King's "A Letter From Birmingham City Jail": An Analysis

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not clear, as he states, ". . . [he], along with several
members of [his] staff, [are] [there] because [he] was invited [there].
[He] is here because [he] has organizational ties [there].". In other words,
he was there because what he does brought him here, kind of like a job.
In the second paragraph, he becomes crystal clear, by stating that
he is " . . . in Birmingham because injustice is [there].". Not only does
he present why he is there, but he justifies it by alluding to biblical
characters such as "the Apostle Paul", and "Paul" who did the same. Not
only is this a show of intellect, but it is as well an appeal to the senses
of his audience, for they are, after all, clergymen, and he has justified
his actions on their terms.
By the fifth paragraph, he has stopped trying to use rhetorical
devices, and is well into stating the cold hard facts about the injustice
of Birmingham. He states facts that were obvious to his audience, but they
were unwilling to admit to themselves. ...

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they were in the bible, shared by a saint.
After much explanation and re-iteration, King starts getting simple,
and switches from the abstract to the concrete, giving examples of what he
is trying to get across; this is almost insulting, but King wants to make
sure to get his point across. He speaks of a law being " . . . unjust if it
is inflicted on a minority that, as a result of being denied the right to
vote, had no part in enacting or devising the law." Just in case this is
still too abstract, he gives an actual real event, asking "Who can say that
the legislation of Alabama which set up the state's segregation laws was
democratically elected?". The use of this statement as a ...

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