Dr. Kings claim centered on the need to encourage nonviolent protest against racial discrimination. He also revealed the biblical soundness of this claim through various examples (Rieder XIX). Importantly, the clergymen were against segregation, but they believed that people should wait patiently for justice. In their turn, Dr. King and his supporters were promoting active non-violent protest.
Through allusion to Apostle Paul, King attempted to stress that he also wanted to spread freedom (King 4). He tried to end racial oppression and discrimination through peaceful resolution. Dr. King alluded to Apostle Paul to show the clergymen that they were sharing a common ground.
Another crucial allusion was made to the Book of Acts. In it, Peter said that it was more important for him to act in the will of God rather than to hold by unjust rulings (King 5). It implied that he might offend other people in the process. This allusion showed that Dr. King was trying to obey the word of God (Blum and Harvey 205). While doing so, he recognized that he might be offending the church officials. Through this analogy, King intended to show that he would continue fighting for equality because it was the right thing to do. Thus, he wanted the clergymen to comprehend biblical reasoning behind the non-violent protest.
One more allusion was made to Socrates to explicate the need for action. He wrote that creating tension was essential so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths (King 2). Socrates asked people difficult questions so that they could reflect on their lives. Such analysis and tension liberated them from living under illusions. Through this example, Dr. Kind illustrated that civil disobedience took place many years ago. Back then, people were ready to oppose unjust laws that were causing inequality and preventing progress. In the same manner, King believed that people could unite to combat oppression.
Works Cited
Blum, Edward J., and Paul Harvey. The Color of Christ: The Son of God & the Saga of Race in America. The University of North Carolina Press, 2012.
King, Martin Luther, Jr. Letter from Birmingham Jail. 1963. Web.
Rieder, Jonathan. Gospel of Freedom: Martin Luther King, Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail and the Struggle That Changed a Nation. Bloomsbury Press, 2013.
The main topic of the letter is the discussion of the issue of justice and injustice. Dr. King set forth a few examples of fair and unjust laws. The author had a clear definition of the first domain. He wrote: Any law that uplifts human personality is just (King 3). In regards to the second concept, he explained that an unjust law is any law that degrades human personality (King 3). He was convinced that it was the obligation of any person to fight against injustice. Therefore, a just law was a power that protected people. Meanwhile, an unjust law degraded individuals, and it caused inequality.
Importantly, Dr. King expanded his discussion through the analysis of segregation. The opponents of the activist stressed that segregation was a legal action. Dr. King refuted their claim and noted that legal was not the same as morally right (King 5). It should be noted that he believed that everyone should disobey injustice. Dr. King also put forward the idea that people were guaranteed specific rights by the constitution. Therefore, the discussion went beyond the moral code of action (Buford 55). Martin Luther King Jr. had a more nuanced position based on legal, moral, and spiritual perspectives.
In the discussion of just and unjust laws, Dr. King touched upon the issue of equality. He explicated that the exclusion of some cultural groups was discriminatory. He wondered: Can any law set up in such a state be considered democratically structured? (King 3). He implied that there were discriminatory voting rights in the country (Velasquez 623). He reinforced his discussion of just and unjust laws and protests against injustice through further examples.
There were instances of civil disobedience to law exhibited by the Christians and Socrates. Thus, through these multiple examples, Dr. King vividly explained the difference between just and unjust laws and proved that refusal to obey was a justified act.
Works Cited
Buford, Maurice A. Bold Followership: A Biblical Cure for Organizational Toxicity. Springer, 2018.
King, Martin Luther, Jr. Letter from Birmingham Jail. 1963. Web.
Velasquez, Manuel. Philosophy: A Text with Readings. 13th ed., Cengage Learning, 2015.
The letter from Birmingham Jail was written by king junior during his incarceration in the jail of Birmingham. This showed that despite the fact that he was lonely in the prison, his resolve to fight for the freedom of the black people was still strong. He says that he was in Birmingham because there was injustice.
By saying this, he means that regardless of the discrimination and racial prejudices that prevailed, he was prepared to fight for the freedom of the blacks. His letter was a response to another letter written by the clergy complaining about the demonstrations that were agitating for the freedom of the blacks.
