https://padlet.com/rnelson5/4smallchange en-us 2016-09-13 16:11:02 UTC 2025-10-21 19:34:57 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.com/rnelson5/4smallchange/wish/123919115 In the "Small Change" article, I feel that the author uses a personal, yet still factual tone. He presents the idea of activism and how the presence of social media has changed the meaning of it, whether that be for the better or worse. While on the other hand, I think that in the Birmingham letter, Martin Luther King Jr. presents his thoughts in a stricter and more determined/focused tone. He states what he fells about the situation and why things have gotten so bad, and what hasn't been done to fix it. He uses this letter to explain his side of the story, and to me, I think it came off of a more angry, yet nevertheless still determined tone. Both articles speak attempting to get their points across, just in different ways. The "Small Change" article was probably easier to read, only in the sense that it was more modern and written on social media presence, etc. which can be more relatable to students our age. ]]> 2016-09-14 20:48:31 UTC https://padlet.com/rnelson5/4smallchange/wish/123919115 https://padlet.com/rnelson5/4smallchange/wish/123928144 I believe that the tone from Letters From Birmingham Jail and Small Change are different because one has a tone of sarcasm while the other is a more serious tone. And the way that the speakers voices' is different is based off of credibility. The reason being is one of the speakers was actually there in that time era that is being referenced, while the other speaker is going off of old documents and articles from that time era because they themselves were not personally there like Martin Luther King Jr. was. Although they are similar in a way that they project the events that had taken place during this time frame, even though the diction used is slightly different. I personally think that Small Change is easier to interact with because unlike Letters From Birmingham Jail it's not stuck on one specific event, whereas Small Change is more connected to modern day events as well as other events that had taken place after Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his letter.

]]> 2016-09-14 21:47:52 UTC https://padlet.com/rnelson5/4smallchange/wish/123928144 https://padlet.com/rnelson5/4smallchange/wish/123934582 In my personal opinion, the "Letter from Birmingham Jail" has a more authoritative and knowledgable tone to it, and while "Small Change" also has a knowledgable tone it also has a slightly more hopeful infliction. Obviously the a trait in common with these two pieces is that both writers are well educated in what they are writing for and about. The "Letter from Birmingham Jail" was far easier to engage in, in my opinion, given that it felt less like a written piece to purposely analyze and consider deeply, but more of a piece that stuck in your mind that you unintentionally thought about, that it was more of a conversation.]]> 2016-09-14 23:11:21 UTC https://padlet.com/rnelson5/4smallchange/wish/123934582 https://padlet.com/rnelson5/4smallchange/wish/123935413 In MLK's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" he uses logos appeal to explain to the readers the thought put into the protests and the exact reasoning that the protests are necessary now more than ever. It is obvious from his words that he has incredible knowledge on how the sit-ins work and how to correlate them effectively. This supports Gladwell's statement that it was like a "military campaign". Gladwell explanation of this is not that the Civil Rights activists were effective in following orders and striking targets but that they had a hierarchical structure that keep them stable, a "leader" or central figure that could keep motivations high. This "military campaign" also meant that they thought through all of the consequences and made appropriate systems to deal with them. While Gladwell's description may seem extreme it helps in visualizing the sacrifices necessary for change to happen. MLK's "unquestioned authority" did not come from an iron fist but rather an extreme knowledge of how change can occur.]]> 2016-09-14 23:22:10 UTC https://padlet.com/rnelson5/4smallchange/wish/123935413 https://padlet.com/rnelson5/4smallchange/wish/123942363 The voices of the speakers are different from the point of their perspective, of course, but similar in that they are both reflecting on the current (at the time of each writing) nature of change and, in particular social activism, and reflecting on where there is room for improvement so as to increase the efficacy of social movements. In MLK's case, he believes that those of the Caucasian community need to not just recognize the need for change, but play a role in actually effecting change, and in Gladwell's case, he believes social activism is lacking not in participation, but in the organization and close ties necessary to truly make an impact on the social climate. Their tones differ in that MLK's piece is more of a call to action and an effort to directly refute the misgivings that many have of his movement, while Gladwell's piece takes a more reflective tone and seems to be encouraging the reader to themself reflect on what it truly takes to effect social change, what qualifies as a relevant and significant social change, and whether or not social media is truly an effective method of effecting change. Personally, I found Gladwell's piece more relatable as it is a current issue that I have considered important for a long time, while it is more difficult to relate to such a wide scale protest as the Civil Rights Movement, because it is not something that I have really experienced within my lifetime.]]> 2016-09-15 00:50:03 UTC https://padlet.com/rnelson5/4smallchange/wish/123942363 https://padlet.com/rnelson5/4smallchange/wish/123946398 Martin Luther King Jr. had a way with words. He got his validation across without using spite in his voice. He adequately used an informative tone with his facts to back up his reasoning. Malcolm Gladwell has a way with expressing opinionated views throughout this piece entitled Small Change. The way he displays his thoughts to the readers is with a tad bit of anger, and he is not very pleased with what he is talking about that occurred in the 60's. The way that I can compare these pieces is with the way they do not just state their opinions without validation, they do  come across with too much bias and that is where I feel I can connect a little bit more to the pieces. I find it easier to connect more with the Letter from Birmingham Jail, because Martin Luther King Jr. has a way with securing people's mindsets to make them begin to believe in what he is stating.]]> 2016-09-15 01:32:28 UTC https://padlet.com/rnelson5/4smallchange/wish/123946398 https://padlet.com/rnelson5/4smallchange/wish/123952331 In his essay, Malcolm Gladwell describes the civil rights movement of the 1960's as centralized organization, with Martin Luther King Jr. being the undisputed leader. This is very similar to King's descriptions of the events occurring in Birmingham. First, King speaks like someone who is in charge of something large, by saying things such as "my affiliates" and referring to those who help him as his "staff". This shows that he is regarded as leader, and that he is looked up to by other in the organization. Another example is when King talks about how they scheduled their protest for certain times of year (for example, around Christmas time, or after a local election). This again, shows King's leadership, as he and his co-planners choose times of years where they will be heard loudly, and times of year they should wait before acting. All in all, Malcolm Gladwell's assumption that Martin Luther King Jr. was the leader of this movement is an accurate assumption of his role. ]]> 2016-09-15 02:31:26 UTC https://padlet.com/rnelson5/4smallchange/wish/123952331 https://padlet.com/rnelson5/4smallchange/wish/123956605 Martin Luther King Jr. a very calm and polite tone in the letter that he wrote. He explains how what him and his followers have been doing with the protests and boycotts is to get the equal rights that they deserve. In the article the author talks about how nowadays people can't do what they could have done 100 years ago because of social media. Malcolm has a very open perspective about how it can be a good and a bad thing and he tries to open it up more to the audience to be able to understand his point]]> 2016-09-15 03:14:13 UTC https://padlet.com/rnelson5/4smallchange/wish/123956605 https://padlet.com/rnelson5/4smallchange/wish/123957529 Question #2 : Compare the tone of "Letter from Birmingham Jail" to the tone of "Small Change." How are the voices of the speakers different? Are they similar in any way? Which do you find easier to engage with and why?

