The Literary Techniques of MLK On April 19, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote an open letter to eight clergymen who questioned his involvement in non-violent protests in Birmingham, Alabama. The Letter of Birmingham Jail brilliantly appeals to both the clergymen and a broader audience. King masterfully uses strategies such as narrating, exemplifying and comparing-contrasting. For the purpose of this essay, we will focus on the literary technique of Comparing-Contrasting in King’s letter.
Comparing-Contrasting
Comparing-Contrasting is a developmental technique writers use to say what something is like or not like (Channell, Crusius, 2013). While in jail, King wrote his letter on the margin of newspapers and toilet paper, then giving to his lawyer to pass …show more content…
King writes, “The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jetlike speed toward gaining political independence, but we still creep at horse and buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter” (King, 1963, para 14). King cleverly compares how quickly the ongoing decolonization of Asia and Africa were going, opposed to the United States slow pace in ending segregation (Youth Voices, 2015). King later compares his reasons for non-violent protest and the need for them to Socrates by writing, ” 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” (King, 1963, para 10). Socrates was an ancient Greek philosopher known for laying the foundation for Western philosophy (Youth Voices, 2015). King compared himself to Socrates since both were willing to upset social norms by asking difficult philosophical questions (Youth Voices, 2015).
Comparing-Contrasting
Comparing-Contrasting is a developmental technique writers use to say what something is like or not like (Channell, Crusius, 2013). While in jail, King wrote his letter on the margin of newspapers and toilet paper, then giving to his lawyer to pass …show more content…
King writes, “The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jetlike speed toward gaining political independence, but we still creep at horse and buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter” (King, 1963, para 14). King cleverly compares how quickly the ongoing decolonization of Asia and Africa were going, opposed to the United States slow pace in ending segregation (Youth Voices, 2015). King later compares his reasons for non-violent protest and the need for them to Socrates by writing, ” 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” (King, 1963, para 10). Socrates was an ancient Greek philosopher known for laying the foundation for Western philosophy (Youth Voices, 2015). King compared himself to Socrates since both were willing to upset social norms by asking difficult philosophical questions (Youth Voices, 2015).