Literary Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

A Literary Analysis of Martin Luther King’s Letter From Birmingham Jail
On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote “The Letter From Birmingham Jail”. He began writing the letter on the margins of a newspaper, while in solitary confinement, to respond back to the eight white clergymen evangelists who called his actions “unwise and untimely”. The purpose of his letter was to fully explain his presence in Birmingham, Alabama and to give a direct response to the clergymen as to when and why he started his nonviolent campaign. King organized and led a nonviolent campaign which involved freedom marches and lunch sit ins. Since these actions were seen as illegal for colored folks, King and his advocates were arrested and escorted to Birmingham

An Allusion is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. King relates himself to Apostle Paul who was a prophet that “ left his village of Tarsus and carried the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco- Roman world.”(320) King mentions how he feels “...compelled to carry the gospel of freedom to places where it is needed...”(320) like Apostle Paul did with the “...gospel of Jesus Christ...”(320). King uses this allusion to help appeal to the eight evangelists. Since the clergymen were all preachers, King would be able to keep their attention using terms and people that are in relation to God. Using this allusion also sets the example that King wants to be viewed as a religious leader who would leave the comfort of his home to help others receive their God given rights. King also gave many allusions to strengthen his point about civil disobedience. The clergymen called King’s actions a movement of civil disobedience. “Of course there is nothing new about this kind of civil disobedience. It was evidenced sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar, on the ground that a higher moral was at stake.”(326) Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were three Hebrew men that were condemned after refusing to worship King Nebuchadnezzar as their idol. Instead, they chose to obey God’s

Parallel Structure is is repetition of the same pattern of words or phrases within a sentence or passage to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance. In Birmingham City, a lot of tension, between the colored and whites, has risen since King has come to protest. “Tension” (322) is used repeatedly to describe the conflict between the white moderate and Africans. Tension in Birmingham city is the main obstacle the community has constantly refused to face. King is not a believer of violent tension but feels nonviolent tension is necessary for growth within the community. Nonviolent tension can help “men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood.”(322) According to King, Africans will be able to successfully reach their goal of being free and equal just like the white moderate with the help of nonviolent tension. With King leading a nonviolent campaign, he can ease violent tension and help Africans and whites bond. King wants to put an end to violent tension because it targets innocent africans who have nothing to defend themselves. That is why King has decided to make a move now so he can put an end to all the chaos. “But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate filled policemen curse, kick and even