Rhetorical Analysis: "Letter from the Birmingham Jail"

 An essay written for the Fall 2022 Semester, honing the skills of rhetorical analysis.                                                                            

                                                                                                                                          

 

RHETORICAL ANALYSYS

 

King, Martin Luther Jr. "Letter from the Birmingham jail." In Why We Can't Wait.

       ed. Martin Luther King, Jr., 77-100, 1963.

 

            In His letter from the Birmingham Jail, which is a response to a short statement from eight clergy man from the city of Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addresses the need of social changes in racial segregation policies and the importance of non-violent protests to help making this change happen. As a pastor he places himself on the same side as those clergymen pointing that though the means may differ, his goal and his opponents’ is, or should be, the same.

Dr. King focuses on the importance of the individual in making changes happen and resorts to witness from the Bible, the History, and the social conditions of His time. The oppressor never gives up their privilege, but it must be demanded by the oppressed. Therefore, there is no right waiting time for an injustice to be corrected. Drawing from his own experience (Ethical appeal), from the Bible and important Historical personalities (logical appeal), and from injustices he has suffered and witnessed (Emotional appeal), he makes a strong case for the civil rights movement and how Christian and other religious leaders should side with him for the cause of Peace and Brotherhood.

 

            Dr. King’s Letter is a response to a statement by eight Birmingham clergymen published in April of 1963[1]. His main claim is a logical appeal about the urgent necessity of action of individuals to end segregation, which should not have place in the American Society, and to fight for civil rights of African Americans. I would suggest though that another central claim of his argumentation lies in his ethical appeal as a fellow religious man. The evidence includes the non-violent protests, which far from fostering violence have the goal of force the opposite to happen -  to bring both sides to the table of fair end effective negotiation. He points to the fact that the African American population in the US cannot be treated unequally anymore. There are just and unjust laws, and one’s duty to challenge the unjust ones. He claims that there is no “Right time to wait for” when injustice and lack of freedom fall upon people; they can’t “wait” anymore.[2]

Martin Luther King acknowledges the validity of some concerns expressed by his opponents’ letter. He even asks questions that are not made in his opponents’ letter, reinforcing his charitable view of their arguments.  The stasis of Dr. Kings argument is one of quality, as he demonstrates why the non-violent protests are taking place:

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. I am sure that none of you would want to rest content with the superficial kind of social analysis that deals merely with effects and does not grapple with underlying causes. It is unfortunate that demonstrations are taking place in Birmingham, but it is even more unfortunate that the city's white power structure left the Negro community with no alternative. [3]

 

Dr King is asking his opponents to accept the warrant  and evidence that the segregationist policies led to those demonstrations.

Rev. King Jr. presents early on in his text the acknowledgment about negotiation. “The purpose of our direct action program is to create a situation so crisis packed that it will
inevitably open the door to negotiation. I therefore concur with you in your call for negotiation”.[4] It addresses the main logical argument that could be blocking the support of those clergymen, and many with then, to support the cause of the African Americans in Birmingham. After acknowledging its need and agreeing with his opponents, he presents the evidence that what is being done in Birmingham is aimed exactly to bring it about. “Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored.”[5]

On the necessity of challenging unjust laws, he defines his perception of the matter appealing to Thomas Aquinas about eternal and natural law as the ground where just laws need to be rooted: “A just law is a manmade code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law.”[6]

On the timing for the protests and for the fight for freedom and civil rights, Dr. King points out that the ones who suffer eventually get tired of being asked to wait, as their lives and families are dragged in a downward spiral of low self-esteem and of denial of basic conditions for life in society.[7] Dr King brings evidence to his claim by highlighting the deplorable conditions in which African Americans were living not only in Birmingham but around the country. These include the unfair treatment by the police, lynchings, poverty, and rights denied to their children.[8]

King’s letter is loaded with social criticism and calls for action against injustice and discrimination. One central point of his letter that cannot be overlooked though is expressed in the opening address of his letter – “My dear fellow clergymen” - and in the closing paragraph, which bookend his reasoning and argumentation throughout the letter. The opening sentence of that paragraph is poimenical and faith-loaded: “I hope this letter finds you strong in the faith. I also hope that circumstances will soon make it possible for me to meet each of you, not as an integrationist or a civil-rights leader but as a fellow clergyman and a Christian brother.” This in sharp contrast with the public statement put forth by those clergymen, in which there is not a single reference to the Bible or to Theological authors to bring support to their claims, and no mention to faith and Church. [9] While the eight Christian leaders who would normally be seen more as spiritual than civil leaders, do not resort to God’s Word, Rev. King Jr, who is seen by them and by many as a political agitator than as a clergyman, backs up his claims with many references to the Bible and Christian and Jewish tradition.[10] He appeals to his sincerity of character and intent (logos) and to the Christian bonds that connect them together in faith (ethos and pathos) “I also hope that circumstances will soon make it possible for me to meet each of you, not as an integrationist or a civil-rights leader but as a fellow clergyman and a Christian brother.”[11] What makes this contrast more remarkable is the fact that King himself was not an orthodox theologian, but heavily influenced by historical critical views of the Bible.[12]

He makes good evidence choices navigating between the three appeals. He draws the Bible into his text, working an exegesis of some texts under a social justice light, enhancing wide warrants behind the concepts of “love” and “being radical” (Logos).[13] He uses analogies and illustrations, as well as stories from real life to present a vivid picture of what African Americans had been enduring for decades (Pathos). He points to his credentials and to his noble purposes to give support to the actions the leaders of the movement have been taking. (Ethos)

As he develops his argument, Dr. King tries to set a cordial a conciliatory tone to the letter. However, it becomes evident that he struggles to contain his indignation (pathos) under the layer of Logos. This effort is so evident throughout the paragraphs of his letter, that it seems he is resorting to Ethos is as the middle ground to keep pathos and ethos in check.

