In the Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. uses persuasive speech to respond to the opposition. King structures his language to follow a method resembling the Rogerian Argument, which combats the oppression against humanity. By clearly stating the problem, restating the opponents position and the merit it holds, summarizing his own position, demonstrating why his position has merit, and concluding with a proposal which appeals to both sides in the conflict, King successfully counters the clergymens letter with fairness and honesty.
In the Letter from Birmingham Jail, the message portrayed is listening with understanding. The letter is presented in a dialogue manner, rather than a monologue. King restates the overall problem, and then proceeds to summarize what his opponents have said. The resistance is stemmed from a public statement by eight clergymen from Alabama. In this statement, the clergymen both condemn his work and support the injustice demonstrated by the police. King is able to show an understanding of the clergymans stances and the different outlooks of all America by summarizing the viewpoints of the clergymen. He acknowledges their arguments, giving them equal respect and definition, and then contests them, by explaining their faults. For example, King addresses the charges brought against him, and proceeds to explain why the charges were unjust. A law is unjust if it is inflicted on a minority that, as a result of being denied the right to vote, had no part in enacting or devising the law. He also brings to attention the clergymans disapproval of the demonstrations, and explains why their position has no merit. You deplore the demonstrations taking place in Birmingham. But your statement, I am sorry to say, fails to express a similar concern for the conditions that brought about the demonstrations. He gives merit to their argument, but then removes the worth in their complaint. This technique persuades the reader to side with King, because he has eliminated the value of the opponents position.
When summarizing his own position, King presents examples and then concludes with their importance and significance to the fight for equal human rights only after he has responded to the opposition. These facts include: the ugly record of brutality, grossly unjust treatment in courts, and unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches, supporting his position. The Rogerian method provides each side of the argument a chance to make and support their position.
Kings letter to the Alabama clergymen ends with a proposal. This proposal is similar to that of a plea for justice. Through the establishment of a common ground, King reaches out to those who have experienced racial injustice in Birmingham, and extends it to those who have had any form of wrong treatment in America. Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty. The proposal which King concludes with follows along the Rogerian lines by appealing to the self-interest of bothe sides in the conflict.
Martin Luther Kings skillful letter, Letter from a Birmingham Jail, and flair for word choice attacked the supremacy which was held against the African Americans. King successfully states the problem, summarizes and refutes his opponents position, presents his own position shows its merit, and concludes with a proposal that reached everyonemodeling the Rogerian argument for his position.He does this by showing what the South would be like if they resorted to violent actions, and also how African Americans would trudge along if they were completely compliant to the segregation laws. King says, after discussing that they are nonviolent, “If this philosophy[of nonviolence] had not emerged, by now many streets of the south would, I am convinced, be flowing with blood.” He is trying to convince the readers, through a vivid and emotion provoking image, that nonviolence is the best way to handle the situation. He says that “marches” and “pilgrimages to city hall” is the best, pacifist way for his affiliation, and all other African Americans to get out their “pent up resentments and latent frustrations.” Also, King says that the African Americans that have “adjusted to segregation” are “so drained of self respect.” Again, King is pointing out that nonviolent direct action is the best way to go, and he is defending his organization’s strategies of nonviolent direct action. He does not want them to become compliant or violent, and he thinks being a pacifist in the situation is the best way to go.
Lastly, King utilizes logos, on page two, in order to further support his organization’s nonviolent strategies. He uses his examples in order to logically explain why nonviolent direct action works. King starts off by saying, “Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community…is forced to confront the issue.” Here, he is defining the goal of nonviolent direct action. The goal is to aggravate the whites until they finally give in to negotiations. King is defending this way, because he knows that violence is wrong, and will just lead to unnecessary spilling of blood. He also explains that “[nonviolence] seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored.” This is also a logical statement that supports his organization’s ideals of nonviolence. Throughout the letter, King uses ethos, pathos, and logos. He takes up for his cause in Birmingham, and his belief that nonviolent direct action is the best way to make changes happen. King has explained this through many examples of racial situations, factual and logical reasoning, and also allusions to Christianity.
