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Allusions In Letter From Birmingham Jail

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On April 16, 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter to seven white “moderate” clergymen as a response to their criticisms of his approach to tackle segregation and other racial issues in Birmingham, Alabama. Coincidentally, King was also a clergyman—a clergyman with strong influence as the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization with 85 affiliated groups. Throughout his letter, King’s use of both historical and religious allusions to Christianity supports King’s position as a highly inspirational and educated clergyman, strengthening his criticisms of the bystander clergymen he writes to along with the rest of the moderate Christian communities. In the beginning of his letter, King immediately reinforces the credibility of his protest that the seven clergymen questioned. He refers to the Apostle Paul who “carried the gospel of Jesus Christ”, then stated that he was “compelled to carry the gospel of freedom” …show more content…

King reminded them of “the time when early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed” (10), back when they were “a thermostat that transformed the mores of society” (10). This allusion parallels the early Christians’ struggles against persecution with the American black communities’ hardships in protecting their own civil rights. Additionally, King condemns how white moderate Christians infantilize the critical conditions black Americans are forced to live under—especially the Christians who worship holy martyrs. Although his criticisms may be harsh, King made such comparisons in order to connect young black to the early Christians he described. King’s true purpose for his harsh comparison against the American Christian communities is to emphasize hope. The hope that black Americans’ dreams will be granted in the near

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The letter of Birmingham jail written by Martin Luther King Jr remains one of the best-known texts of the civil rights era. Its success is due to the the efficient use of rhetorical devices that he used flawlessly as well as the way he positioned his claims, One of many of these devices was an allusion, where King presents associations with his text and religion where King presents associations with his text and religious figures and historical events that emphasize the theme he is presenting. An example of an allusion can be seen in paragraph 3 when King quotes “the prophets of the eighth century B.C.” and “the Apostle Paul”. , Figures are a very strong factor in this text. Martin Luther King Jr also known as King provided a comparison between

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King uses biblical allusions to appeal to the eight white clergymen and their religious affiliation when he states his duty to carry the “gospel of freedom beyond his home town... Like Paul.” His final point of this section is the clergymen’s failure to recognize the underlying causes of the demonstrations they so harshly condemn, a failure causing further ignorance and confusion on racial

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This reference in particular evokes the strongest emotional response from black people because many African Americans revered Lincoln for his decision to sign the revolutionary Emancipation Proclamation, and how the document symbolized a free future for slaves--the ancestors of the blacks in the crowd. But the next few lines following this allusion also persuades those ignorant of how little things have changed by highlighting the “manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination” that blacks still suffer from despite the hundred year gap. Here, he uses the connotations of “manacles” and “chains” to evoke a negative emotional response from the audience, especially from those unaware of the need to change, causing their opinion to match the speaker’s: against segregation. Additionally, King weaves biblical allusions into his speech to appeal to the Christians within the crowd. He uses the “dark and desolate valley of segregation” to illustrate the injustice African Americans have endured for centuries and juxtapositions it with the “sunlit path of racial justice” to exemplify a future where true freedom exists for

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