Kings letter has the capacity to evoke patriotic feelings among the readers. He agrees that there are many states in the US but the cohesiveness of the nation as a single unit is vital. The constraint in the letter is that racism does not play any part in a nation that is united and one that focuses on progression.
Racial prejudices and discrimination have the impact of damaging the structure and foundation associated with the greatness of the US. He says that the oppressors do not give freedom voluntarily unless the oppressed fight for it. With reference to history, people in authority find it difficult to give up their positions and in most cases, they are corrupted by the power they yield. This leads to dictatorship that limits the freedom of people greatly.
Kings main issue in his letter is racial discrimination and the injustices that the black people are exposed to. He is concerned about the interrelatedness of all communities because according to him, injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere. As a result, he is fighting for the emancipation of the black population and other colored people in the United States.
He claims that since the clergy is not willing to listen to them and give them their rights, they have to show the importance of the matter by holding non-violent demonstrations. He says that there are just and unjust laws and tries to distinguish between the two. He does this in a bid to ensure that there are no laws that perpetuate racial discrimination.
With regard to the letter from the clergy, the main issue is the demonstrations being held by the oppressed who support King. They claim that the activities being spearheaded by king are untimely and unwise. In their letter, they strongly argue against the demonstrations taking place.
They say that the habit of holding demonstrations is not the right way to address the issues the blacks want to be addressed. According to them, the action taken by king and his associates is untimely. This is basically because they have not given the new administration of the city enough time to act. Instead, they have resorted to extreme actions. Although the demonstrations are non-violent, the clergy is of the view that they will eventually precipitate violence hence they should be stopped.
The claim by the clergy that the demonstrations will trigger violence although they are peaceful is a fallacy. According to them, the end result of the demonstrations will be violence. King uses rebuttal to convince them that non-violent demonstrations cannot lead to violence. He tells them that this is not a logical assertion and uses analogies. For instance, he says that it is similar to condemning a person who has been robbed because the fact that he had money caused the robbery.
In Kings letter, the support comes from the associates and the oppressed people who feel that they should not continue to live in oppression. After so many years of suffering, the black people have come out in support of king by saying that they must be granted their freedom.
The oppressor does not give freedom willingly unless it is demanded by the oppressed. The warrant in the letter is that the teachings of Christ manifest themselves slowly. King uses biblical allusions as a form of backing in his letter. He refers to biblical characters that were determined to leave their home villages in order to liberate their people. He likens himself to them and says that he will leave his hometown to ensure that all people are free.
The letter from the clergy has its support in the argument that the actions of King and his associates are wrong and should not take place. They support their argument by saying that the actions are untimely and unwise because the new administration should have been given some time to take action.
There warrants and backing is based on the law. They use the law to shield themselves and prevent the demonstrations from taking place. According to them, the law prohibits such demonstrations hence they are able to take action against demonstrators on its basis.
One unethical quality that is evident in the letter by the clergy is that it tries to silence the demonstrators not because there is a good reason to do it, but simply because there is racial discrimination. The act of preventing them from demonstrating is aimed at ensuring that they never get their rights. It is unethical for human beings to deny their fellow human beings their rights.
The second unethical issue in the letter written by the clergy is that it is morally wrong for the church to be an instrument of oppression. On the contrary, churches are expected to be on the forefront in fighting for the rights of all people and ensuring that justice prevails everywhere. Their act of trying to oppress people is therefore unethical.
In kings letter, one of the unethical issues is his constant blame on the church. He argues that he was raised in the church and he is still a minister of the gospel. It is unethical that he has identified many flaws in the church yet he has been part of the church and has never taken any action to correct the ills that are prevalent in the same church.
The second unethical issue that is evident in the letter is that King compares himself with biblical characters. Although he is very determined to fight for his cause, he might not be able to do what the biblical characters did or march their achievements.
It is factual that there is injustice which emanates from racial discrimination and that is why King is in jail. Since the clergy does not want to listen to the issues of the blacks and give them their rights, the only option is to fight for their freedom. Kings letter is effective because it highlights the concerns of the black people and points out where the clergy has gone wrong.