In the "Letter from Birmingham Jail", Martin Luther King Jr. uses a calm tone that allows the reader to feel some respect from the author. In comparison, the "Small Change" tone was much more determined and harsh. There was implied authority that was stated in direction and facts with statements, as opposed to the "Letter from Birmingham Jail" that used rhetorical questions without authority that seems more as suggestions. There are some similarities in the pieces, however, as the voices of the speakers seem to be very well-backed with facts and seem like quite reliable sources. It seems to be easier to engage in the second piece, "Small Change", as it is much more "pushy" in stating opinions in a way that they sound like facts. It was also much more fast paced in the reading, as the information was much more connected to today's events and toward a much broader audience. 

-Valerie Anderson]]> 2016-09-15 03:23:50 UTC https://padlet.com/rnelson5/4smallchange/wish/123957529 https://padlet.com/rnelson5/4smallchange/wish/123958216 Comparing the tone of both pieces, I would say Gladwell's piece is more factual than MLK Jr. "Letter from Birmingham Jail" was written specifically by Martin Luther King Jr. so his true opinions and views on the issue were more direct and contained more passion. "Small Change" was written by someone who was a secondary source, so while the ethos, pathos, and logos were all there, it did not provide as much persuasion and emotion from the reader.]]> 2016-09-15 03:31:34 UTC https://padlet.com/rnelson5/4smallchange/wish/123958216 https://padlet.com/rnelson5/4smallchange/wish/123960565 The difference between the tone of the two documents is that Gladwell speaks from a more critical standpoint that does not help convey his argument as strongly as Dr. Kings. While Gladwell based his argument on informative techniques, Dr. King does a great job of helping the reader see through his perspective. While Dr. King develops a stronger argument though connecting with the reader, he is also able to give examples of mistreatment of other African-Americans. Gladwell's piece had many comparisons from the activism of the past and the present but he failed to convey his solution to the problem. ]]> 2016-09-15 04:13:29 UTC https://padlet.com/rnelson5/4smallchange/wish/123960565