Formative Years
Early Life in the South
Michael Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 5, 1929 to Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Williams King, the second of three children. King’s residence in Atlanta saw a city filled with segregation. Most residents of color were treated as if they were the bottom of the barrel. They would only be allowed to shop in the back of stores, and were not allowed to eat at the counters in restaurants. There was however, a small black “middle-class” population in Atlanta which included teachers, ministers, and doctors (Haskins, 1977). The adults within this population encouraged their young black children to engage in education as it was one of the only options for these children that would
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Literature dictates that King viewed his father as “a real father, who always put family first” (Schraff, 2005). The King children referred to their parents as “Daddy King” and “Mother Dear,” according to Farris. Their family was very close and was always expected to come together for meals. They would engage in conversation about their days, lives, or even interests while at the table- a trait which is not often seen these days. King was known for having an advanced intellect growing up. He was enrolled in elementary school at the same time as his sister, at age 5 (his sister was a year older at 6). King divulged his true age while in school, (due to his inability to keep a secret), and was sent home as the entry age for school was 6 years …show more content…
His earliest friends of remembrance were two white boys, whose father owned a grocery store. When the children started school, they were sent to different institutions- one for whites, and one for blacks. Upon starting school, the boys’ friendship ended due to the white boy’s parents forbidding them to play with each other anymore (Wolfson, 2003). King “would recall the loss of his friend as one of the most painful experiences of his childhood... He was so troubled that he struggled with feelings of hatred toward white people” (Schraff, 2005). When he brought this up to his parents they helped him to understand the concept of racism. They indicated to him that although his feelings were so heavy, it was his duty as a Christian to “love” all
(King 501).” This use of pathos is very effective because young children are often seen as innocent and vulnerable. Many racist people of the time period may not have had empathy for older African Americans, but they may have been more likely to see young children as victims of unfair treatment. He then states examples of rights that were not given to him because he was black, and he also shares the shame and humiliation he has faced everyday. He states, “When you are humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs that read “white” and “colored” ;when your first names becomes nigger and your middle name becomes “boy” and your wife or mother are never given the respected title “Mrs.” :When you are harried day in and day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a negro:living constantly at tiptoe substance, never knowing what to expect next, and are plagued with inner fears and outer resentments (King 502).”
To answer this question one must know about the history of both Jackie Robinson and the Civil Rights Movement. Jackie Robinson was born January 31, of 1919. He grew up being raised by a single mother of five including him. His family was the only black family on the block and the prejudice that they encountered only made their bond as a family that much stronger. From this humble beginning would grow the first baseball player to break Major League Baseball's color barrier that segregated the sport for more than 50 years.
King Illustrated many of the discrimination and cruelty that was taking place in the South. For instances, he wrote about how the cruel mobs were lynching mothers and fathers, drowning brothers and sisters. Also, Policemen, who are the law, kicking and killing black people. It was also evident that African Americans were poor in the society. He then writes about how can a parent explain to his/her child the discrimination that is taking place.
King describes he is disappointed in the church. “All Christianity know that the colored people will receive equal rights eventually, but it is possible that you are in too great a religious hurry” (King 26) This appeal of pathos proves that white preachers were racist even though they are men of God. King let his readers know that even though he does not have the churches approval he will succeed without their
On April 16 of 1953, Martin Luther King Junior wrote an astonishing letter to the clergymen of Alabama. That day, King led an anti-segregation protest in hopes to end the cruel treatment of African Americans specifically in Birmingham, Alabama. While he was peacefully protesting, King and others were imprisoned in Birmingham City Jail. Here, King wrote about the horrendous and bitter behavior towards African Americans in the south. Throughout the memorandum, King will parade a formal but personal tone and ventilate the ghastly behavior of white moderates.
King believed that using violence in order to get what you want is unjust and would be against God, that it would lessen the chance of getting what they wanted. He thought that the way to do things was through nonviolence, which is why he was protesting. He was
Martin Luther King Jr. says he shouldn’t pay attention criticism or he and his secretaries wouldn’t get any work done. Although, he feels like he must explain why he did what he in Birmingham because people were being persuaded to the reasoning of the “outsiders coming in. ”King argues that you can never be an outsider if you live in the United States, because you must know your rights to protect to them. MLK was serving as president of Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The Birmingham branch of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference invited MLK to participate in the direct-action program if needed.
There was virtually no existence of love between whites and blacks. Despite the abolishment of slavery, the racial tension increased nonstop. Knowing that segregation could not be prolonged just like slavery, Dr. King called everyone to love one another and even African-Americans need to love the whites who treated them poorly. He pointed out that “love even for enemies is the key to the solution of the problems of our world” (Chapter 5, Page 44). Respectively, Dr. King is saying that love is a therapy for the soul and mind, the answer to segregation and the answer for the new America.
Eventually, he got his education and his freedom and escaped the slave trade, after having suffered repeatedly at the hands of his ‘owners’. Dr. King on the other hand was born in in 1929, a time when the slaves had been emancipated, slavery had ‘officially’ been ended, but the bias and segregation still hadn’t been wiped out
The intro to King's book can be split into three individual sections, each having its own meaning. The first describes the poor living conditions for a black boy and a black girl. In the following section, King reminds the audience of
I think King would in general just be really mad and he might even protest to get rid of Trump as president. King would try even to get a spot in the government to go against him. We wouldn’t really know how he actually felt because he isn’t here with us today, but one thing I do know is that he would have agreed with the
“...;when you have to concoct an answer for a five year old son who is asking; ‘Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?’” (King 275-276). The whole of the paragraph that this quote is from is all demonstrating pathos. The use of the child is used to relate to the audience members with children, or who remember being a child (which would be almost every member of the audience) and make them think of how hurt that child must be. Dr. Kings usage of the audience’s sympathy is widely shown before and after every quote containing
King uses biblical allusions to appeal to the eight white clergymen and their religious affiliation when he states his duty to carry the “gospel of freedom beyond his home town... Like Paul.” His final point of this section is the clergymen’s failure to recognize the underlying causes of the demonstrations they so harshly condemn, a failure causing further ignorance and confusion on racial
The two fell in love instantly, got married in 1953 and had four children; Yolanda, Martin Luther King Jr. III, Dexter, and Bernice. The family lived in Atlanta, Georgia and then to Montgomery, Alabama, where King became the pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church at age twenty-five. He soon forced on the Civil Rights movement and dedicated almost all of his time into fighting for equality. With all his contributions, King “won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his Civil Rights achievements” (Nimtz 1). At the end of his life, King was still going strong until his assassination “by James Earl Ray on April 3rd, 1968” (Nimtz
He also appeals to Pathos in his speech, where he includes his own family hopes that americans can relate to him. As a father he dreams “ that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character”. (King) He hopes his children will live in better world than he did. He appeals to pathos through a concerning father.