The Analysis of Letter Written by Martin Luther King Jr Essay Example

In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter, he makes sure to show and define the distinct difference between just and unjust. “A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law” (King 3). A just law is fair. It splits right from wrong. An unjust law goes against the “moral law." It is unfair and biased. He also states that an unjust law will damage personality. To put in perspective, segregation. Segregation, “..distort(s) the soul and damages the personality” (King 3). During his time, segregation was serious and in full force. Everyone who reads the letter will have background on segregation, and may even relate to how it has hurt people.

In the book, The Help, the characters Aibileen and Minny are faced with many injustices. Segregation is the most extreme problem these two must face. “Separate but equal” (Stockett 218)... Miss Hilly had said this when referring to the separate bathrooms. This relates back to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter when he explains how segregation is unjust. The bathroom Aibileen must use is dark and unclean. It is humiliating to have to use that bathroom, and makes her feel degraded. The bathroom is meant to show that white people have more power. Segregation is not “separate but equal." It is unjust, and wrong.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. describes himself as an “extremist." An extremist is someone who takes things to the extreme. Even though some men call him that, he does not see himself as one. “I was rather disappointed that fellow clergymen would see my nonviolent efforts as those of an extremist” (King 4). He is upset because that is not how he saw the march. In his eyes, it was necessary to do the march. An example King gives about why the march was so necessary was about pent-up anger and frustration.

“If his repressed emotions do not come out in these nonviolent ways, they will come out in omnious expressions of violence” (King 5). No one is hurt during non-violent acts, so it is the most peaceful way to show emotions people of color have tried to ignore. 

In The Help, three women go to great lengths to release their anger about segregation. Minny and Aibileen are treated horribly.  Miss Hilly was not being nice to Minny. So, to get back at Hilly, Minny made a pie containing poop. “...For Two-Slice Hilly” (Stockett 402). Unlike Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s march, this action was not peaceful. King is for peace, and doing nonviolent acts. Minny’s actions hurt someone, making it extreme. There were more peaceful ways to approach the situation.

Not every action these characters have done should be considered “extreme." Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny are all working together to write a book. This book shows what it is like to work for white families, the good, and the bad. The book is harmless. No one will be hurt by it because the town and the people’s names are changed. “What if folks figure out Niceville is Jackson or figure out who who”(Stockett 431).

When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. says, “...wait has almost always meant ‘never’” (King 2), he is referring to why he did what he did at Birmingham. He is saying that colored people are told that one day, segregation will be nonexistent, but no one does anything to act upon that. He did. T support his reasoning, King speaks about Africa and Asia. “The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jetlike speed toward the goal of political independence” (King 2). He refers to these two countries to give a different perspective. America thrives on being revolutionary, staying modern. Yet, Americans are slow to end segregation. He supports his claim by giving a timeline. “We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights” (King 2). He is saying that segregation ignores the rights of all citizens, unlike what the Constitution stands for.

The idea of starting now relates strongly to The Help. Skeeter is a character who is before her time. She wears short dresses (“I don’t want Mother to see you in that short dress, he says” (Stockett 445).) and keeps her hair long. While other white women her age approve and encourage segregation, she denies it. An idea she has is a prime example of how the time is now. She is writing a book that challenges segregation. “I want to interview you. About what it’s like to work as a maid” (Stockett 119). If she did not write that book, nothing would change. No one would have tried to change or fix the problem of segregation. Skeeter is doing something now to help change the future.