Letter from Birmingham Jail

King’s eloquent writing certainly has the ability to captivate his audience, much like his speaking. Many of the ideas King presented in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” echoed the philosophies of Gandhi wrote of in “Satyagraha.” King wrote to his fellow clergymen about the civil rights movement he was participating in and the injustice of segregation going on in Birmingham at the time. He said that he was disappointed that the church did not support the civil rights movement. King also explained the power of non-violent resistance and why it was so important that they follow it. This flowed very well with other Gandhi ideas, such as suffering punishment for disobeying an unjust law. However, there were a few factors that separated King from Gandhi. Aside from the two different tasks they tried to achieve, King was a devout Christian and reverend. He spoke of many Biblical scenarios and applied them to the current day. King was also a much better presenter than Gandhi. His writing is more intriguing and King was well known for his powerful and moving speeches. Although Gandhi was a revolutionary in the idea of non-violent resistance, he was not as charismatic as the African-American activist.