Letter From Birmingham Jail

Differing Literary Styles with Shared Purpose: Exposing Racism in America
Martin Luther King’s language choice, tone, and style in Letter from Birmingham Jail reflect his political viewpoint and personal character; just like his political actions, they are unapologetic, direct, respectful, and instruct others to act morally. King eloquently conveys the urgency of the Birmingham situation and guides the reader to understand the unjust circumstances and all the “broken promise[s]” that oppress black people. King’s open letter evidences his gift of purposeful and elegant language choice, and reflects his poised self-confidence in the moral mission of “carry[ing] the gospel of freedom”. He is not apologetic, defensive, nor disdainful in the face
While King's Letter from Birmingham Jail is clear with a very direct message, Gates' In the Kitchen’s message is conveyed indirectly through subtext. Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s story is full of sensory descriptions and sentimentality. King’s essay is written to educate the reader and to instruct her how to “prepare for direct action” and “grapple with underlying causes” therefore having an instructive tone. In the Kitchen, in contrast, is a memory piece that gently, and with humor, scrapes the surface of racism and exposes what it is like to “challeng[e] follicle prestidigitation” as a black person in America. The Letter from Birmingham Jail is a vocal social cry for acceptance and “direct action”; its purpose is to school the reader and make him understand why fighting for civil rights is important at the immediate time as there is “no other alternative”. In the Kitchen shares, from personal experience, in the first person, both the realities of the daily home life of a black person and the struggles of doing one's hair; Gates' approaches racism in a way that is not obvious to a superficial reading. He delicately integrates the ideals of the black civil rights movement by telling a story of childhood experience. King's Letter from Birmingham Jail masterfully manages to confront racism head-on and urge that action be taken to uproot it without offending or disrespecting those who refuse to acknowledge the urgency of combating racism and believe action is “unwise and