Vocabulary
retaliate
What is the main reason King and his followers are demonstrating and protesting in Birmingham, instead of negotiating with city leaders?
Birmingham failed to keep promises made in earlier negotiations.
Which statement best explains how Dr. King’s introduction of the four steps of nonviolent campaign?
It justifies the need for nonviolent action.
Dr. King mostly supports his argument for immediate action by --
Using emotional appeal
A clear _____ states the writer’s position on the issue or problem.
claim
A temporary suspension or agreed-upon delay
Why is King “so greatly disappointed with the white church and its leadership”?
King believes that the leaders have not stood up boldly in support of civil rights.
What can the reader infer about Dr. King’s feelings toward the members of the clergy whom he addresses in his letter?
He has a very close relationship with them and works with them on a regular basis.
Dr. King compares just and unjust laws in order to explain why African Americans--
Have the right to break some laws
Relevant and appealing ______ and ______support the claim.
reasons and evidence
complacency
Who is the “we” to whom King refers most clearly in this sentence?
We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation, because the goal of America is freedom. Abused and scorned though we may be, our destiny is tied up with America’s destiny.
African Americans
In “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” King expresses discontent with the “moderates” who sympathize with but take no part in the civil rights struggle, saying:
Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.
Which statement best explains why King would rather face outright opposition than “lukewarm acceptance”?
He believes that because opposition is violent, it does much more harm than passive acceptance.
Dr. King addresses the logical fallacy that peaceful protests are bad because they lead to violence. How does addressing this logical fallacy support his argument?
It makes the point that blaming protestors for the acts of others is irrational.
____ ____ are anticipated and effectively refuted.
opposing claims
Established customs and conventions
King cites T.S. Eliot’s observation about doing “the right deed for the wrong reason.” How does Eliot’s observation apply to actions that King describes in his letter?
It applies to those Birmingham police officers who use legal, nonviolent means to handle demonstrators in public but do so to maintain the injustice of racial discrimination.
Read this sentence from “Letter from Birmingham Jail”:
[T]here are two types of laws: just and unjust.
Describe the distinction King draws, in the letter, between two types of laws?
Just laws are rooted in universal principles of fairness, while unjust laws are not.
We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.
True or False? This an example of antithesis.
True
A ____ acknowledges a valid opposing point.
concession
List the 3 reasons MLK wrote the letter.
To occupy his time while he was waiting to be released from jail.
To respond to well-intended criticism of the civil rights movement.
To make his argument to everyone who will read the letter after its publication.
Near the end of “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” King says, “I have no despair about the future. I have no fear about the outcome of our struggle. . . .”
Explain why King feels so certain of ultimate victory.
He believes that he and his followers are stronger than those who oppose them.
I doubt that you would have so warmly commended the police force if you had seen its dogs sinking their teeth into unarmed, nonviolent Negroes. I doubt that you would so quickly commend the policemen if you were to observe their ugly and inhumane treatment of Negroes here in the city jail; if you were to watch them push and curse old Negro women and young Negro girls; if you were to see them slap and kick old Negro men and young boys; if you were to observe them, as they did on two occasions, refuse to give us food because we wanted to sing our grace together.
Which statement best explains the rhetorical device Dr. King uses in this excerpt and its effect?
The repeated use of parallelism imparts Dr. King’s mounting outrage.
A convincing ____ may include a call to action.
conclusion