Maya Porche

English 9H/ Period 7

In "Letter From Birmingham Jail," King responds to the letter opposing his movement in
the Post-Harold. King tries to illustrate the issues in colored communities. While discussing the
problems the colored community faces, he states, "When you have seen vicious mobs lynch your
mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen
hate-filled policemen curse, kick, and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when you see the
vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in a airtight cage of poverty in
the midst of an affluent society... then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait"
(Aufses et.al, 284-285). This displays that the colored community is segregated in every sense.
White moderates would rather have social order than equality and justice. Not only do the white
moderates distinguish differences in a dangerous way, but the people who's job is to protect
everyone have seriously attacked colored men and women. This is a major issue. The law cannot
protect it's people when the people who are in charge of carrying it out exclude an ethnicity. This
statement also displays how most of the colored is forced into poverty due to this divide. In the
end, the divide between the colored community and white community has led them to be unsafe
with the people around them, the people supposed to protect them, and to struggle financially.
In the letter, King states that nonviolent tension is necessary because it allows for growth
within the community. While discussing his plan for negotiation, King states, "Nonviolent direct
action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such as tension that a community which has
constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue" (Aufses et.al, 283). This statement
displays that nonviolent tension will in some ways force the community leaders to recognize the
problem. This is important because it leads people to question the way they act. Nonviolent

tension causes the community to stray from it's "reality" and find a new way of living. Overall,
nonviolent tension is important because it is a vital step to gain negotiation in the race towards
justice.
Using the audience's knowledge is a key part in King's letter. When discussing the topic
of civil disobedience, he states, "We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in
Germany was considered "legal" and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary
was "illegal." It was "illegal" to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany" (Aufses et.al, 287).
King uses many comparisons to display how some of the acts the law supports may not be
morally right. He also uses other comparisons such as important figures and stories from the
Bible, the Boston Tea Party, the spread of Christianity, many examples from Socrates, etc. He
uses these well known examples because they are mostly of people who questioned society and
of people who were severely persecuted and gained freedom. By using these he discreetly sways
their opinion of how they view colored people by giving them historical dates that they can
reflect upon. In addition to using historical dates, King also uses common emotional
circumstances to persuade the clergymen to his point of view. He uses the examples of telling
children they can't do something because of who they are and seeing the growing resentment in
children's eyes. In the end, using the audience's prior knowledge to prove an idea helps them
easily relate, agree, become emotionally attached with the argument.