Analysis of Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]

An analysis of Martin Luther King's letter response to the 8 Clergyman who disapproved of his non-violent but direct actions during the American Civil Rights Movement in mid 1900s.

Analyzing King's Writing

 

“Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]” �" An emotional piece written on 16^th April 1963 by Martin Luther King Jr., implements figurative language such as allegories, comparisons, exaggeration etc., and objective reasoning to attempt an effective appeal to his readers. It explains the nonviolent campaign procedures; specifically, direct action, his fellow oppressed African Americans and he, took to stand against racial injustice. More directly, his letter delves deep into moral obligations, and seeks to respond to shallow criticism from Clergymen by providing insight into the Black’s plight during the civil rights movement period between the 1950s to 1960s, and by rationalizing his ideology of nonviolent protests. 1 

My writing will purposefully critique the primary source (letter) in its style �" the tone it takes and discuss how King adapts his writing to appeal to his intended audience. I will utilize Aristotelian rhetoric framework to analyze King’s writing, employ cross-references with other sources, and detect tendentious language to distinguish between objective reasoning with supported facts, and prejudiced or bias opinions. In doing so, I aspire to portray independent thought and provide a fresh perspective for potential discussions.  

 

Aristotle’s rhetoric is a framework for persuasion that is split into three aspects of appeal and coined after Greek terminologies �" ethos (trustworthiness), logos (logical argument), and pathos (emotions) wherein, pathos is the epitome of persuasive pieces. 2 These modes of appeals are observed to be largely employed in King’s writing. Hence it would be particularly useful to analyze King’s letter using this framework to gain insight on King’s background, and the motivations that drives his actions.

 

Diving into the persuasive style of the letter, I noticed instances of ethos �" credibility and authority, logos �" logical reasoning, and pathos �" emotional appeal. 3  A fluid example of Ethos: “I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), an organization operating in every southern state” �" clearly shows how King attempts to raise his credibility by establishing his authority as president of a multistate Christian organization. Although it is a known fact that King’s letter was written in response to a Clergyman who criticized him, King still resorted to announcing his status as President of SCLC. 4 This suggests his intention to respond reliably to a larger audience, possibly his fellow Black and white Christian audience. Next, an example of Logos: “So I, along with several members of my staff, am here because I was invited here. I am here because I have organizational ties here. But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here.” �" further expresses logical reasoning as King clearly explains the presence of injustice as his reason for being in Birmingham. 5 Lastly, Pathos: King emotionally appeals to his Christian audience about the predominant injustice in Birmingham, and how he is thence compelled to follow the footsteps of early Christians, and “Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid” �" to fight against injustice. 6 More directly, the pathos he engages is “Like Paul…Macedonian call for aid”. Considerably the most important figure after Jesus, Apostle Paul’s work consisted of 13 of 27 books in the Bible. 7 By comparing his actions to that of Paul, King appeals to his audience’s sense of identity as Christians. And to incite their desire to act like Paul. And respond “to the Macedonian call for aid” �" the Blacks call for aid to stand against racial injustice.  From his usage of Aristotle’s rhetoric, we deduce that his intended audience are Black and white Christians, and anyone who would feel morally obligated to stand against racism.

In conjunction with Aristole’s rhetoric, King also adopts allegories and comparisons in his writing. A comparative allegory he uses, “The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jet-like speed toward gaining political independence, but we still creep at horse and buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter” �" illustrates the comparison between America’s sluggish progress against Asia’s and Africa’s rapid progress towards political independence. 8 The allegory �" “we still creep at horse and buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter”, educates us on the Black’s plight then. Wherein, racism made access to necessities, daunting and arduous. This comparative allegory preambles the reasoning behind the urgent need for immediate direct-action advocating for social justice. 9 The usage of such comparative allegory invokes reflections about the inequality in America’s community, compared to other countries. The pathos he uses in the allegory is “we still creep at”, hinting at a collective whole �" whereby “we” refers to the readers and him. Such usage makes the letter more persuasive as it veers the reader’s conscience towards something that hinges upon moral obligations. Having established this collective conscience, King further elaborates on the prejudicial situation in Birmingham. With readers immersed in this well of emotions, it is imperative to also critique the letter on the possibility of tendentious language.

