Luther King Jr.'s Essay 'The Ways Of Meeting Oppression'

In Martin Luther King Jr.’s essay entitled The Ways of Meeting Oppression, he argues why the path of nonviolent resistance is superior to the paths of acquiescence and physical violence. In his writing, Martin Luther King Jr. uses a few different rhetorical devices. He uses loaded words and diction to show that he is educated and professional, so people would take him seriously while living in a racist time period. He also alludes to many famous and historical sources. King uses these rhetorical devices combined with his intelligence makes his writing easy to read, while still being very informative.
The first of the three ways people deal with their oppression described by Martin Luther King Jr. is acquiescence. Acquiescence is essentially standing by without taking action. The use of the word “acquiescence” is an example of how King uses loaded words to demonstrate his professionalism. King then alludes to the Bible, specifically the book of Exodus. In this book Moses frees the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt. However, upon his arrival Moses discovers that the Israelites do not wish to be saved because they have become accustomed to slavery. …show more content…
The intention of nonviolent resistance is to reconcile the truths of two opposites. This path is a combination of acquiescence and violence, while averting from the extremities and malfeasance of both. It is similar to acquiescence in the fact that neither attempt to be physically aggressive towards the opposition, while being similar to violence in that evil must be confronted. Practicing nonviolent resistance it takes hard work and dedication to gain progress, and ascend to a noble height to alter the corrupt system before him. Martin Luther King Jr. urges his fellow African Americans not to run away from these racial issues, but rather to take up nonviolent resistance and set an audacious example for coming