For example, when he points to the “White moderate” as the biggest enemy to the cause, a clear logical attack on the very eight authors of the manifest and people who agree with them. Rev. King Jr. reasons that people that don’t take a position in the matter are “lukewarm” (logical appeal to the Bible, in the book of Revelation) and are effectively siding against them. By connecting the word lukewarm to the “moderate” posture makes the point that it would be unfitting for the position of spiritual leaders to abstain from supporting the African American cause. Another example is when he addresses the praise of the actions of the Birmingham police by those clergymen. Rev. King brings evidence from the streets to show that the opposite holds true:

I doubt that you would have so warmly commended the police force if you had
seen its dogs sinking their teeth into unarmed, nonviolent Negroes. I doubt that you would so quickly commend the policemen if you were to observe their ugly and inhumane treatment of Negroes here in the city jail; if you were to watch them push and curse old Negro women and young Negro girls; if you were to see them slap and kick old Negro men and young boys; if you were to observe them, as they did on two occasions, refuse to give us food because we wanted to sing our grace together. I cannot join you in your praise of the Birmingham police department.[14]

He acknowledges however that the police behaved in a non-violent way under public eye, but that is just for the purpose of preserving the evil system of segregation.[15]

Dr. King calls out his opponents reasoning: “In your statement you assert that our actions, even though peaceful, must be condemned because they precipitate violence”.[16] By addressing what he considers a logical inconsistency, he is ultimately challenging the entire logos of their letter, evidencing more of a political underlying intent in their manifest rather than a godly desire of establishing peace and good order. This contrast is made sharper by using Jesus himself as proof against their logical and theological inconsistency: “Isn't this like condemning Jesus because his unique God consciousness and never ceasing devotion to God's will precipitated, he evil act of crucifixion?”[17]

Rev. King Jr tries to persuade readers to side with him because this way they would be joining the victor’s side. He puts forth his confidence in a positive outcome of his efforts in the long run by combining two warrants that basically no American could oppose: Freedom and faith. “because the goal of America is freedom (…) We will win our freedom because the sacred heritage of our nation and the eternal will of God are embodied in our echoing demands”.^[18] His closing paragraphs are again both a logical appeal to the “Truth” and a direct reference to the lack of Christian attitude and brotherhood towards him and all other Christians involved in the manifestations.

With one letter and a twofold reasoning, Martin Luther King addresses two sides and two publics of one same story, backing his claims for social justice and civil rights, and the need of people of faith to work towards the same goal for the African American fellow citizens.

 

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               [1]  “Frequently Requested Documents: Statement by Alabama Clergymen”, The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, April 12, 1963, https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/sites/mlk/files/lesson-activities/clergybirmingham1963.pdf

[2] King, Martin Luther Jr., "Letter from the Birmingham jail", In: Why We Can't Wait, ed. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1963.

[3] Id. Ibid.

[4] Id. Ibid.

[5] Id. Ibid.

[6] Id. Ibid.

[7] Id. Ibid.

[8] Id. Ibid.

[9] “Frequently Requested Documents: Statement by Alabama Clergymen”, The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, University, Stanford, and California, April 12, 1963, https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/sites/mlk/files/lesson-activities/clergybirmingham1963.pdf

[10] King, Martin Luther Jr., "Letter from the Birmingham jail", In: Why We Can't Wait, ed. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1963.

[11] Id. Ibid., page 10

[12] For example, writing on teachings of the Apostle’s Creed, he challenges the divine sonship and the virginal birth. “How then did this doctrine of divine sonship come into being? We may find a partial clue to the actual rise of this doctrine in the spreading of Christianity into the Greco-Roman world. I need not elaborate on the fact that the Greeks were very philosophical minded people.”. “First we must admit that the evidence for the tenability of this doctrine[virginal birth] is to shallow to convince any objective thinker. To begin with, the earliest written documents in the New Testament make no mention of the virgin birth. Moreover, the Gospel of Mark, the most primitive and authentic of the four, gives not the slightest suggestion of the virgin birth. The effort to justify this doctrine on the grounds that it was predicted by the prophet Isaiah is immediately eliminated, for all New Testament scholars agree that the word virgin is not found in the Hebrew original, but only in the Greek text which is a mistranslation of the Hebrew word for “young woman.” How then did this doctrine arise?.” King, Martin Luther.” King Jr., Martin Luther, “What Experiences of Christians Living in the Early Christian Century Led to the Christian Doctrines of the Divine Sonship of Jesus, the Virgin Birth, and the Bodily Resurrection.” The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, University, Stanford, and California. 1949. https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/what-experiences-christians-living-early-christian-century-led-christian

[13] Derived from his historical-critical method of using Scriptures, as shown above.

[14] Id. Ibid.

[15] Id. Ibid.

[16] Id. Ibid.

[17] Id. Ibid.

[18] Id. Ibid., page 9. Four years later though, in an interview to NBC, Dr. King show a less confident hope, mentioning that the old optimism of the civil rights movement was somewhat superficial and now needed to be tempered with a solid realism, with a more realistic outlook on the African American struggles. “My dream has become a nightmare”. May 8, 1967. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xsbt3a7K-8