Letter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Over fifty years ago, in 1963, Martin Luther King Jr., a Civil Rights leader, wrote Letter from Birmingham Jail addressed to eight clergymen. In his letter, King uses language tools to convey his concerns to the clergymen. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. manipulated language by using rhetorical devices to effectively transmit his message to readers. King uses methods such as repetition, anaphora, syntax, and more.

In Letter From Birmingham, Martin Luther King Jr. uses repeated words and phrases at the beginning of clauses and sentences, in order to emphasize the importance of the phrase and develop a memorable message. In paragraph fourteen of Letter From Birmingham Jail, King repeats the phrase “when you have” and “when you are”. Here, King is using anaphora. As a reader is reading the passage, the repetition of the phrase builds to help the reader better understand the long list of grievances he and his fellow black community have had to endure.

Martin Luther King used strategical repetition in Letter from Birmingham.

While repetition can often times be misused, King carefully crafted his writing with repetition to help the reader focus on the key idea. In paragraph nine, King uses the phrases “... we speedily decided to postpone action”, “we decided again to postpone action”, and “we endured postponement after postponement”. Throughout paragraph nine, the word postponed can be seen numerous times. The repetition of the word is intended to create a realistic feeling of postponement and unfulfillment to the reader. Also, in paragraph thirteen and fourteen, the repetition of the word “wait” is utilized to help the reader better understand the amount of time African Americans were denied their god-given rights. Again, King is seen using repetition to intensify his

message.

In Letter From Birmingham Jail, diction is employed. King effectively used language to formulate sentences that placed emphasis on specific words and phrases. By doing so, King conveyed his intended tone and mood to his reader.

In King’s letter, he constructs sentences with parallel structures.

“Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, so must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood.”

The two excerpts use the words “just as” to create a parallel structure. King uses the phrase “just as” to show the reader that his actions are much like the Greek philosopher, Socrates. King uses parallel structure to show a crossbridge between the ideas.

In the letter, he mentions many beliefs related to Christianity. When addressing the eight clergymen, religious aspect of the letter assisted King in using language to develop his message in a relatable way.

Martin Luther King Jr. used compositional strategies to discuss the importance of equality for all races. In Letters From Birmingham, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. uses language to develop a rhetorically sound and successful letter. King uses compositional techniques to portray the frustration felt by him and his fellow African Americans that accompanied delaying the civil rights promised to all Americans by the United States Constitution.