letter from birnmingham jail

cognizant

aware or fully informed-especially of moral, social, or political realities.

deplore

to strongly siapprove of something because it is morally wrong or harmful.

moratorium

a temporary halt - in the letter, mlk rejects the idea of delaying action for civil rights

gadflies

people who challenge society and provoke necessary action - mlk compared himself to sorates who stirred productive tension

futility

uselessness - often used to describe how waiting for change without pressure leads nowhere

paradoxical

something that appers contradictory but is true

harried

overwhelmed, pressured, or distressed

existential

concerning human eistence and purpose

stagnation

a standstill or state of no progress

repudiated

rejected or denied

zeitgeist

the spirit or defining mood of the time

languished

suffered or been stuck in hardship

admonish

to urge or warn

pious irrelevancies

religious sounding statements that avoid confronting actual injustice

sanctimonious trivialities

self righteous but shallow remarks that distract from real moral issues

inextricably

impossible to seperate

status quo

the exisiting state of society

impelled

driven or compelled

sublime

noble or elevated

scintillating

brilliant or impressive