King’s Technique Analysis

The Report of King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” a letter addressing eight Alabama Clergymen, depicts King’s response to their public. During the time King articulated his response, Birmingham Jail had imprisoned him for not following the court order to cease his protests against segregation. In his rebuttal against their public statement King masters the art of an argument. King’s mastery of argument shines through when looking at his capability of addressing every side of an argument, his ability to use analogies, and his easily understandable repetition.

King’s diction exemplifies his ability to include every side of an argument. When he argues, his first point remains to justify the point he is proving wrong to ensure full understanding. When king rephrases his opposes “in your statement” he refers back to original source of controversy that led him to write his argument. This helps the reader understand exactly were he bases his argument on leaving no room for misconceptions. He addresses first their argument then proves it wrong in his. By acknowledge first his opponents view “you express great deal of anxiety” he expresses his own opinion on theirs. By a showing both sides of the argument, King obliterates any opportunity for misunderstanding. Another aspect in pulling in all sides of his argument can be seen when instead of using his own opinion to deflect the argument; King uses the words of prestigious people. When King states, “I agree with St. Augustine” he shows that his point remains not only his, but also the belief of a very well renowned person. In using the words of St. Augustine, King demonstrates utmost reason. His rivals in this way cannot minimize his point for King shares the same view as more respect...

... middle of paper ...

...ome laws and obeying others?” Then using the same words to express his opinion “there are two types of laws,” King explains his point very clearly. By revealing words in two different forms, such as “privileged groups seldom give up their privileges” King demonstrates the extremity of his point. For not only are the groups “privileged” they also have “privileges” which extends and explains just how “privileged.” By using the same word to explain the word itself, King shows he has the explainable skill of writing figured out.

King demonstrates his mastery of an argument in his capability to see and use every side of an argument, depict analogies to further understanding, and create repetition to expand the understanding of his argument. King’s obvious skill in writing can be seen throughout all of his work, but shines most bright in his letter from Birmingham.