In the letter "Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr. King is questioned about being involved and his reason for being in Birmingham. He argues that his actions were not "unwise and untimely" by justifying his actions. To develop this argument, King uses rhetorical devices and appeals. Firstly, Dr. King establishes his credibility through his organizational ties, Biblical duty, and the interrelatedness of America. Dr. King starts by stating the reason he is there is because he is the president of an organization that helped in such areas. In paragraph 2 he said, "I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state." Since he was affiliated with an organization giving him credibility, this claims that Dr. King was not an outsider. This was important to justify his reason for being there, which helped prove his claim. In addition, Dr. King also gains credibility when he mentions his Biblical duty in paragraph 3 by saying, …show more content…
King uses the appeal of credible sources, through Biblical figures and historical events, to make the claim that civil disobedience is not new. He stated, "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 law was at stake." This describes in the past when laws had been refused because they were morally right. This appeals to the audience since they know what he is talking about and they can relate and agree with him. Moreover, Dr. King then says, "In our own nation, the Boston Tea Party represented a massive act of civil disobedience." This implies that the civil disobedience happening during this time is not uncommon. It shows that it even happened in our own country in the past, proving it is not a new idea. Citing credible sources, Dr. King proved that rebellion of laws is not a new or developing idea; it has been shown in the