Letter from Birmingham Jail Analysis Essay

A Powerful Man
Martin Luther King Jr. represents a black man living in an unjust society. A black person in the 1960s was the equivalent of an animal. Whites did not regard anything they had to say, or even attempted to do so. King sat in a prison cell writing a letter to this very same race of people. Criminals, especially black criminals, were generally not credible; therefore it was crucial that he presented his argument with great confidence, and self-respect. In order for this to occur, King personified his argument with an intelligent use of literary devices and syntax. In the letter’s entirety, these devices and arrangement of words are what made this letter so persuasive.
In the beginning of his letter, King respectively responds to the clergymen’s statement, calling his activities “unwise and untimely” (738). His use of parallelism gives the white clergy members a clear and concise response as to what he was doing in Birmingham to begin with: “I am here […] because we were invited here. I am here because I have basic organizational ties here. […] I am in Birmingham because injustice is here” (739). King did not avoid telling the white clergymen the truth. He simply stated it with dignity and confidence. King admitted that he was “compelled to carry the gospel of freedom [and] […] like Paul, […] respond to the Macedonian call for aid” (739). His allusion to Paul and other biblical references shows the reader how determined he was to make a change and act like a true Christian. Not only does this allusion enhance his character, but it also brought out the common bond the white clergymen and black people shared. King also forces the readers to consider a commonly held belief from a new perspective by using inversion: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (739). He reminds the clergymen that justice will not take place until injustice has been cleared.
After stating his reasons for being in Birmingham, King points out the deceitfulness of the white people. Negotiations had taken place for a change, such as the agreement to take down humiliating racial signs. Unfortunately, things as simple as this were not fulfilled. Using personification, King expressed the emotion felt after learning the black people had been betrayed: “We were victims of a broken promise […] with blasted hopes, and the dark shadow of a deep disappointment” (740). The personification enhances the emotion felt by King. He used aggressive diction to show that blacks also had feelings and were on the same plane as white people.
An important thing King did throughout his letter was anticipating his opposition’s argument, and putting an end to it before it was brought up. Not only was King a black man, but also a person sitting in a prison cell writing this letter. People were looking for one little flaw to call him on, and accuse him as hypocrite. Therefore, he used a series of rhetorical questions to show his anticipation and refuted it boldly: “Why direct action? Why sit-ins, marches, etc? Isn’t negotiation a better path?” (740). King logically responds to these questions by stating how important it is to have the tension of all these things, so “that it will help man rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding” (741). King uses parallelism to explain two major opposing forces using depth and height. The reader can grasp how far the two are on a large spectrum, showing how much change is needed to fix the issue of discrimination.
King showed how fallacious waiting for equal rights was by using a practical juxtaposition. The black people were already put to dismay by the white people when they did not follow through with the negotiations discussed. King was not going to allow that to occur once more. In order to prove how unreliable white people were, King compared the current society to what would be considered less progressive: “The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jet-like speed toward the goal of political independence, and we still creep at horse and buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee” (742). King showed how disappointing society was compared to undeveloped countries. Of all places, America would be the one to be moving at jet-like speed. Why should black people believe something the white people say when they have trouble keeping their word? The use of juxtaposition strengthens the reason behind King’s point.
The white people, having to never go through such pain, suffering, and neglect, did not know what the black people faced every day of their lives. King used imagery to paint the reader a picture of the inexplicable things blacks went through: “You […] tell your six year-old daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement […] and see tears welling up in her little eyes […] and see depressing clouds of inferiority begin to form in her little mental sky” (742). Any white parent can relate to how painful it is seeing their innocent little child bawling their eyes out for something that is not their fault. The use of imagery increases the emotion felt when a black person was faced with this situation. King uses periodic sentences to give the reader a physical sense of what was going on through his mind. With all the commas and semicolons, a person does not have a chance to catch their breath, until they hit the last sentence with a pause in the same exhaustion King felt: “Then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait” (742). The last sentence is given the authority it deserves. After reading half a page continuously, the reader walks away knowing and feeling exactly what King felt.
To close his letter, King used a beautiful metaphor that placed a light of hope into his followers’ minds. Instead of simply encouraging everybody to hope for the best, King paints an image of hope: “Let […] the dark clouds of racial prejudice […] soon pass away and the deep fog of understanding […] be lifted from our fear-drenched communities [so] the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine […] with all its scintillating beauty” (752-753). King speaks of darkness, which slowly increases into glory. His metaphor leaves a lasting impression upon the reader as they set the letter down. Nobody can forget the powerful use of diction King used and the passion he felt as he ended this letter.
Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most influential leaders in American history. This letter is one of the many reasons why citizens are fortunate enough to have equal rights. His use of literary devices and syntax still has a powerful impact on readers to this day. If it had not been for King’s phenomenal rhetoric and literary devices to move his audience, he may not have been able to persuade the thousands of people in America to fight for what they believe in.