For the week of September 14, 2020. Read “A Call for Unity” and “A Letter from Birmingham Jail.”   They are here in modules and they are also listed in the Files.  Read A Call for Unity First.   Martin Luther King Jr.   wrote his Letter in response to the Call for Unity.  Do not confuse the introductory information with the actual letter written by the clergy.   If you can highlight passages, do so.  The two pieces together are not “easy reads.”   They will take you more than 15 minutes to read. It may take you a couple of days to read and respond to the questions. So, allocate enough time to do the work.
The purpose of these two readings is quite simple. It is to look at the way a premise is argued. The Clergy state things in one way and King rebuts their statement. He does so in a way that explains as he resists. King wrote his response, by the way, when he was actually in jail.
You do not have to research information about the Civil Rights Movement or about systemic racism, even though both are pertinent to the situation
You will probably draw comparisons to contemporary events. It is easy to make those comparisons. That right now is not the issue. 

Here are some things to consider for “A Call to Unity.”

What was the situation in Birmingham?

      2.    What do the Clergymen want?

      3.    Whom do they claim is causing the violence?
 

       4.    What do they mean by outsiders?

        5.    Where should the grievances be addressed?

         6.     Whom do they praise? 
                   Dr.  Martin Luther King 

       7.     They are against violence. Are there any people who are for violence?
     
  8.      What kind of tone does the letter convey?   

  9.  In other words, do the signers of this letter seem believable and sincere?

Letter from Birmingham Jail

 In the letter   MLK Jr responds in several ways.

Pragmatic/ Mundane reasons

Ethical/ Moral reasons

Historical/ Legal Reasons

Biblical / Religion   

Take one of his responses and identify how he responds using those categories.

Look at how he addresses each point that the clergymen raise.   Give an example of what the clergymen say and how he responds to that specific issue.

He chronicles the events that happened before the protests and his arrest. Summarize those events.

What reason does he give for non-violent demonstration?

What does he say about Just and Unjust Laws?  How does he define them? 

Regarding Just and Unjust laws, what notable historical examples does he give?

What does he mean when he writes that separation is sin?  

What is the Zeitgeist? In addition to the literal meaning, what does it 

What does he say about the participation of the church in civil rights matters?

What does he say about Black Nationalists groups and their participation in this movement?

What does he say about White Liberals and their participation in this movement?

Who does he wished the clergy praised?

The following questions are about how King wrote the letter, the writing style.

Rhetorical device /flourish.   He often pairs a concrete noun with an abstract noun.

Example: “an air – tight cage of poverty”

What is the effect of using this rhetorical flourish?  Does it confuse? Does it explain more?

There is something like 50 instances of this. Find three. Do not repeat anything that has already been listed.

 The paragraph at the bottom of 2 and that continues onto 3 starts with the sentence “We have waited for over 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights.”  In that paragraph is a sentence that begins “But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim;”

If you read carefully, you will see that is an extremely long sentence that ends with this: “—then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait.” 
This is not a run-on sentence. It is not incorrectly written. It is put together with a series of dependent clauses and parallelisms (a. k.a. parallel structure).  If you do not know what a dependent clause and parallelism are, you should look them up right now, then return to this question. (OWL Purdue will give you definitions. So will Google)
Now that you know, give an example from the sentence of a dependent clause and   an example of parallel structure.

 You may consider this writing old fashioned in style but relevant in content. What were your reactions to this writing? What feelings does it provoke in you, if any? What is your opinion?