Martin Luther King often seeks inspiration from the Bible as well as from notorious philosophers of the Ancient Greeks such as Socrates, Plato and Odysseus. MLK was mostly inspired by how they guided their actions, making them harmonic with its justice. He will employ similar themes that pertain to lack of power and its relationship with freedom and justice: doing what is right ethically. It is very astonishing to observe how Antigone and Letter from Birmingham Jail are akin, despite being written at two different decades. In both cases, they fight for the good of society. Both Antigone and Martin Luther King used nonviolent protests in their actions to express their opposition by doing what they believed was morally right. A prime example …show more content…
Similarly, no one will ever state to the white Americans that what people have taught to them was absolutely rubbish. This is what really inspired Martin Luther King in the writing of his letter. In his letter from Birmingham Jail, he refers to these prisoners and doctor King becomes their spokesperson. He protests the injustice of our system in order to bring positive change in society. For that matter, the people who were isolated in the cave in the early centuries were confronting the same position as the black Americans, because they were both fooled and …show more content…
In the Odyssey, the protagonist is able to overcome the barriers that come through his journey and confirms his leadership skills to his readers. He proves himself as being a hero by overcoming intricate challenges. They both want to realize a crucial space in the world. As for Odysseus, he leads his commandants unbelievably well despite of all the stumbling blocks present during his journey. He encourages the population in the most despondent times. Most importantly, the main character of this story manages to take control of his followers and overcomes the most convoluted circumstances, perhaps when Odysseus and his men fell in Polyphemus’ trap. Yet, he managed to save them from death by blinding the Cyclops, Polyphemus. Odysseus is the true hero of the 8th and 9th century! Just like Odysseus wanted to prove his place in the world , MLK fought for the civil rights of his community by protesting and overcoming fear of being underestimated. He mostly wanted to change society’s negative perception into a positive one. His desire is to prove that the White people are no more superior than the Black community. Both protagonists eventually did bring a new paradigm to the society: they both led successfully and brought positive impact in the development of our community! MLK as well as Odysseus want recognition for their hard work. “If your actions inspire
In 1849, Henry David Thoreau’s essay, Resistance to Civil Government was published. In this essay, Thoreau discussed the importance of using civil disobedience in hopes of creating a more civilized government. Around 100 years later, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter to some clergymen about why blacks should have the same civil rights just like everyone else called, Letter from Birmingham Jail. King was greatly influenced by Thoreau and many of King’s ideas were acquired from principles used in Thoreau’s essay. Compare and contrast how these two men were similar and different when it came to their beliefs of civil disobedience.
In hope of obtaining the Good Life, people often have to deal with balancing the ideas of doing what is best for society and doing what is best for the individual. Both Sophocles’ “Antigone” and Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” support the concept that to obtain the Good Life, a person must act for the benefit of society more than for the benefit of himself or herself. In “Antigone”, through Antigone and Kreon’s actions and the repercussions of their actions, Sophocles argues for the preservation of values of society over self-preservation and putting the beliefs of society over the beliefs of the individual. In the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, King argues against the individual’s tendency for passivity and idleness
Letter from Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most important men in history. He is the spear head of the equal right movement. His goals were to have equal right between all people no matter what you skin color is. King was imprisoned in a Birmingham jail, the reason why, he was a part of a non-violent campaign. King wrote "letter from Birmingham Jail" for eight white religious leaders.
Odysseus faces many obstacle and life threatening situations but he overcome them all. Odysseus is an epic hero because he has supernatural help and he overcomes obstacle throughout his journey by proving himself in order to reach his goal, which is getting home to Ithaca and to take control over his kingdom. Odysseus is an epic hero because he is capable of deeds of great strength and courage. Odysseus shows he is brave/courageous when fights the monstrous Polyphemus and stabbed him in the eye with a giant olive tree. He proves he is
In “A Letter From A Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King Jr defends his use of nonviolent protest in order to accomplish racial equality. In the letter, Dr. King uses ethos, diction, and allusions when defending nonviolent protest which makes his argument really strong. His goal is to make the clergymen help him fight racial equality. He uses ethos to build up credibility.
Odysseus is not a hero because he stabs Polyphemus in the eye and blinds him. Odysseus is still a hero because he is a leader. Moreover, after Odysseus and his men fight the Cicones, he orders ¨Back and Quickly! Out to sea again!” (Homer 984).
