Question

Read the excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” You suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six year old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children. What is the author’s purpose for including this sentence

Answer 1

To show what colored people had to go through during his time. To give an emotional value.

Answer 2

Answer:

The purpose of Martin Luther King to include this phrase is to demonstrate that the rights of African Americans were trampled even in such elementary situations as the recreation of children, thus showing the seriousness of the situation of racial segregation in the United States.

Explanation:

The Letter from Birmingham Jail was an open letter written on April 16, 1963 by Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. King wrote the letter from the prison in the city of Birmingham in Alabama, where he was being held after a non-violent protest against racial segregation. The letter is a response to a statement issued by eight white clergy members of Alabama on April 12, 1963 entitled "A Call to Unity." In it, they declared the existence of social injustices but expressed the belief that the battle against racial segregation should be carried out only in the courts and not carried to the streets, as it provoked tension between citizens. King responded that without strong direct action, true civil rights could never be achieved.