On "Letter from Birmingham Jail"

After having read Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” I feel that I have somewhat of an understanding as to what King was trying to say. On page 182 King writes, “There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into an abyss of injustice where they experience the bleakness of corroding despair. I hope sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience.” I feel that this quote pretty much sums up King’s entire letter. I think that King is saying that white people have no idea how hard a negro’s life is which is why they can easily say that they are committing no injustices, but rather keeping justice intact. When King talks about the white man who wrote him a letter saying that colored people will eventually be treated as equals in due time, Kings response to this letter is perhaps one of the wisest things I have ever read. King basically says that this man has an interesting way of looking at time by thinking that any wrongs in life can be fixed simply by waiting. King also states that time is neutral and that it can be either destructive or constructive. To me, that is one of the reasons why King felt that it was necessary to express his and his brothers’ needs through protests, sit-ins, etc. Dr. King’s ideas in this letter are all very wise and true; I find it hard to believe that none of the white people were able to see the injustices that were being done to the negros. I find it even harder to believe that even today, black people are still not treated as equally as white people.