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Letter From Birmingham Jail: A Communication Analysis

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Communication is a very important part of human lifestyle, as it allows for an understanding between people. I make a conscious effort to communicate the same to everyone in order to show that I do not have to change for any particular person. However, I would not talk to a close friend or family member the exact same way as I would a teammate on the baseball team. For this reason, I believe in the necessity of transforming communication styles according to your relation to people.

There is a clear difference between communicating professionally and casually. In Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail, he uses a somewhat casual form of communication to convey his argument. This is most shown when Dr. King bluntly states honest confessions (18) and compliments the clergymen by calling them “men of good will” (1). By doing so, he allowed a personal connection to the issue at hand. Professional communication is most likely used, for example, between an employee and boss in a workplace. The employee simply needs to know what assignments to do or duties to fill from the boss. Casual communication occurs when a personal …show more content…

For example, fellow musicians may see me as more demanding as I want things done in certain ways in my music. I may come across more intellectual and quiet to my friends in which I share classes with and more outgoing and honest to friends that I speak to on a regular basis outside of school. It seems natural to be more open, sharing problems and experiences, to people I encounter regularly. A lot of times I believe my variation in communication is a subconscious act that I only sometimes consciously pick up on. In this way, I relate to Amy Tan communicating in a different English with her non-native mother than she would with other people

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While in solitary confinement for nearly 8 days, reverend and social justice activist, Martin Luther King Jr., wrote his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail in response to the criticism he received for his non-violent protests. Several clergy who negatively critiqued King’s approach of seeking justice, wrote A Call for Unity, arguing that his protests were senseless and improper. Within the article, the clergymen provide nine different critiques that asserted how King’s protest are invalid, uneffective, and simply unintelligent in the fight for obtaining justice and equity for individuals of color. His letter has become one of the most profound pieces of literature of the 20th century, as King uses vivid examples and eloquent rhetorical devices to counter all nine arguments.

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