It is more effective than the one written by the clergy in that it gives facts and highlights the things that the clergy should have considered before raising there issues. While Kings letter is elaborate, the one written by the clergy is sketchy and does not give convincing reasons for its arguments.
Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the prominent activists struggling for human rights and liberties. His speeches are a perfect example of how words and powerful arguments can be used to protect a particular idea or attract attention to cases of injustice or unfair attitudes. Thus, his Letter from Birmingham Jail is another example of how he cogitated about law and civil disobedience. The central idea introduced by the speaker is that all people have a moral responsibility to disobey and break unjust laws (King Jr, 1963). Individuals should act instead of waiting and project justice and avoid new offences.
Martin Luther King Jr. argues that discriminative patterns are dangerous for the whole society as they will lead to the spread of violence and unfair decisions. He says, One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws (King Jr, 1963, p. 3). The given lines can be viewed as the summary of the arguments presented by Martin Luther King Jr. It means that the major condition for civil disobedience is the existence of discriminative attitudes or approaches that infringe on the rights of various groups or individuals. If a person notices the cases of injustice and prejudice, it is his/her moral right to start acting to avoid the further deterioration of the situation and its becoming more complex. In such a way, the famous open speed by Martin Luther King Jr. shows that every individual has a responsibility to struggle against discrimination and laws that cause harm to people because of their race, culture, or gender. Only a collaborative effort of all community members can help to create a fair and just system protecting others.
Reference
King Jr, ML. (1963). Letter from Birmingham jail. TexasLiberalArts. Web.
12 April 1963. Eight Alabama clergymen declared their stand towards the recent events in Alabama, particularly in Birmingham. They have mentioned that these events are partly directed and led by outsiders. They pointed out that the demonstrations are unwise and untimely. They also urged the public to refrain from supporting the demonstrations, especially the Negro community (Carpenter et al. 1963).
Unfortunately, the clergymen, either unconsciously or deliberately, missed something important why these events have happened and what they should see. An answer is bound to appear four days after their public statement.
16 April 1963. Mr. Martin Luther King Jr. responded and pointed out that direct action was necessary to tackle the problem of racial discrimination. He fought against several ideas declared by the clergymen. Although he admitted the letter being lengthy, he explained why these actions were necessary and what events occurred beforehand to result in direct action (King 1963).
Using the printed matter of the public statement of the eight clergymen, he identified a series of points and answered the criticisms which were raised against his action. In his letter, he argued that his actions are against the state unwise and untimely (Carpenter et al. 1963).
In his letter, he didnt just gainsay the clergymen for no apparent reason at all. He used the released printed matter as his basis in presenting his arguments against the clergymen. Anticipating that they would not be contented with superficial analysis of the situation, he provided details and information, backed up with references to reinforce his arguments.
As for several references which he used, quotations made by famous personalities like Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and John Bunyan were among them. He also acknowledged the white supporters like Ralph McGill, Lillian Smith, Harry Golden, among others, for their backing and Reverend Stallings for welcoming Negroes into the worship service on a nonsegregated basis (King 1963).
Aside from these, he referred to situations and conditions like the brutalities, the ugly and inhumane treatments that are being endured by the Negroes in the city jail. Not only the experiences in the city jail did he take into account but also those of which happened outside penitentiary. An example is a Negro who slept in his car because not one motel accepted him (King 1963).
Also, he defined words like segregation and extremist; differentiated between just and unjust laws and the two kinds of extremists (King 1963). He included himself and his experiences as well. He used all these to present valid reasoning, therefore making his argument justified.
On the other hand, he injected figurative language into his sentences to express his emotions and to emphasize his thoughts. He has shown sensitivity like what is cited in his statement, constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid, shows his concerns to the needs of others, in this case, the conditions being undergone by the colored Americans. His character continues to manifest in the succeeding parts of his letter.
Another example is his statements where he openly expressed commendations to different people who have helped in the cause. The same went with his disappointments with a few clergymen who have viewed his actions as those of an extremist, imparted his grave disappointments with the white moderate whom he described as more devoted to order than justice. He even showed his dislikes to the jail that he is in: a narrow jail cell, alone.
