Rhetorical Devices In Mlk Letter From Birmingham Jail

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While in jail, Martin Luther King wrote a letter confronting criticism written by the clergyman. The clergyman was telling King not to protest, but King led a protest and was put in jail because he did not have a permit. The clergyman said he was "unwise and untimely." While writing his letter, Martin Luther King used rhetorical devices to develop his argument, that his visit to Birmingham was not unwise and untimely. In the criticism written by clergymen, they said that, Dr. King is an outsider. According to Dr. King, he is not an outsider, King states. "He came to Birmingham as the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, his job was to be on call to engage in a nonviolent direct action if it was deemed necessary." He was invited to Birmingham because of his organizational ties there. …show more content…
King is not an outsider, he is an important figure in the nonviolent movements and is also a very important figure in the church. In paragraph 3, Dr. King includes pieces of the Bible, the reason for him doing so is to show his desire to spread the gospel of freedom beyond his hometown, much like the Apostle Paul. King feels he needs to do this to cure the injustice that resides inside Birmingham, as well as the rest of the world. In addition, Dr. King speaks of interrelatedness, the reason he does this is to emphasize the importance of justice everywhere. The author quotes, "Injustice everywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny." This quote shows how injustice affects everyone and how important it is to rid the world of that