Analysis: Letter from Birmingham Jail

Martin Luther King Jr. states his arguments in one of three different ways: one, he states the opposing argument then contrasts it with his own argument, two, he quotes his adversary then either disagrees with his opponent and explains why, or he agrees with his opponent twisting his adversary’s argument to fit into his argument, or Martin Luther King Jr. shows his side of the argument in a positive light by displaying the opposition’s argument in a negative light. The final augmentative style is the one that I will discuss in my analysis of paragraphs number twenty-three in King’s Letter from Birmingham jail. This paragraph begins with a very subtle yet strong statement about King whom wants to “confess that over the past few years [he] has been gravely disappointed with the white moderate.” The imagery used in his topic sentence: “honest confession”, gives you the impression that he is opening his deepest and most heart felt emotions up to you, subsequently; when he is disappointed “gravely”, as he said, by the white moderate’s reactions to his direct action, you begin to feel a prejudice towards them from the very start. This imagery is continued when King states his “regrettable conclusion” about

All of these are ideas, which are argued extremely effectively by King within this paragraph and throughout his letter. becomes even more persuasive with his argument when he compares the white moderate with the Ku Klux Klan and the White Citizen"tms Counciler, stating " that the Negro"tms great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is " the white moderate". After reading paragraph number twenty- three the truth, as depicted by Martin Luther King Jr. That particular statement puts an entirely negative connotation on the white moderate, which puts a shadow over any and every argument, which they may bring to light. Not only does Martin Luther King Jr. The white moderate "paternalistically believes that they can set a time table for another man"tms freedom". " In essence, King is arguing the same idea that another famous man once did. This argument also ties into an argument made in a later paragraph (26) that "such an attitude stems from a tragic misconception of time, from the strangely irrational notion that there is something in the very flow of time that will inevitably cure all ills. what the real obstacles on the path to freedom really are for Black people: "the white moderate". In this example all words seem approximately equal, none of which having a negative connotation. Not only does that imagery further our prejudice against the white moderate inactivists, but it also sways our judgement toward being more sympathetic to King"tms cause. " It comes to King"tms attention that these members of the white moderate are not of ill will, but he argues that this in essence is worse than being of ill will because "Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. King also equates the white moderate"tms main argument, the idea that direct action is not necessary and that all problems are resolved over time, with an unrealistic image, a myth.