Another is found in the closing part of his argument. He opposed the idea of the commendations made by the clergymen to the police force in keeping order and preventing violence from happening in Birmingham. He presented situation that would perhaps change the minds of the clergymen like what he and the Negroes have been experiencing inside the city jail (King 1963).
More than once has Martin Luther King presented his responses to the criticisms made by his fellow clergymen. More than once has he expressed his feelings in his correspondence. Yet, in the entirety of his work, he kept a humble tone, as what he did: apologizing for the declarations that he has made even though he wasnt entirely certain where exactly he had committed errors. In the end, he carries in him hopes that their cause will be seen and acted upon:
Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty. Martin Luther King Jr.
Works Cited
Carpenter, C. C. J. Joseph A. Durick, D.D. Rabbi Hilton L. Grafman. Bishop Paul Hardin. Bishop Nolan B. Harmon. George M. Murray, D.D., LL.D. Edward V. Ramage. Earl Stallings. Public Statement by Eight Alabama Clergymen. 1963. Alex Irvine. Web.
King, Martin Luther Jr.. Letter from a Birmingham Jail. 1963. African Studies Center University of Pennsylvania. Web.
Letter from Birmingham Jail, written by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963 in response to his arrest and prohibition of Blacks non-violent demonstrations against segregation, may be regarded as a highly persuasive work. In particular, its author uses several persuasive strategies to explain his position to readers aiming to stimulate their understanding. First of all, Dr. King creates a trustworthy atmosphere for his conversation with the audience using the technique of appealing to self-esteem needs that presupposes the use of a cordial tone, polite manners, and emphasizing opponents competence and virtues. In particular, regardless of their beliefs in the righteousness of discriminative practices, Dr. King calls readers Jewish and Christian friends writing to them, I feel that you are men of genuine good (King Jr., 1963, p. 1). In addition, he emphasizes their intellectual abilities as essential for understanding the issue.
Another strategy is the use of a combination of ethos, logos, and pathos. Ethos presupposes the development of a speakers credibility, and, as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Dr. King is listing the achievements of his organization to emphasize his competence and knowledge in relation to Blacks human rights. In turn, logos refers to a rational response, and Dr. King is drawing parallels between the current demonstrations and fighting against discrimination underlying that struggles are inevitable. Finally, pathos is an emotional response, and Dr. King evokes readers emotions by putting them in the place of discriminated individuals, writing, when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she cannot go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her little eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children (King Jr., 1963, p. 2). In his way, the author aims to evoke readers emotions.
The efficiency of Dr. Kings persuasion may be defined as controversial. On the one hand, he uses effective persuasive strategies that should have successful outcomes. However, on the other hand, it is essential to consider the letters context. In particular, readers are White people with deep beliefs in the righteousness of white supremacy. However, even if one latter is not enough to produce substantial changes, it may be regarded as an efficient start.
Martin Luther King was arrested for a peaceful meeting against racism. In addition to his arrest, he was attacked by clerics who accused him of encouraging violence. King responded to these accusations with a letter using persuasion strategies to persuade his opponents. He effectively used Pathos to describe the injustice that African Americans faced. King (2020) gave shocking examples: vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers (para. 7) and filled policemen curse, kick, brutalize and even kill your black brothers and sisters (para. 7). He wanted his readers to feel this cruel injustice and evoke a reaction to justice. Also, King (2020) used Logos, saying, There are just and there are unjust laws (para. 8). Logos reinforce his words with facts as he refers to Saint Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. It ultimately leads the reader to conclude that segregation, while it may be the law, is actually an injustice. King (2020) also draws a historical analogy between his experience of fighting for rights and the experience of the Jews in Nazi Germany (para. 9). King applies Rhetorical appeal to get his readers to put themselves in the shoes of an African American. He intentionally repeats a sentence with wait and makes the readers wait, as African Americans have been waiting for their rights (King, 2020, para 7). Anaphora is a strong stylistic device that enhances the tension and impression of writing or speech. Martin Luther King used two strategies of persuasion: emotional and non-emotional. He uses Pathos and Rhetorical appeals to evoke readers ethical and emotional experiences. Logos and historical analogies appeal to rationality when evidence and facts make people change their minds. Both approaches make Kings writing one of the most effective and impactful to the audience.
