Reno Cantle
Burlingame
AP LA
31 October 17
Letter From Birmingham Jail
Distinguished social activist, Martin Luther King Jr., in his letter, Letter from
Birmingham Jail, expounds the reasons behind the nonviolent demonstration which took place in Birmingham in 1963, the defining year of the Civil Rights Movement. The main purpose that King pursues in this letter is to inform the eight religious leaders of the South who called the demonstration “unwise” and “untimely” of their wrong judgment regarding the demonstration.
Attempting to reach the purpose of the letter, King effectively convinces his audience that their judgment on the matter is totally wrong and the peaceful parade was the only justified way left for the black community to ask …show more content…
Despite his audience's negative attitudes towards the demonstration and its participants, King goes to a strategic war against his audience with the help of their role models to change their minds. Being aware of religious figures’ great influence on his clerical audience, King makes an allusion to a well-known religious figure. Through employing allusion he compares his own action to Apostle Paul’s as he claims, “ Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid” (King 1). Now that his audience sees a similarity between someone they praise and someone who they had criticized, they are more eager to listen to King’s argument. In fact, by using this technique, King is able to reduce the hardcore religious audience’s resistance to accept their false judgment and make them see the issue from a different perspective. Later in the letter, King tries to draw a parallel between himself whom the clergymen called extremist and some extremists in religion in an effort to open his audience’s eyes on the issue. To do so, he overwhelms his audience with rhetorical questions such as “ Was not Jesus an extremist for love?”, “ Was not Amos an extremist for justice?”, and “ Was not Paul an extremist for the gospel of Jesus Christ?” (King 4). There is no way for the clergymen but to agree with MLK on their misjudgment as if otherwise, it would destroy their own reputation as religious leaders since disagreeing with …show more content…
justifies the nonviolent demonstration as the last resort for the black community. Considering his religious audience, he provides plenty of religious-based evidence to enhance his credibility with them and to show that even their ancestors would support the nonviolent protest if they were alive. As result of his effective use of modes of development and proper rhetorical modes, King leads his audience in a friendly way to make the right judgment regarding the nonviolent actions and to join the Civil Rights
Burlingame
AP LA
31 October 17
Letter From Birmingham Jail
Distinguished social activist, Martin Luther King Jr., in his letter, Letter from
Birmingham Jail, expounds the reasons behind the nonviolent demonstration which took place in Birmingham in 1963, the defining year of the Civil Rights Movement. The main purpose that King pursues in this letter is to inform the eight religious leaders of the South who called the demonstration “unwise” and “untimely” of their wrong judgment regarding the demonstration.
Attempting to reach the purpose of the letter, King effectively convinces his audience that their judgment on the matter is totally wrong and the peaceful parade was the only justified way left for the black community to ask …show more content…
Despite his audience's negative attitudes towards the demonstration and its participants, King goes to a strategic war against his audience with the help of their role models to change their minds. Being aware of religious figures’ great influence on his clerical audience, King makes an allusion to a well-known religious figure. Through employing allusion he compares his own action to Apostle Paul’s as he claims, “ Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid” (King 1). Now that his audience sees a similarity between someone they praise and someone who they had criticized, they are more eager to listen to King’s argument. In fact, by using this technique, King is able to reduce the hardcore religious audience’s resistance to accept their false judgment and make them see the issue from a different perspective. Later in the letter, King tries to draw a parallel between himself whom the clergymen called extremist and some extremists in religion in an effort to open his audience’s eyes on the issue. To do so, he overwhelms his audience with rhetorical questions such as “ Was not Jesus an extremist for love?”, “ Was not Amos an extremist for justice?”, and “ Was not Paul an extremist for the gospel of Jesus Christ?” (King 4). There is no way for the clergymen but to agree with MLK on their misjudgment as if otherwise, it would destroy their own reputation as religious leaders since disagreeing with …show more content…
justifies the nonviolent demonstration as the last resort for the black community. Considering his religious audience, he provides plenty of religious-based evidence to enhance his credibility with them and to show that even their ancestors would support the nonviolent protest if they were alive. As result of his effective use of modes of development and proper rhetorical modes, King leads his audience in a friendly way to make the right judgment regarding the nonviolent actions and to join the Civil Rights