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Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

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In Letter from Birmingham Jail, paragraph 13, King uses the metaphor “disease of segregation”. He writes, “Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was “well timed” in view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation” (13). He uses this metaphor in order to compare the treatment of African Americans in the 1960’s, to a disease. King’s diction is effective because the word “disease” carries numerous negative connotations. He manages to compare segregation to that of a disease; deadly, evil, and dysfunctional. By using this metaphor, King provides non-segregated American readers with a new perspective on how African Americans feel towards being segregated. Readers can infer, due to the negative

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