References
King Jr, L. M. (2020) Letter from a Birmingham jail. African Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, 175-94.
An open letter from Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most famous documented conversions of a man from prison. Although the entire text is an oratory example, one of the paragraphs of this text, in my opinion, is the most revealing. In this passage, the politician refers to the criticism of the Birmingham campaign and arguments in its defense. A clear understanding of this text is necessary, as it contains the majority of ideas that Dr. King describes over several pages. The reader can analyze the entire subsequent speech by correctly interpreting this fragment. However, this passage is too easy to ignore, taking only one thought out of it and not noticing the rest since they are carefully built into the text. Therefore, this paper aims at this passages interpretation to reveal its complexity and its relationship to the central themes of the entire work.
The literal meaning of this excerpt, which is most clearly visible to the reader, is to express the need for protests, regardless of the current administration. This argument is the main one in contrasting criticism of the untimeliness of actions and emphasizes the need to influence the authorities as straightforwardly as possible. The words used by the politician are devoid of softness, have no hidden meaning, and express a concise answer embodying the whole essence of this struggle. The authorities should be pushed and forced to pay attention to existing problems. The reason for this, among other things, is the policy of segregation, which has long been entrenched in the system, because of which all its members strive to maintain the status quo. This idea is especially striking in this paragraph and somewhat overlaps with other arguments. The words about the need for a pushing sound are exceptionally sharp since all other arguments use other means of expression.
Except for the initial thought, Dr. Kings tone in this paragraph can be described as emotional and somewhat sympathetic. While the politician acknowledges the need for pushback, he hopefully highlights the possibility that the newly elected Mr. Boutwell will be much fairer than his predecessor. However, he notes with sadness that the very fact of his election cannot bring much-needed change. Such turns of speech as sadly mistaken and the hope I see emphasize the writers passionate attitude to the topic under study. What is needed to bring about change is the action of civil rights people. Dr. King repeatedly refers precisely to the citizenship of the protesters further in the text, to the need to give them their legal and fair rights. This theme, along with the inability to wait, is central in the entire letter.
It can also be traced in the following lines, which emotionally refer the reader to the need for nonviolent pressure. The theme of this kind of pressure is critical throughout the work. Dr. King emphasizes that their movement would never have reached its current position without this technique. The politician doesnt say it directly, but he encourages his comrades to keep fighting for their rights because privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily. In addition, the writer notes the immorality of the community compared to individuals, thereby laying the foundation for another reasoning regarding morality and justice.
Thus, this paragraph sets the tone for all subsequent discussions and briefly outlines the main problematic points. First of all, Dr. King talks about the impossibility of waiting, further revealed as a criticism of white peoples privileged perspective. Secondly, he emphasizes that the whole system is vicious, taking away fair rights from a large population. In addition, this paragraph touches briefly on the immorality of behavior towards blacks, which runs through the entire letter. Finally, this passage is written almost entirely in a polite, sympathetic tone, reflecting hope, and gentleness but also a purpose. Therefore, the passage under consideration is connected with all the works main ideas and carries all the essential qualities of the politicians rhetoric, making it especially important for reading and analysis.
