Question
Excerpt from letter from Brigham jail by Dr Martin Luther King Jr you may well ask why direct action? Why sit-ins marches etc? Isn't negotiation a better path? You're exactly right in your call for negotiations . Indeed this is a purpose of direct action. Non-violent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tensions that a community that has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.
Beginning of bolded section: "My friends, I must say to you that we have not made a single gain in civil rights without legal and non-violent pressure. History is the long and tragic story of the fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily. Individuals may see the moral light and give up their unjust posture; but as Reinhold Niebihr has reminded us, groups are more immoral than individuals." End of bolded section.
We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly I have never yet engaged in a direct action movement that was "well timed," according to the timetable of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the world "wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with a piercing familiarity. This "wait!" has almost always meant "never". It has been a tranquilizing Thalidomide, reliving the emotional stress for a moment only to give birth to an ill-formed infant of frustration. We must come to see with the distinguished jurist of yesterday that "justice as too long delayed is Justice denied." We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights. The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jet-like speed towards the goal of political Independence, and we still creep at horse and buggy pace toward the gaining of a cup of coffee at a lunch counter.
Use the passage to answer the question. Take another look at the bolted section in the text that begins with "My friends, I must say to you..."
And 3 to 5 sentences what tone does Dr King create in this section what words and phrases create this tone? Includes specific examples from the text to support your explanation
Beginning of bolded section: "My friends, I must say to you that we have not made a single gain in civil rights without legal and non-violent pressure. History is the long and tragic story of the fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily. Individuals may see the moral light and give up their unjust posture; but as Reinhold Niebihr has reminded us, groups are more immoral than individuals." End of bolded section.
We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly I have never yet engaged in a direct action movement that was "well timed," according to the timetable of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the world "wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with a piercing familiarity. This "wait!" has almost always meant "never". It has been a tranquilizing Thalidomide, reliving the emotional stress for a moment only to give birth to an ill-formed infant of frustration. We must come to see with the distinguished jurist of yesterday that "justice as too long delayed is Justice denied." We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights. The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jet-like speed towards the goal of political Independence, and we still creep at horse and buggy pace toward the gaining of a cup of coffee at a lunch counter.
Use the passage to answer the question. Take another look at the bolted section in the text that begins with "My friends, I must say to you..."
And 3 to 5 sentences what tone does Dr King create in this section what words and phrases create this tone? Includes specific examples from the text to support your explanation
Answers
GPT-4o mini
In the bolded section of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter, he creates a tone of urgency and determination. Phrases like "we have not made a single gain in civil rights without legal and non-violent pressure" emphasize the necessity of action and imply that passivity leads to stagnation. He underscores the moral failings of privilege groups by stating, "privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily," which evokes a sense of injustice and frustration. Additionally, his reference to “moral light” and “unjust posture” enhances the moral imperative for immediate action. Through these phrases, Dr. King communicates a resolute belief that active struggle is essential in the fight against systemic oppression, highlighting the grim reality that waiting has historically translated to nothing changing.