Page 46 - DENG105_ELECTIVE_ENGLISH_II

Unit 3: Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail

exceptional devotion to social justice and true peace is manifested in “Letter from Birmingham Notes
Jail.” Much like the Apostle Paul, an authority that King reference, King writes with conviction
and fervor. In his eloquent yet powerful letter King uses several rhetorical devices to make his
point that “justice too long delayed, is justice denied.” By addressing the clergymen’s arguments
and appealing to their emotion, logic, and ethos, he demonstrates to them that the time for
action is now.
Martin Luther King Jr. wrote “Letter of Birmingham Jail” as a response to white Alabama
clergymen who criticized his action as “unwise and untimely.” They published a fierce criticism
about King’s organization and participation in the protest march against segregation in Birmingham.
King’s letter does not attempt to persuade the clergymen to side with civil rights activists, but
rather to explain to them the need for direct action, open their eyes to the suffering of the
Negro community, and that humanity as a whole is interrelated. King also explains the need
for tension, though only through non-violent means, a tension that will force society to confront
the present social injustice head on. He rejects on being called an outsider not only because
he was invited to Birmingham but because humanity has an “inescapable network of mutuality,
tied in a single garment of destiny.”
Throughout the essay King not only addresses the clergymen’s concern such as him being an
outsider coming in, the protests being “unwise and timely,” but he also anticipates further
questions. The clergymen had urge for negotiations, instead of direct action, but King wanted
to show that direct action is necessary to reach negotiation. Not only did he make argument
for this point but he did by first anticipating questions that they may have such as, “Why
direct action? Why sit-ins, marches and so forth? Isn’t negotiation a better path? ”King addresses
concerns from the opposition throughout his whole essay such as: “You express a great deal
of anxiety over our willingness to break laws,” “You speak of our activity in Birmingham as
extreme.” By addressing their concerns in a fair and rational way, he is showing his readers
that he gave great thought to their point of view and is taking them seriously.
Jailed under the premise of “disturbing the peace,” King responds to fellow religious leaders
by laying out the authority by which his group came to Birmingham. He was not only invited
here, but he has organizational affiliation with those hosting the demonstration. Not only is
there a secular purpose but King also states a divine purpose/authority. In one of his many
biblical references he writes: “Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages
and carried their “thus saith the Lord” far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and
just as the Apostle Paul left his village...so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom
beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for
aid.” Not only is King responding to an invitation he is following in the footsteps of the
prophets, figures that these clergymen respect and are well acquainted with. Aside from
biblical authorities King also uses historical figures that have shaped human history and
thought. King justifies the need for tension in the Birmingham by linking it to Socrates teaching
on the need for tension in the mind so individual can confront half-truths and rise to freedom.
King’s many appeals to authorities such as the Supreme Court, Socrates, Abraham Lincoln,
and Tillich prove him to not only be a well read man, but one that bases one's opinions on
the teachings of superior minds. There is a higher law than what the local authorities of
Birmingham dictates; there exists a moral law, a code of ethics that one must judge one's
actions by. If the only thing that differentiates right and wrong is legality then what Adolf
Hitler did in Germany was legal and what the Hungarian freedom fighters did was illegal in
Hungary.
Perhaps one of the most moving passages in this essay is when he described what it is like
to be an African American at the time. After 340 years the Negro community is still waiting
for their Constitutional rights, still have to “explain to your six-year-old daughter why she

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 41