We Have Read “Letter From Birmingham Jail” And “Harrison Bergeron”. Both Pieces, Although One Is Non-fiction And One Is Fiction, Make A Similar Argument. However, How They Go About Making That Argument Is Different. Assignment: Write A 3 To

Name

Professor name

Subject

Date

Comparison

King Martin Luther and Kurt Vonnegut constructed their arguments to address the equality that prevailed in America for centuries and the oppressed had fought for it throughout history. Luther’s central argument was on the role of state as he claimed that it can be left to its own device. This was to tell the people that states have to fulfill their duty by taking a fair role that in benefit of all. Vonnegut emphasized more on the individual role of the people in societies claiming that some have attained more success compared to others. He said that some people are more intelligent than others and have managed to attain more success. It also depends on human ability of thinking and abstractly or for long periods.

Luther also argued that people have moral obligations which makes it compulsory for them to follow rules and obligations. However when the governments are performing failry then the people have every right to stand for their rights and revolt. He claimed that blacks have been victims of the inequality. “Birmingham is probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States. Its ugly record of police brutality is known in every section of this country. Its unjust treatment of Negroes in the courts is a notorious reality” CITATION Mar63 \l 1033 (King). The blacks are targeted by the police that reflects the incompetency of the state which gives the right to the oppressed to revolt.

The second argument made by Vonnegut is the nee for diversity. According to him it is always good to have different groups in the society because it created diversity. About success he argued that it depends on the mental ability of the people. Many people who are not at better positions undergo mental complexities that hinder their potential to reach to the higher level. He states, “the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains” CITATION Kur61 \l 1033 (Vonnegut).

The most controversial argument made by Luther claims that the real barrier to equality for blacks are whites. Luther claimed that the gap is due to the unfair role of the government and those who are at better positions. Without equality blacks will continue to struggle for their basic rights. They have suffered injustice in every aspect of life such as education, politics and justice. He mentions, “we realized that we were the victims of a broken promise” CITATION Mar63 \l 1033 (King). Irretentive of their struggles the state is not denying us equal rights which is wrong.

Vonnegut’s strongest argument was that equality is impossible in the society. He claims that people are unnecessarily wasting their time in the fight for equality because there is always a gap between two groups of the society. This is because one group us always more attractive and enjoy better position in the society compared to the others. Equality that people are striving for might be attained very late such as in 2081. He emphasized on the biological makeup of the people and identified it as one of the prominent reasons for the existence of differences among people and groups. Some people always have better strengths than others while others have more weaknesses. These factors prevent people from becoming equal to those who are enjoying better lifestyles and status in society.

King and Vonnegut made their arguments by analyzing the social conditions. Although their thoughts varied but they attempted to portray the reasons of inequality from their own perspectives.

Work Cited

BIBLIOGRAPHY Vonnegut, Kurt. Harrison Bergeron. Random House, 1961.

King, Martin Luther. "Letter from Birmingham Jail." (1963).

Sengstock, Mary C. Voices of Diversity: Multi-culturalism in America. Springer, 2009.