Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail

Extreme: reaching a high or the highest degree. One example of extreme would be Martin Luther King Jr.’s demonstrations in Birmingham, according to the Alabama Clergymen. Letter from Birmingham Jail is a letter written by Martin Luther King Jr. in response to a statement made by eight Alabama Clergymen during the year 1963. The clergymen accused King’s nonviolent demonstrations of being “extreme,” and as a result, Martin Luther King Jr. dedicated four paragraphs in his letter to justifying this accusation. King was, at first, disappointed at the thought of him being seen as an extremist, but as he began to think about it more, he was no longer appalled by the thought. Jesus Christ was an extremist for love, for truth, and for goodness. Though

He was a minister so Biblical references are plentiful throughout his letter. Martin Luther King Jr. demonstrates, “Was not Jesus an extremist for love: ‘Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.’” He creates another anaphora with the words “was not” to emphasize that there are many people who have impacted this world for the better who were also classified as extremists during their times. Not only does he mention Biblical persons like Amos and Paul, he also refers to presidents like Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, professors like Martin Luther, and writers like John Bunyan. King begins to make his appeal to pathos by using Thomas Jefferson’s quote, “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal...” He continues with the question, “Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice?” Martin Luther King Jr. wants his audience to feel that he is talking to them and that he is asking them this question so that they can ask themselves that question. Next, he tells the story of Jesus’s crucifixion. He begins, “In that dramatic scene on Calvary’s hill three men were crucified. We must never forget that all three were crucified for the same crime--the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for immorality, and thus fell below their environment. The other, Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth, and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment.” He closes paragraph 31 with the words, “Perhaps the South, the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.” What King means by this is that maybe the South, and the world, would greatly benefit from a leader who is an extremist for all things good, just as Jesus Christ was.