In the Odyssey by Homer, one heroic trait that Odysseus shows his preeminence which articulates the Greek cultural value of leading your men to victory. For example, the theme is made apparent when Odysseus visualizes “Bow to stem, trying to put heart into them, standing over every oarsmen, gently” (782, book 12). This shows that Odysseus knows his men can overcome the fear of dying and can save themselves. This is important because Odysseus’ trait is guidance and he strongly portrays that.
The Odyssey by Homer is an exemplary story that teaches life lessons to those going on a journey for themselves. It illustrates how the challenges and obstacles one may face can help someone become a better leader. The Odyssey highlights one man, Odysseus, a man filled with excessive pride, experiencing the wrath of the god Poseidon. He expects to arrive at his home, Ithaca, safely to reunite with his wife, Penelope, but unfortunately faces many temptations and setbacks. Due to the challenges he faces, it prevents him from arriving home as early as he thought he would.
In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. was sent to jail because of a peaceful protest, protesting treatments of blacks in Birmingham. Before the protest a court ordered that protests couldn’t be held in Birmingham. While being held in Birmingham, King wrote what came to be known as the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Not even King himself could predict how much of an impact this letter would have on the Civil Rights Movement. In the letter kind defended Kings beliefs on Nonviolent Protests, King also counters the accusations of him breaking laws by categorizing segregation laws into just and unjust laws. King uses this principle to help persuade others to join him in his acts of civil disobedience.
The theme of Martin Luther King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail and the play Antigone, both references an unjust in the writings a higher law is mentioned. That there is an injustice in both something that defies the higher laws, laws that are not implicated by men. There is a basis for Martin Luther King’s moral principle, it is due to his Catholic religion and reading of the bible. For the play Antigone has mentioned these Higher laws a multitude of times, the higher laws largely impact the actions that the characters take on the play. The higher laws, what the higher laws are, are laws that are not set by humans or any man at any point in time.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a strong leader in the Civil Rights movement, the son and grandson of a minister, and one heck of a letter writer. As he sits in a cell of Birmingham Jail in 1963, he responds to criticism from eight white clergymen. Though this letter was intended for the judgemental and condescending men of high faith, his response touched the hearts and minds of the entire U.S. population, then, and for years to come. In his tear-jerking, mind-opening letter, King manages to completely discredit every claim made by the clergymen while keeping a polite and formal tone. Metaphors, allusions, and rhetorical questions are used in the most skillful way to support his argument and ultimately convince his audience of the credibility behind his emotional, yet factual, claims.
was a powerful figure in the history of civil disobedience and left lasting impacts on our society. While Antigone, important in literature, was no more then the cursed daughter of Oedipus doomed like her father to be rash and selfish. It was not Antigone’s but MLK’s version of civil disobedience that made had the most profound impact; he helped end segregation and racial injustice in America through non-violence and self-enlightenment. MLK fought for justice for all and fought to insure the rights of future African
Because of his skill in creating such pieces of writing, as well as his influential role within the Civil Rights Movement, and the reminder that Letter from Birmingham Jail provides of these trying times, his letter should continue to be included within A World of Ideas. Persuasion within writing is an important tool to be utilized in order to garner support for one’s position. During the 1960s, equality between different races was a very controversial issue which required a certain finesse when being discussed. Martin Luther King demonstrated precisely this sort of finesse when writing about the racial injustices faced by black Americans, as well as when refuting the criticisms he faced from white clergymen.
In Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “A Letter From a Birmingham Jail,” he provides answers to fundamental metaphysical questions regarding the nature of the human soul. Though his letter is addressed to a group of eight clergymen criticizing his direct action campaign in Birmingham, his ultimate aim is the uplifting of human personhood. Underlying King’s letter is a philosophical, hylemorphic anthropology which puts an anchor deep into a certain conception of personhood, and binds all people who are to read it. He looks deeply at the nature of human beings, as rational creatures who are made to love and be loved, and from thence, deliberates that there is a universal Gospel of Freedom and Justice. Martin Luther King, Jr. asserts that there are universal principles justifying what actions are morally right and wrong, just and unjust.
In The Odyssey, Odysseus was a major hero of the novel. He had both heroic traits and human weaknesses. Odysseus defeated the Cyclops, defeated the suitors that were courting his wife, and overcome other challenges throughout the novel. A special trait that made Odysseus a hero was that he was a courageous