Figurative Language In Letter From Birmingham Jail

Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is addressed to eight white clergymen who had composed a letter criticizing the protests for equal rights in Birmingham, Alabama. King, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Civil Rights activist, tries to battle the injustice and inhumane treatment towards the African-American society, which the clergymen tend to disregard. King’s efforts were devoted to bringing awareness to the nation about the prevalence of segregation in Birmingham and South and protecting the rights of all citizens of the United States by leading the Civil Rights movement. King utilizes figurative language, appeals to pathos and appeals to logos to argue that his nonviolent protest movement is not extreme.

The white clergymen called his protests unnecessary and to leave the laws of segregation alone ignoring the African-American citizens yearning for freedom and the right to be treated humanely. King claimed that, “If this philosophy had not emerged, by now many streets of the South would, I am convinced, be flowing with blood (29)”. King employs figurative language by using the word “flowing” to cause the reader to envision innocent lives being slaughtered for a crime they did not
presents himself as an appropriate authority for his audience by showing the trials his people had gone through, justifying his cause, and arguing the necessity of immediate action. By using religious examples, he attempts to gain their support and his course of action. He effectively demonstrates the impact of the trials the African American citizens have gone through and proves that what they are fighting for is a just cause on both legal and moral grounds. By inspiring sympathy through strong emotional appeals, King brings hope for positive change and that the white clergymen will god-willingly understand the overall problem and work for change, the ultimate