Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail

Over the course of history, few have demonstrated the talent and passion required to really inspire others with the simplest- yet perhaps deadliest- tool in the human arsenal: words. Great orators are known by name in the common household for the way they moved people: Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, and even those who live in infamy like Adolf Hitler. This Monday, the 15th of January, America will be celebrating one of the most revered orators in American history, Martin Luther King Jr., tireless crusader for the cause of human rights. King knew what he stood for. However, he also knew the difficulty of successfully passing his ideas onto others. King's “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” written April 16, 1963, uses many rhetorical devices

He does this throughout the letter, but one strong example is when King addresses the issue of the Civil Rights movement being made of “extremists.” King uses the criticism to his advantage when he lists many Christian and American idols, like Jesus Christ, Apostle Paul, Abraham Lincoln, and Thomas Jefferson- and redefines them as extremists. This is incredibly effective, as it is very difficult for a clergyman to say no to, “Was not Jesus an extremist for love?”(7). This use of famous figures powerfully supports his purpose of moving his audience to action, as it distances the movement from stereotypically disdained extremism and realigns it with the widely respected values the audience agrees

King apologizes for taking his audience’s time, which seems oddly weak compared to the powerful logical argument he previously presented. He turns this around quickly by reminding the audience that all of those arguments and appeals that were so effective were all written while he was in jail. This boosts the respect they have for King one last time. Finally, King ends with a powerful metaphor that calls upon the “fellow clergymen” to help lift the “fog of misunderstanding,” revealing the “radiant stars of love and brotherhood” underneath(11). He relates segregation and prejudice to a deep fog that keeps potential beauty and harmony locked away beneath its surface. With strong images and strong language, the final concept is a very powerful one. King essentially befriended his audience and called upon that fostered trust to ask them a powerful and emotionally-charged question: Will you stand with me,