Rhetorical Analysis Of Dr. Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

One of the most famous documents in American writing is the 1963 letter written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from his jail cell in Birmingham. King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written in response to eight clergymen who had condemned his recent anti-segregation protests calling them “unwise and untimely” (1). Shortly before this time, slavery and segregation had been abolished. However, these laws were not enforced; African Americans were not not treated as equals, and nothing was being done to stop the inequality. King led movements to bring attention to the fact that these laws were not being implemented. Even though King led peaceful and legal protests, he was still arrested and thrown in jail for his actions. King’s letter had two objectives: to explain the anti-segregation movement and to defend the nonviolent actions which were the cause of his imprisonment. King watched as his letter began to fulfill its purpose; support for the African-American Movement began to grow .
King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is one of the most influential and convincing examples of a written argument that the world has today because King uses many rhetorical strategies to convince his audience, the eight clergymen, to reverse their stance on the issue. Dr. King was well
Martin Luther King, Jr. used many rhetorical strategies in the writing of his “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” His use of similes and metaphors gave great emphasis and power to the points he was trying to make. For example, King refers to a time when African-Americans were told to wait for a more convenient time to demand justice. King suggests that there will never be a good time to address this issue for those who are unaffected by the “disease of segregation” (13). When Dr. King talks about the “disease of segregation,” he emphasises the negative and damaging effects that segregation has on the oppressed. King’s use of metaphors gives an aspect of realism to the issue of