Know Thy Reader Essay -- Analysis, Letter from Birmingham Jail

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.s Letter from Birmingham discard is a defense of the kind of non-violent direct action that King promoted and apply during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s. It is a response to statements of disapproval do by the clergymen of Birmingham, Alabama, and is obviously written in a way that appeals forbiddenright to this audience. King uses his knowledge of this audiences identity to design highly targeted arguments and to choose pertinent historical examples for citation, and uses his personal experience in writing sermons and speeches to construct pitiful sermon-like passages that complement and reinforce his arguments. The arguments basis in terms that the clergymen testament come on to be familiar and agreeable, in combination with sympathy evoking references to historical events, is especially efficacious in causing the clergymen to seriously reconsider their statements.The strategy that stands out the most is Kings usage of religious references. He supports his arguments with passages from the Bible and statements or philosophies ensnare forth by prominent theologians, such as St. Thomas Aquinas. The clergy is real familiar with these sources. Their entire belief system is based on them By using these sources as a basis for his arguments, King makes it very unmanageable for the clergy to disagree with the reasoning behind his actions. For example, in response to the accusation that he and other protesters are outside agitators, he references the story of Paul of Tarsuss accusation to spread Christianity just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the church doctrine of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco-Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own h... ...rtight cage of destitution in the midst of an affluent society. then you will interpret why we find it difficult to wait (166-167). In other words, he uses passages like these to drive the po int home.As a whole, Letter from Birmingham clink is a thorough and well-executed defense of non-violent protest. Even readers who do not claim to be persuaded, readers who are already in ordinary agreement with non-violent methods of protest, will still find deep insights into how this form of protest works (such as the concept of negative peace (169)), and why it is necessary. King combines the strategy of likable to the audiences identity in various ways, powerful passages that reinforce arguments, and some general deductive reasoning and insight to construct an argument that is very clear, rational, and effective in explaining and defending non-violent direct action.