Comments on Letter from Birmingham Jail

Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail essentially illustrates how strongly King was influenced by Gandhi’s ideas. This letter answered the reproaches made by eight while Alabama clergymen in 1963 in a statement titled “A Call for Unity.” One of the criticisms of the clergymen was the immense tension caused by the demonstration; they called for negotiation for negotiation rather than direct action. King argues that they “are quite right in calling for negotiation. Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action.” He goes on to state that nonviolent resistance seeks to create tension that would force the community to face the issue head-on and that is necessary for growth.

I agree with King, in the sense that nothing grows without hitting hardships. Education is clearly a good example of this necessary tension for growth. Students are challenged to learn more and more difficult material as their grade in school increases, in order to grow into a more intelligent person specialized in a field of interest. 

Going along with the same thought process, nonviolent resistance is necessary to produce the tension that will pull the community toward negotiation of an issue. If no one steps up to the plate to create that tension, then nothing will be done about the issue and no growth will be present.