They say that power and leadership can be taught and that people are not necessarily born with it. In this essay, I will be talking about two powerful men who were able to change the ideas of the people around them. The first of these men is Martin Luther King, who we celebrate every January of every year. He was the person who wrote the speech “I Have a Dream” that spoke of the inhumanity the blacks were experiences and advocated for the desegregation of the races. He can be thought of as one of the most important influencers who changed the American attitude towards the black race. He did this by careful use of rhetorical strategies. The other person is Mitch Landrieu who is a white American politician and lawyer and current mayor of New Orleans. He too fought against the idealization of the Confederate Monuments and vowed to bring them down. He argued against what they stood for which is the purchase and selling of black slaves and well the terrorism the black community experienced and witnessed. These two men will go down in history as two of the greatest opponents of the segregation of blacks and will forever be remembered for what they stood for and how greatly they fought for black lives. I will be discussing the rhetorical strategies evident in the letter from Birmingham by (Martin Luther King) and the Speech on the Confederate Monuments by Mayor.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist. who supported the rights of African Americans and defended his morals for organizing nonviolent protesting. While he was in Birmingham, he was arrested and sent to jail for protesting the segregation of the black and white races. He received an open letter from eight white clergymen who criticized him and called him an “outsider”. As a response, he wrote a letter to let them know what was in his mind. At this time white and black American people were as divided as could possibly be managed by those in change like the police and other members of the law. For example, there were whites-only hotels, restaurants, and bathrooms that were of limit for African Americans. Another example of segregation was evident in the fact that blacks were denied the rights to vote and to have a decent education and basic economic opportunity. At that time Birmingham was one of the worst places in which a black American could be. Martin Luther King wrote this letter to call and encourage the whole nation, White and Black, religious leaders, civil rights activists, to oppose his sentence and stop segregation and the unjust laws the blacks were experiencing stating that everyone is responsible for justice within the nation.
Mitch Landrieu has been mayor of New Orleans for the past eight years and has done so much good in the face of defying the racism black citizens were facing. He believed New Orleans could be thought of as a melting pot of cultures and that no other place could exemplify the American motto of “out of many we are one”. He explains that New Orleans was one of the largest American black slave markets. His purpose was to persuade the people of New Orleans and others to remove the Confederate Monuments and not to look up to them in any way because what they stood for was nothing but terrorism.
Both of these men used the rhetorical devices of ethos, pathos, and logos in order to make their speeches and letters as persuasive as they possibly could. They used different forms of figurative language and succeeded in trying to make their words remembered and considered. Throughout this essay, I will give examples of how they used these rhetorical devices and what they achieved by doing so.
In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., he writes to the clergymen of Birmingham. Dr. King urged the clergymen that by being quiet and doing nothing is worse than outright opposal. He wrote mainly on the thoughts of how the people of color are affected by the treatment of the white people in the city, how pushing a submissive-pointed rhetoric is harmful and can lead to further violence, and how he was disappointed that his fellow men of faith had not stepped in to help those who needed it.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was in Birmingham to provide aid to the people of color who were being pushed around and who were leaning on false promises that were easily broken. At the time of Dr. King arrived in Birmingham to help, people of color who owned stores were fighting for a more equal representation of their stores. They no longer wanted signage and markings to show that their stores were black- or white-only stores. The association of store owners who they had made their plea to promised that they would work toward more equality, however that promise kept getting tabled, and never came to fruition.
The people were tired of being quiet and wishing for change, and they asked Dr. King for help as he had experience with sit-ins, marches, and other forms of peaceful protest. They were going to hold the protest around the busiest shopping time, however an election of city officials was also happening around that time and they wanted to make sure that important topics that would also affect them were not glossed over in favor of bringing light to their protest.
Dr. King noticed that many of the issues that existed in Birmingham existed everywhere. People were unwilling to step out of their comfort zone and stuck with the status quo because it was easier than standing up and speaking out. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote in response to this idea,“Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.”
Another thing he noted in the letter was that “oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever,” and that eventually the people of color who are sick of playing nice and by the rules would be up in arms and revolt. He realized that there is only so much a person can take before losing their inhibition and strength, which might lead them to more violent reactions.
Dr. Martin Luther King wrote to the clergymen and told them that he was disappointed with the shiftlessness of them and their parishes. He believed that the clergymen could have brought the parishes to a point to convince them to stand with the people of color who were being stepped on and fight against segregation and unfairness in Birmingham. Dr. King compares the beginnings of Christianity to the plight of the Black community, and comments on how Christians have become the very thing that was in their way in the beginning.
In conclusion, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote to his fellow clergymen, still with love in his heart and well wishes to his fellow man, but urging them to fight alongside the people in the Black community, as doing nothing is worse than doing something in the wrong direction.