Part of what is mentioned in Martin Luther King's letter from Birmingham jail is the idea of learning from the past, trying to break out from the oppression of evil or injustice that can be presented to anyone. What has been talked about in our classroom lately is the question of what can be taken from these ancient writers? Can they be seen as philosophers, authors, or visionaries? MLK refers to the ancient writers such as Aquinas and Socrates and their beliefs and how they can still relate today, an aspect that many current people still forget, especially in the political scope. The idea of freedom and personal rights is something that Aquinas believed as it was rooted in the eternal, while Socrates practiced "civil disobidience" in order to show an aspect of the political system that he believed was flawed and not thought about. This is a reason that the ancients, however long ago, can still be relevant today, even now people do not recognize what MLK's message contained and just appreciate him at face value for what he gave but not always why he sacrificed himself for his cause. Regardless of the era people should look to the people who made a difference and why they acted accordingly, and people from earlier in time can still have a lot to say in contemporary times.