Literary Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, and he spent a majority of his life fighting for civils rights (Nobel Lectures). Growing up for King was rough because of the segregated schools he had to attend; however, he thrived at these schools by winning many prestigious awards and graduating high school at the young age of fifteen (Nobel Lectures). After school, he would follow in his father’s footsteps by becoming a preacher (Nobel Lectures). This would mark the beginning of his fight for the rights of African Americans and all races. King was the youngest person to be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize at the age of thirty-five (Nobel Lectures). Martin Luther King Jr. fought for years to gain equal rights of all races, but this time would come to an end on April 4, 1968 when he assassinated on his hotel balcony (Nobel Lectures). King promoted civil rights in a nonviolent manner by demonstrating peaceful protests and giving numerous speeches such as “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, “Stride Toward Freedom”, and one of his most famous works, …show more content…
“Letter From Birmingham Jail”). Multiple literary devices were used throughout this speech. King states, “just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco-Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. (King Jr. “Letter From Birmingham Jail”).” This proves King is trying to make a difference in the world he was living in by sharing his thoughts about freedom to those being wronged. King had a kind and composed attitude considering violence was used against him, and he was jailed shortly after. The title, “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” establishes that injustice is happening in Birmingham; therefore, King will attack the problem at the source by advocating peaceful