Letter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Literary Devices, often used for emphasis are littered throughout both “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience” and “Letter From a Birmingham Jail”. While devices such as repetition and metaphors are used in the essays they are used to convey opposite intentions. Martin Luther King Jr., author of “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” uses repetition to elaborate on the African American struggle and metaphors to utilize the tool of pathos and include the emotion of those who have been victimized. Henry David Thoreau, author of “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience” uses repetition to encourage his readers to take action against injustice. Thoreau also uses metaphors to elaborate on where and how he believes that injustice is taking place. By comparing and

King was reliant on waiting for the right moment and day for the African American community to raise quiet uproar whereas Thoreau believed that any action, whether beneficial or not, was progressive. Both authors used repetition to instill their plan into their reader’s minds. “Letter From a Birmingham Jail” written by Martin Luther King Jr was originally written as an objection to opposition from a group of white clergymen who believed that rather than public protest, the struggling African American community should bring their fight to judges and courthouses. King did not agree with this approach but still wanted to appease his followers and make progress. King relied heavily on repetition in his essay by frequently repeating the word postpone in phrases which conveys to the reader that the change and the action that needed to be taken was to be calculated and educated. Specifically in paragraph 8 of the essay, King states, “we went through postponement after postponement to aid in this community's need.” This information supports the idea that King was determined to make a calculated strike against corrupt views because he was constantly surveying the political climate for an appropriate time to create

King’s emphasis on postponement emphasizes the feeling of being cast off that is present in the African community and the postponement of justice. Thoreau also utilized the literary device of repetition but he used the tool to demand rushed action, rather than calculated action. Thoreau frequently uses the term ‘action’ in and relating to taking action against what he believes is a corrupt government. Thoreau is a believer in action that makes a movement seen instead of action that gives a movement progress. Thoreau elaborates in his essay how he is taking action against his government by avoiding his taxes and outwardly standing against the government while his neighbors are taking action by paying his taxes for him. Thoreau believes that while his neighbors and himself are creating movement in opposite directions, they are drawing attention to an issue. This is evident in paragraph 16 where Thoreau states, “Action from principle,—the perception and the performance of right,—changes things and relations; it is essentially revolutionary, and does not consist wholly with anything which was. It not only divides states