Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech, "Transformed Nonconformist," delivers a powerful message urging the congregation to embrace nonconformist values in their lives in order to find salvation from the struggles of segregation and discrimination. In this essay, we will delve into King's argument by defining values and exploring how he utilized universal, specific, and comparative values in his address. Additionally, we will assess how effectively King made these values acceptable to his audience by justifying and legitimizing through sources, stories, and ideas. Firstly, to define and explain the concepts of the three types of values. Values are fundamental beliefs that guide individuals' behaviors and decisions, giving us an idea of what is right vs wrong or good vs …show more content…
For example, freedom of speech is a value more respected in the United States than in other countries. Comparative values are values that exist within a structure, one informing the other, and relationships between them. But there are also preferences within these hierarchies and between hierarchies. Week 6 Slides, 4) Dr. King uses universal values in his address by highlighting values like moral nobility, integrity, and spiritual conviction. He does this by heavily referencing Christianity and their mandate to be nonconformist because we are not only citizens of the world, but of heaven. In which, Christians have the responsibility to imbue the unchristian world with ideals of a higher noble order (values of Christianity) (King, 1). Dr. King uses specific values by emphasizing the need for values like non-conformity and being a person of conviction. He does this by stating specific things different groups of people in the current day might disapprove of but allow, like white people who oppose slavery silently, the dislike of the military-industrial complex, and the United Nations exclusion of China (King,