 

            King claims members of the Negro community were physically abused, even killed by “hate filled policemen”; and that most of the Negros were “smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society”. 10 As a Black himself, King’s choice of absolute words �" “hate filled policemen”, “smothering in an airtight cage of poverty” predisposes the likelihood of tendentious language, and exaggeration to dramatize the situation, which utilizes pathos �" feelings of empathy to persuade readers to aid his endeavour for justice. Yet, there are fragments of logos �" logical truth to King’s words. Violence from the police was indeed seen when SCLC’s black protest groups stood against “police departments that deployed attack dogs, high powered rifles and policemen who were not reluctant to use intimidation and violence”. 12 The choice of words “not reluctant” in comparison to “hate filled” shows Aldon’s more neutral stand compared to King’s pathos technique �" where the emotion of hate suggests tendentious language. Poverty was also evident then, with three-fourths of black employments in Birmingham concentrated in unskilled categories. 12 Although King’s claims were supported by other sources, which should enhance his source’s reliability, both sources were written by upset, Black authors with similar agendas �" to provide insights on the Black’s plight.  “The memory of the unpunished murder of young Emmett Till in 1955 makes my blood boil even now.” �" mentioned in the preface, indicated Aldon’s dissatisfaction. 13 The upset dispositions of these authors may thus arouse suspicions; whether they used tendentious language to evoke irrational feelings from readers. But, considering that their reasonings provided were objective and factual, they should therefore be, mostly reliable.

 

An interview with Robert Franklin, Church member, expressed his anecdote where he witnessed police roughing up some young black twelve to thirteen-year-old kids. 14 This oral history recount further supports King’s claim that the police were violent towards the Blacks. As Leffler the author, unlike King and Aldon is white, she is likelier to exhibit a more neutral impression. Moreover, as a professor in history, I could assume her views to possess a credible degree of independent thought. In supporting King and Aldon, I confer that the content of King’s letter is objective and rather reliable.

 

In conclusion, critique of King’s letter generally shows that it exists as a reliable source of information about King’s nonviolent ideological campaign against social injustice. Aristotle’s rhetoric is an ancient framework dating back 2300 years. Thus, there is room for further analysis on its applicability to modern times; further research on the timing which King’s letter was written and sent could be considered. This opens another dimension to discuss the effectiveness of King’s letter in persuading its audience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bibliography

Aldon, D. Morris‌. The Origins of the Civil Rights Movement. New York: The Free Press, 1984

Leffler, Phyllis. Black Leaders on Leadership �" Conversations with Julian Bond. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.

King, Martin Luther, Jr. Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.], April 16, 1963. Letter. From African Studies Center �" University of Pennsylvania, edited by Ali B. Ali-Dinar. (accessed September 10, 2020).

Garver, Eugene. Aristotle’s Rhetoric as a Work of Philosophy. Penn State University Press, 1986.

 

Sanders, E.P. “St. Paul the Apostle: Christian Apostle.” In Encyclopædia Britannica, April 30, 2020.

 

Tollefson, Michael M. “Rhetoric, Aristotle’s: Pathos In: The SAGE Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods.” remotexs.ntu.edu.sg, December 19, 2018.

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1 Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.], April 16, 1963, ed. Ali B. Ali-Dinar,

2 Michael M. Tollefson, Rhetoric, Aristotle’s: Pathos In: The SAGE Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods, 2.

3 Eugene Garver, Aristotle’s Rhetoric as a Work of Philosophy (Penn State University Press, 1986)

4 Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]

5 Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]

6 Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]

7 E.P. Sanders, “St. Paul the Apostle: Christian Apostle” last modified April 30, 2020, 

8 Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]

9 Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]

10 Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]

11 D. Morris Aldon, The Origins of the Civil Rights Movement (New York: The Free Press, 1984), 94

12 Aldon, The Origins of the Civil Rights Movement, 41.

13 Aldon, The Origins of the Civil Rights Movement, 5.

14 Phyllis Leffler, Black Leaders on Leadership �" Conversations with Julian Bond (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014), 18.

Author's Note

I couldn't post any links in the bibliography and footnotes because writerscafe doesn't allow me to publish if there are links.