Birmingham Jail

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In “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr. discredits the clergymen's principles of law by making the focal point of his essay on the basis of just and unjust laws. Specifically, in paragraph thirteen by refuting claims against the clergymen to undermine their idea of freedom and bring to light the ideals of the Civil Rights Movement. By humanizing the idea of freedom, King exploits the demand for justice through asserting shared values with the clergymen; thereby, uniting American ideals of freedom and distinguishing the difference between justice and legal laws.
King exploits the demoralizing treatment of African-Americans by shifting the point of view of the clergyman in order to initiate a change and modify the idea of …show more content…
As King shifts the point of view towards the clergymen exposing the paradox that the clergymen create by using the words, “well timed.” The self contradictory statement allows for the clergymen to loose all credentials and allow those reading King’s letter with hesitation to gain confidence by hearing the white superiority contradict themselves; thereby, unifying America against injustice. King shifts the point of view towards the clergymen, who symbolize the white majority, to rationalize the concept of the Civil Rights Movement. King refers to the treatment of blacks as “the disease of segregation.” Segregation is a concept not a disease. But, King uses the word “disease” to elicit fear that the segregation could be contagious or deadly to the white population. This idea of disease and segregation refers to a similar situation in the United States between the rich and the poor. The rich are not afraid of poverty because of the unlikely chance of the rich becoming poor, like the whites facing the actions of segregation; however, the rich are susceptible to illness like the whites are susceptible to disease creating this fear of becoming diseased with segregation. The zeugma …show more content…
King refutes the claims that freedom will be given without direct action by stating, “never voluntarily.” The contrast of these words side by side parallels the idea of oppression and choice something that defines if one’s skin color is white or black. By placing these contradictory elements side by side, King emphasises on the obvious injustice that is taking place in a free country. King, also, uses the words “oppressed,” and “oppressor,” by using these words to describe blacks and whites King is making the point that those words, although different, have similar context and meaning. To oppress something is to burden by abuse of power of authority so, in this term King is referring to blacks as the abused and the whites as the abuser. When put into these terms it paints a much more striking image than just black or white. And by using this contradictory language to demand the attention from his audience King can show that equality is more than just mere law, but rather an idea that must be equally shared amongst every American
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