Civil Rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr, in his letter, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” highlights his views as to why he believes demonstrations are needed towards justice for Blacks. King’s purpose is to refute and provide counterarguments regarding the urgency of changing segregation laws. He accomplishes this by arguing against the clergymen’s claims that opposed his views on why the Civil Rights Movement is needed and why he is calling for demonstrations involving direct action in Birmingham to continue. He adopts a civil and persistent tone in his letter to show how Blacks will stop at nothing to gain their basic freedoms and rights. In paragraphs thirteen and fourteen, King emphasizes the need for change in Birmingham by using diction, anaphora, and anecdotes to support his claims on the fight for justice.
…show more content…
King informs the clergymen about how it feels to be a Black citizen and how they live under “ominous clouds of inferiority” (176). By using such diction, he is expressing the emotions of the Blacks and how they feel they are misrepresented by many. It shows why Blacks are holding direct demonstrations as they cannot wait for justice any longer. The clergymen describes this fight for justice as “untimely” in which King refutes this claim by discussing how their justice is being delayed as they are always being told to “wait”. King goes on to argue how Blacks no longer want to live in an “abyss of despair” (177) and how they are sick of being the “oppressed.” The use of diction such as “oppressed” allows King to emphasize on how Blacks feel towards the treatment they are receiving under the segregation laws in
King informs the clergymen about how it feels to be a Black citizen and how they live under “ominous clouds of inferiority” (176). By using such diction, he is expressing the emotions of the Blacks and how they feel they are misrepresented by many. It shows why Blacks are holding direct demonstrations as they cannot wait for justice any longer. The clergymen describes this fight for justice as “untimely” in which King refutes this claim by discussing how their justice is being delayed as they are always being told to “wait”. King goes on to argue how Blacks no longer want to live in an “abyss of despair” (177) and how they are sick of being the “oppressed.” The use of diction such as “oppressed” allows King to emphasize on how Blacks feel towards the treatment they are receiving under the segregation laws in