Note For Letter From Birmingham Jail

Research Note #4: “Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]”
Paragraph A: Item #2, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, is a correspondence written by Martin Luther King Jr. from a jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama after he was arrested for peacefully protesting the segregation of African Americans and Whites. As one of the most recognized documents in the history of the United States other than his “I Have a Dream…” speech, the letter is utilized to discredit the erroneous arguments established by clergymen for condemning the Birmingham demonstrations, which is primarily accomplished through the application of the Aristotelian appeals and Kairos. Throughout the eight-page letter, he incorporates references and quotes from well-respected historical

Similarly, by implementing passages that contradict the claims of the clergyman and include complex puns, such as when he addresses there accusation that he is an extremist, he claims that the question is not whether he is an extremist or not, just what kind he will as he names “Jesus Christ as an extremist for love, truth and goodness…”, King indirectly targets the church as a secondary audience. In convincing the church of the necessity of their involvement, King is actually referring to all Christians to “rejoice at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believe(d)” and abandon the metaphoric thermometer(passively recording popular opinion) they have adopted. Moreover, he utilizes detailed descriptions of tragic situations endured by his fellow African Americans to evoke pathos from the primary and secondary audiences. In reestablishing the “psalm of brotherhood” King’s letter intent is to convince the American society of the

The Book of Daniel. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1979.
Reardon, Patrick T. "Fireproof faith." U.S. Catholic Nov. 1997: 36+. Academic OneFile. Web. 3

May 2015.
The Book of Daniel is a biblical story about three men: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego that were thrown into a furnace as a result of their refusal to worship the king of Babylon’s creation of a golden idol. The second article provides some contextual information as the actual story does not clarify that when King Nebuchadnezzar orders them to Babylon and forces them into slavery he strips them of everything (names, clothes, etc.) but not their faith in God. At the beginning of their capture, the three men believe that there faith in God will be the key to their salvation, “Everything will be peaceful. Everything will be painless,” however, the true message that Martin Luther King Jr. is referring to when he references the Book of Daniel "is not merely the absence of tension, but it is the presence of justice." By refusing to bow down to the clergymen King paralleled the actions of the three men that refused to bow down to the golden idol as that would signify their abandonment of their beliefs and God. Instead both took a stand, finally understanding that “God calls us to live life with all its complexities and ambiguities, its mix of triumph, tedium, and tragedy.” The story concludes with the three man signing, reminding devote Christians that suffering frequently accompanies a struggle