MLK Essay

Tim Rezendes
AP English 11
Letter from Birmingham Jail Essay
10/13/09
Persuasive Words
Martin Luther King Junior’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is one of the most persuasive letters ever written, especially considering the circumstances under which it was written. King had no outside resources such as dictionaries, thesauruses, and references. King utilizes his superior intellect in order to produce such a compelling letter. The aspect that is most important to the persuasiveness of King’s letter is diction, with vital secondary aspects such as syntax, emotion, and logic.
King’s diction, or choice of words, is exceptional. His attack is relentless and assertive. It is extremely impressive that King can come up with such intricate word schemes with no resources; he was locked inside of a Birmingham jail. He had no books for reference, he had only his intelligence. King’s assertive word choice is demonstrated when he says, “It is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say wait” (King). Instead of saying something lackluster he uses phrases such as, the stinging darts of segregation. It is these phrases that put his diction on a level that is quite nearly incomparable. King’s vocabulary makes him seem very intelligent, which is paramount due to the fact that he is an African-American living in a world dominated by white males. His diction makes up for what he lacks in character. If King does not come off as smart and well educated from the beginning then he will immediately be discredited by his critics. An aspect of diction that makes King’s letter all the more impressive is the utilization of imagery. King’s most important use of imagery comes in the last sentence, it is possibly the most forceful statement in the entire letter: “Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep for of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities… the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all of their scintillating beauty” (King). This statement leaves leaders with a lasting impression of King’s intelligence and reasoning, King starts off with the bad and ends with the good so as to leave us with a lasting impression of the future America. King also uses syntax in order to present a persuasive argument.
King uses various forms of syntax in order to present his argument, parallelisms, juxtapositions, and antitheses are examples of a few. Perhaps King’s most effective use of syntax comes when he answers his own rhetorical questions. This form of argument is highly effective because it takes into effect any possible counterarguments and refutes them before they can be brought up. This technique is vital to King’s argument mainly because of the color of his skin. King needs to make sure he immediately diffuses any counter arguments because one small error can discredit his whole letter. The use of this method is not only important for the quality of King’s syntax, but also the credibility of his character. King’s use of periodic sentence also helps him build an imposing argument. His use of semicolons makes his readers feel his emotions as they read the run on sentences that seem to envelop the reader. King also relies on his use of literary appeals to produce an efficient argument, the first of which being his emotions.
King’s emotion is very genuine because he is living the struggle. It is not as if a white man is writing about the struggles of a black man in the 1960s, it is a black man living the struggle of a black man and trying to make a difference. King is passionate about his topic because if he does not make a change then he is the one who pays the price. The white men who read this letter will not be personally affected by the letter although King will be directly changed by the impact his letter has on others. An example of King’s, and his daughters, emotion is portrayed when he says, “ When you suddenly find your tongue twisted… as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she cannot go to the public amusement park…and see tears welling up in her little eyes”(King). This quote explains the real emotions of black people; even innocent black children are affected by the prejudice of the white people. The very articulate King explains that even he struggles to find the words that he should use to explain his situation to his young daughter. The second literary appeal that King uses in his argument is logic.
King’s logic is very relevant to the situation at hand, he bring up constitutional rights and laws that black people are supposedly entitled to. King brings up the Supreme Court’s decision of 1954 which outlawed segregation in public schools. This decision is brought up due to the fact of a possible counter argument that would inquire about the breaking of laws by black people. He then brings up the concept of just and unjust laws. He advocates the need to obey just laws and disobey unjust laws, taken from the great Mahatma Gandhi. He goes as far as to say that it is our moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. This is the most important aspect of his logic because it sums up the civil rights movement in one small argument.
King’s letter is impeccable because of his use of diction, and also his secondary use of syntax, emotion, and logic. King’s letter justifies the whole civil rights movement and makes it seemingly impossible to refute any of his ideas. His literary perfection is above all others, his word choice and appeals are outstanding. One could make a very valid argument that says that King is one of the greatest writers that has ever existed.