation and racial injustice in the 1860s. He wrote the letter in response to eight clergyman in Birmingham, Alabama, in the hope of defending his recent, "direct action" against the segregation of African Americans. His main goal in the letter was to portray to the clergymen that his intent was not to evoke violence, but merely to fight through negotiation for the freedom of his fellow brothers and sisters.

I thought the essay was very powerful. King's word usage and imagery made the letter flow nicely, and gave me the sense of empowerment. The letter made me want to stand up for the blacks because of their mistreatment. Some parts were confusing because Luther spent a lot of time arguing one point. For example, he wrote...