Letter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a response to clergyman who wrote of his involvement in

the Birmingham protests, in which they disapproved of his nonviolent protesting method and

would rather have him solve issues through the law and court. In his response, he attempts to

persuade the clergyman that nonviolent protest is the right way to create change. He successfully

accomplishes this through appeals to logos, juxtapositions, and allusions.

King justifies nonviolent protests over the clergyman's preferred method of negotiation

through logos. In his letter, he answers several question telling him that negotiation is the better

method. However, he retaliates with, “Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action.

Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community

which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize

the issue that it can no longer be ignored.” This quote creates correlation between negotiation

and nonviolent protests; it establishes that because of advocacy and non-violent protests, the

issue of segregation is forced into the faces of the city, and therefore bringing it to light and

forcing it to be addressed, as the issue is too big to be ignored anymore. This is how, to King, his

method of nonviolent-protest eventually leads to negotiation.

A juxtaposition between a just and unjust law is used by King. Defending the breaking of

some laws and the obeying of others in his protests, King states, “A just law is a manmade code

that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony
with the moral law...An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural

law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is

unjust.” In contrasting these two, he successfully defends his actions, justifying his law breaking

through the fact that they are morally wrong. The juxtaposition establishes that not all the laws

are the same; they are not all made in good nature, are not made for society as a whole, and some

do not earn the respect and loyalty of the oppressed. Therefore, King's use of juxtapositions helps

justify his breaking of the law during his non-violent protests, and helps bring the injustice in

American law to light.

Lastly, King alludes to several historical figures when he was compared to extremists by

the clergymen. He cites Jesus Christ, saying, “Was not Jesus an extremist in love? -- ‘Love your

enemies, bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you.’” In using Jesus

Christ as an example, he calls him an “extremist for love,” meaning that he is incredibly

passionate about love and would advocate for it, even for those who blatantly lack it. He also

quotes Thomas Jefferson, saying, “Was not Thomas Jefferson an extremist? -- ‘We hold these

truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’” He cites Jefferson, insinuating he is an

extremist in independence and liberty. He refers to these figures in order to turn the words of his

opposers around. At first, he was disappointed being compared to extremist protester, but soon

came to appreciate it. He understood that extremists have such a burning passion for a subject

and would advocate it with their life, and in doing so, he cites several advocates throughout

history.

The Letter from Birmingham Jail was written by Martin Luther King Jr., in which he

defended nonviolent protests. In the essay, he used appeals to logos, juxtapositions, and allusions
in order to defend his claim and persuade his opposers that non-violent protest is the correct way

to create change.