Letter from Birmingham Jail: Martin Luther King, Jr.

            Last year, I was required to read King’s letter but I had never thought to look at his composition through the lens of time. Interestingly, I find this reading more effective and impactful as it allows the reader to realize that this fight for equality did not happen overnight. In reality, this fight was grueling and tedious and it is inspiring to see that Dr. King, through all his time fighting never wavered in his beliefs or gave up. King’s comparison to the Apostle Paul was impactful especially in regard to time because it shows how injustice has not faltered, but transcended time to infect society. Particularly focusing on the societal context when King wrote this, it shows the unabashed mistreatment and inequality he faced.

            Time again proves to have not worked in King’s favor as he realizes the shop keepers who negotiated with him to take down their racist shop signs were giving him empty promises.

He writes in his letter, “As the weeks and months unfolded, we realized we were the victims of a broken promise. The signs remained. As in so many experiences of the past, we were confronted with blasted hopes” (King 1). The time spent peacefully negotiating in order for a better life only to have his hopes crushed is even more painful to witness. King waited to make progress in his fight as these shop keepers sat idly watching the time pass with no progression in his battle for civil rights. Another heart wrenching realization from this passage is that this was not the first time that King and his followers were exposed to this type of false hope. They had been given “blasted hopes before and they were let down, in spite of the fact that they were fighting this battle with peace and discussion.

            Finally, King makes it clear that the fight to destroy racial segregation never had an appropriate time to begin. Working against these oppressors never had a time that was perfect for a protest, yet they had to fight without regards to the right time. Time was fleeting and the longer they waited the longer segregation would continue to engulf the South. King writes, “Frankly, I have never yet engaged in a direct-action movement that was ‘well timed’ according to the timetable of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation” (King 2). Throughout my second reading of King’s letter with a focus on time, I find that it has left a greater impact on me as I now realize how long and insufferable this fight really was. In a more positive light, it is  inspiring to know that King eventually succeeded in his fight, despite his tireless battle and many setbacks.