Letter from Brimingham Jail Analysis

Letter From Birmingham Jail In Martin Luther King Jr.‘s piece “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” he unravels his feelings about the Alabama white clergy men statement titled “A Call for Unity.” The clergy men stated how they believe that the segregation dispute should be dealt with the courts, and shouldn’t be taken in the citizens hands. Being confined in a jail cell, King writes a lengthy letter refuting the clergy men’s opinions. He asserts his feelings by using the three appeals pathos,logos, and ethos. He applies those appeals by using literary devices. Dr. King was jailed in Birmingham, because of the marches and protest he conducted in the city. King held these petitions , because he believed to fight for the change of injustice in the black communities in the south. In the formal letter King addresses his position in the community. He states how he is serving as “President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference,” which defines his creditability. By providing that information it becomes clear that King feels that he must assist Birmingham's issues. He uses phrases like, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice every” and “whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly,” to promote his awareness of need in every community. He also alluded to the Bible, by mentioning the story of Paul. He uses the story of Paul to explain that he just spreading his belief, like Paul diffused the Christian faith. Then King justifies his reason for breaking the law with his non violent protest. He explains the steps he took to promote change, which were “negotiation,self purification, and direct action”. He logically executed, how reached out to Birmingham’s leaders and asked them to for removal of racial hate signs around the community, and there was little to no change after his proposal. This had caused the community to educated them selves on nonviolent protest, by going through the “self-purification” process. This process prepared them for the direct action they were about to endure. King then in the letter writes a series of rhetorical questions like “why direct action” and “why sit-ins, and marches, and so forth,” to remind the readers that he and the community has tried the legal way to receive justice in the community. King reveals his longing for justice, by telling his and every black mans story during this time. He begins by using repetition of the word “wait.” Kings tells how the word “wait” a way to keep the black community from speaking out. King shifts the passage into second person, by using the words “you,yours, and you’re.” When he does this he tells the reader to put himself into a black person shoes and then question their self if they would “wait” any longer. This strategy is utilized to build pathos. He laters in the passages uses anaphora “Now is the time” to reinstate how the black community isn’t waiting anymore. Through out the letter King recites how the city officials invaded his First-Amendment right, “a privilege of peaceful assembly and protest.” He concluded that the fight for justice should be handle by the community and not just the courts. This letter was used around the world to promote the unfair treatment in the community by putting this in pamphlets and news papers for others to be aware of what is happening. This letter was used as a tool to market a start of a new movement.