Figurative Language In Letter From Birmingham Jail

Martin Luther King, Jr., author of “I Have a Dream”, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, and countless more titles, was a very inspirational leader. King was born on January 15, 1929. He was actually born with the name Michael, but changed it when he was older. MLK, Jr. came from a long line of pastors, and after graduating with his doctorate, he took over at a church in Montgomery, Alabama. King was happily married with two daughters and two sons. King was also an active member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and leader of Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In 1963, MLK, Jr. was named Man of the Year by Time magazine. And by age 35, he was the youngest man to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. During his

Allusion is written in many places referring to literary things, historical people or events, mythical ideas, and the Bible. Right out of the gate, King alludes to the Bible in his first few paragraphs. In the third paragraph he compares himself to the Apostle Paul, who preached the gospel of Jesus Christ. In comparing his work to the Bible, it makes it seem right to the clergymen. The Bible is a holy and sacred book to many people, so if what King is doing is similar to the Bible, then it must be right. King also comments on St. Thomas Aquinas’ writings. He uses his writings to back up his statement about just and unjust laws. Lillian Smith, Ralph McGill, and others are thanked for being whites and walking alongside blacks. Rosa Parks was another person alluded to in his writing. King described her as a real hero for standing up and being willing to suffer. King compares some of his work to Socrates. He claims he is “creating tension” as to raise awareness about segregation the way Socrates raised awareness about

It can be seen in Martin Luther King, Jr.’s letter to the clergymen. One common use is “when you see” or “when you”. When MLK, Jr. uses this he is implying that whites need to see and live through the things they do. Once whites go through what blacks do on a daily basis, then they will understand their point of view. The word “nigger” is also used as parallelism. African Americans were called that continuously. So much so, that King said it “became their first name”. Opposites were also a easily found parallelism. “Legal” and “illegal”, “injustice” and “justice”, “good will” and “ill will” are all examples that can be found. Another example is “write long letters, think long thoughts, and pray long prayers” because the word long is repeated throughout the idea. The phrase “I beg… to forgive me” is mentioned a couple times throughout referring to the clergymen and