Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter From Birmingham City Jail

On April 12, 1963, eight clergymen wrote to Martin Luther King Jr. to let him know that they felt like he was causing problems and chaos by having demonstrations in Birmingham. King later wrote the “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” to let the clergymen know that he felt like there was a need for nonviolent protesting because he was tired of waiting for something to be done. He also wrote this letter to emphasize his deep disappointment with the church since they, as people of god, were not living up to their responsibilities. In his letter, King used both ethos and pathos to convince not only the clergymen, but other people that something had to be done about the unfair treatment the blacks were receiving and about the segregation that was occurring.

In his letter he wrote “Was not Jesus an extremist in love-- “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you….Was not Amos an extremist for justice...Was not Abraham Lincoln an extremist... Was not Thomas Jefferson an extremist-- “We hold the truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” (King, 317) The clergymen referred to King as an extremist because of how he was causing disorder in the laws that were established. King then took the word and changed it to something positive. His examples of people that have done good in history was his way of proving to the clergymen that sometimes rules are broken, but they’re done in non-violent ways and are done for a good cause; he wanted to show the clergymen that a non-violent protest was legal. It was not a reason for him to be arrested if he was causing no