Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”

1. Carnegie establishes three specific “modes” relating to the use of excess wealth: give it to your kids, leave it for charities, or create charities during your lifetime These issues have to do with responsibility, charity, and personal satisfaction. Discuss the three modes.
2. Compare the ideas of Carnegie with those of Carl Becker. Becker argues that material wealth and virtuous behavior are two of the primary requirements for democracy. Does Carnegie agree? What is Carnegie’s solution to a better democratic society? A better “democracy”?
3. Thoreau established in 1849 some of the principles that Martin Luther King later espoused. Indeed, MLK was borrowing [directly] some of the ideas of Thoreau. What were these ideas?
4. Thoreau
5. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is an argument or refutation of the words of certain clergy in the community. So, how is King’s letter an open “refutation” of someone else’s ideas? And how does King go about refuting these ideas? His letter is a classic “point/counterpoint” argument. Describe it and show how it works [and argue whether it is effective or not].
6. Discuss King’s use of “pathos, ethos, and logos” in his argument. In what ways specifically does he employ pathos? In what way ethos? How pathos?
7. Discuss King’s four point plan for putting together a non-violent demonstration. How might these work? Is it effective? Do you agree with King? Disagree? Is there more that you would do if it were you putting together such a demonstration?
8. Does MLK follow some of the ideas that Plato espoused? In what ways is he like Plato?

What do they share philosophically?
9. Compare the writings of Sigmund Freud with those of his contemporary, Carl Jung. Jung was Freud’s student, you might say, but broke from him [went in a different direction] over certain ideas related to child development and the levels of the unconscious.
10. Analyze Freud’s essay or Jung’s essay separately. What did Freud argue? What did Jung argue?
11. Compare the Communist Manifesto with Carnegie. Marx argues for fairness and the distribution of wealth; Carnegie says that competition is a natural law but that the wealthy have an obligation to help the poor by giving money to charities and using their wealth to improve social conditions.
12. Carl Becker tells us that history is written by individuals and that written history can never therefore be “absolute.” Instead, it is “relative,” more personal than one might imagine. Look closely at what he is saying here and consider this in relation to other writers. Does their personal point of view, their commitment, their perspective change the way a thing is written about? How does each author reflect his or her own personal bias?
13. Becker very carefully defines democracy as needing two things: material conditions and people of high “capacity.” Is he correct in saying this? What else is required for a democracy to flourish?
14. You may use any of the questions at the back of the essay[s]. You might also use [respond to] any of the comments for discussion section.

Remember: this second essay is very much the same as the first.

I just want you to consider whether you are “arguing” a position or simply stating some fact. Argumentative writing is different from expository. It implies a position or opinion about something. That is all.

Last, consider the three part essay described above and also the “scientific” model that many science writers use: [1] establish the problem [2] discuss how we got there [3] provide solutions to the problem. This is also a very effective technique.

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