Allusions In Letter From Birmingham Jail

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In the 1960’s, Civil Rights movements for African Americans in the United States became successive in a growing pace. The need for action had become desperate. Leaders rose out of the oppression, some being Rosa Parks and Amiri Baraka. One important person in particular, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. rose above with them, giving himself entirely to the cause of Civil Rights: the cause to end segregation and racism in the United States. King found himself in jail after a movement in Birmingham, sometime in 1963, and found he had a bit of time on his hands that could be put to good use. He wrote a letter to the clergymen in Birmingham who spoke against him; it was a lengthy letter, full of passion for equality. In paragraph 31 of his letter, King uses allusions, rhetorical questions and imagery to explain why he is content with being called an extremist. …show more content…
He uses both historical and biblical allusions, to appeal to the clergymen’s ethical and patriotic understanding. King lists these allusions, starting with Jesus, Amos and Paul. These important figureheads in the Bible should be recognizable to his audience, the clergymen, and should hold their attention. King continues, easing the biblical into the historical, by throwing in figureheads in history that fought for their Christian beliefs. Martin Luther and John Bunyan both fought for their beliefs, paralleled with Martin Luther King Jr.’s fight for his beliefs. This parallel would help the clergymen understand why he is fighting, rather than make him seem aggressive. From these, King moves to the specifically American Historical allusions, to spark a sense of patriotism within the clergymen, and help them realize that America has has important extremists in its’ history as

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