The Writing Strategies Employed in Dr. Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail"

Too often, arguments and debates fail to bring about any understanding to the opposing sides because each party has different views on crucial ideas whereupon the argument has its basis. In his "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Dr. Martin Luther King, in response to a public statement made by eight Alabama clergymen, attempts to construct an acceptable Christian definition of what "just" and "unjust" laws should entail. King realized it would be futile to directly argue his positions on the evils of segregation. The clergymen made it clear that they were not impressed with how anti-segregationists were breaking laws instead of biding their time, waiting for the courts to take action on segregation in a lawful manner. Making a valid rebuttal against many of the ideas they put forth would take more than just coming out with an unrelenting confrontation. King knew all his words would be cast aside, because he would initially be seen as inferior to these religious men. Therefore, King realized he must transcend the role of anti-segregationist, to instead be viewed as a man who desired only righteousness, and whose words compelled the reader to share his sentiments.

Discussing whether or not a law should be followed on the grounds of its virtue requires the speaker to be a man worthy of discussing such matters. Coming out directly and saying the clergymen were wrong would have ruined King in the eyes of many readers. So in the beginning, we see King taking great pains to express his good nature and desire to discuss these matters with humility and level-headedness. The opening line "My Dear Fellow Clergymen" accomplishes two tasks. Firstly, it addresses the men he disagrees with in a very warm and welcoming way. This is more beneficial than using a common greeting, which could potentially come across as subtly caustic and sarcastic, such as "Dear Sirs," or "My Good Gentlemen." Secondly, the use of the word "fellow" puts King and the clergymen together in a sense, instead of separating them and making his letter an assult. The two aforementioned results of using such a greeting set this letter up to be a heart-to-heart, legitimate discussion, not just a routine argument against the clergymen's words. King continues to employ this method further as he recognizes the men as "men of genuine good will" with criticisms "sincerely set forth." Saying that King truly understands their sentiments and didn't catch the undertones of their statement is foolish, since he will, through the rest of the letter, explain why he disagrees with the statements they have made. But by giving them this acknowledgment as men with good intentions, King compels the reader to understand that he is not attacking the clergymen for their words. Accusing these religious men of a sinful disposition in the beginning of his letter could have potentially lost him the respect of the reader. It's interesting to note that King is writing these letters from jail, very much in the same way that the Apostle Paul composed most of the New Testament. One may wonder if the clergymen would have made this connection, furthering King's claim that he is in jail because of an unjust law. If so, then King's opening line of the letter, "While confined here in the Birmingham city jail," no longer is a meaningless introduction, but puts forth an important allusion that is carried throughout the letter.

Having the cornerstones of his rebuttal set in place, King then goes on to explain the situation of Negroes in the South, and how despite constant efforts on their part, they cannot get their rights recognized. So they must break the "unjust" laws that are trying to keep them from reaching their goal. A little ways into the letter, King states that "the Southern lands have been bogged down in a tragic effort to live in monologue rather than dialogue." This is setting the reader up for his declaration that unjust laws should not be followed unerringly. A voice speaks out in question of segregation, but no voice answers to address its concerns-the picture that King paints portrays a land of injustice and unequal opinion, which is the antithesis of what America is founded on. Saying "the Southern lands," instead of specifying that it is the Negro populace who is experiencing the hardships, aims to make the reader realize that these problems are not felt by only a single race, but is a problem that encompasses all of the South. This is building up a logical appeal: if the entire South is in a stalemate of injustice where a person's opinion is not given any weight, then there is a good possibility that the laws of the land are unjust and need to be changed. King is subtly trying to make the reader feel in a favorable way to his forthcoming accusations towards the current segregation laws. This way, when he addresses the content of their public statement, writing, "You express a great deal of anxiety over our willingness to break laws. This is certainly a legitimate concern," the reader does not instinctively bring their biases to the forefront of their mind to serve as a sort of "argument barrier." Instead, King seeks to express a calm wisdom that reaches beyond the bounds of his own understanding about the situation and sympathizes even with the sentiments that he opposes. At this point, the reader has gained an interest in what this man is about to say on the subject.

Prior to making a clear distinction between what he feels is a just and unjust law, King quotes St. Augustine, saying "an unjust is no law at all." Using this quote of an authoritative figure lends strength to his views, almost saying that St. Augustine would support him in his endeavors if the Saint were still alive. He then explains that laws enacted on the grounds of segregation are wrong, by making a connection of segregation laws to the sinful nature of man and his separation from God's glory. Using religious analogies and examples are a good way of communicating his ideas to the clergymen. King makes sure to use several examples of how Christians broke unjust laws because their belief in God compelled them to resist humanity's wicked regulations. He cites Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego resisting the ordinance of King Nebuchadnezzar to worship a golden statue because it was wrong in the eyes of God; he also reminds them of the early Christians that resisted the attempts of the Roman Empire to make them worship Caesar. Dr. King is attempting to make connections between his actions and the actions of early Christians, to again put himself on a higher plane than the normal white reader might put him, almost suggesting that his actions are ordained by God as good and right. This forces the clergymen to carefully reconsider their statement about the wrongs of resisting segregation laws, because they certainly cannot argue the truth of King's biblical references. King then finishes off this section of his letter by reminding the reader that everything Hitler did was legal during his reign, and that helping Jews in German-controlled territory during this time was unlawful under the law. This is a chilling example from King of when a law is most certainly not morally lawful. It is important to remember that when King wrote this letter, WWII and its horrors were still very fresh in the mind of the people, making this a very strong emotional appeal.

King knew all too well that the clergymen had several caustic messages of confrontation underlying the very proper words that they wrote in their public statement that moved him to write this letter. So King took it upon himself to respond in a similarly professional tone, addressing both what the clergymen claimed and the implications they overlooked in their views. King is able to control himself very well and come across as warm and understanding, despite how much one can imagine these issues are eating at him. This calm sagacity gains him the respect of the reader. Thus having this respect, King is able to justifiably take a stance on how to identify a moral law from an immoral one. The reader, already swayed by the sublimely civil tone of Dr. King, is persuaded to agree with such an honorable man. It is by this brilliant display of writing and technique that King is able to convey his views in a way that is both non-threatening and sensible.

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Read King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" here (pdf)

Read Clergymens' article that this letter was in response to here (pdf)