What is freedom and how is it
lived by a society?
“[Civil] disobedience is the
true foundation of liberty. The
obedient must be slaves.” Henry David Thoreau
“Freeing yourself was one
thing, claiming ownership
of that freed self was
another.” - Maya Angelou
“If we don't believe in freedom
of expression for people we
despise, we don't believe in it
at all.” - Noam Chomsky
“You can have
peace. Or you can
have freedom. Don't
ever count on having
both at once.” Robert A. Heinlein
“Better to die fighting for
freedom than be a
prisoner all the days of
your life.” - Bob Marley
“I am free, no matter what rules
surround me. If I find them tolerable, I
tolerate them; if I find them too
obnoxious, I break them. I am free
because I know that I alone am morally
responsible for everything I do.”
- Robert A. Heinlein
“The really important kind of freedom
involves attention, and awareness, and
discipline, and effort, and being able truly
to care about other people and to
sacrifice for them, over and over, in
myriad petty little unsexy ways, every
day.” - David Foster Wallace
“Some tourists think Amsterdam
is a city of sin, but in truth it is a
city of freedom. And in freedom,
most people find sin.”
- John Green
“For to be free is not
merely to cast off one’s
chains, but to live in a way
that respects and enhances
the freedom of others.”
- Nelson Mandela
“Man is condemned to be free;
because once thrown into the
world, he is responsible for
everything he does. It is up to
you to give [life] a meaning.”
- Jean-Paul Sartre
“None are more hopelessly
enslaved than those who
falsely believe they are free.”
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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Name:
SOCRATIC SEMINAR
Letter from Birmingham Jail
Are the African Americans in Dr. King’s time free?
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Socratic Seminar Notes & Quotes
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SOCRATIC SEMINAR
Letter from Birmingham Jail
Are the African Americans in Dr. King’s time free?
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SOCRATIC SEMINAR
Letter from Birmingham Jail
Section 1 | Select 2 questions and answer using textual evidence
What is civil disobedience? What does it have to do with Dr. King’s argument?
Explain what the following statement reveals about human nature: “...groups are more immoral than
individuals.”
In paragraph 8, Dr. King says, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of
destiny.” Explain the meaning of his argument in this statement.
Paragraph 9 includes a very long sentence made up of 9 different statements. Why did Dr. King structure this
paragraph in this way? What effect was he attempting to create?
Explain the meaning of these lines of figurative language: “There comes a time when the cup of endurance
runs over and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of injustice…”
What is Dr. King’s perspective on laws? How does he defend his perspective?
How does Dr. King support his claim that “we will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the
nation…”?
If the following lines are not meant to be taken literally, then what does Dr. King mean by them?
“Before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, we were here. Before the pen of Jefferson scratched across the
page of history the majestic word of the Declaration of Independence, we were here.”
Why does Dr. King use imagery in his concluding paragraph?
Section 2 | Select 2 questions and answer using textual evidence
How does Dr. King use ethos in his letter to present his argument to his readers?
How does Dr. King use pathos in his letter to present his argument to his readers?
How does Dr. King use logos in his letter to present his argument to his readers?
How does Dr. King use “They say/I say” in his letter to present his argument to his readers?
How does Dr. King use repetition in his letter to present his argument to his readers?
How does Dr. King use outside sources and examples in his letter to present his argument to his readers?
Why did this text come to be written at this particular time, by this particular author, for this particular
audience?
BONUS
On page three of “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Dr. King references men named Shadrach, Meshach,
Abednego, and Nebuchadnezzar. Research who these men are, from what source they are from, and explain
how they are related to Dr. King’s current problem in Birmingham.
On page three of “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Dr. King references the idea “civil disobedience.” Research
Henry David Thoreau’s thoughts on civil disobedience and compare them to Dr. King’s use of nonviolent direct
action. Use the following website to help you answer this question: http://thoreau.eserver.org/civil.html.
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