In the "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Martin Luther King Jr. uses persuasive speech to respond to the opposition. King structures his language to follow a method resembling the Rogerian Argument, which combats the oppression against humanity. By clearly stating the problem, restating the opponent's position and the merit it holds, summarizing his own position, demonstrating why his position has merit, and concluding with a proposal which appeal's to both sides in the conflict, King successfully counter's the clergymen's letter with fairness and honesty.
             In the "Letter from Birmingham Jail," the message portrayed is "listening with understanding." The letter is presented in a dialogue manner, rather than a monologue. King restates the overall problem, and then proceeds to summarize what his opponents have said. The resistance is stemmed from a public statement by eight clergymen from Alabama. In this statement, the clergymen both condemn his work and support the injustice demonstrated by the police. King is able to show an understanding of the clergyman's stances and the different outlooks of all America by summarizing the viewpoints of the clergymen. He acknowledges their arguments, giving them equal respect and definition, and then contests them, by explaining their faults. For example, King addresses the charges brought against him, and proceeds to explain why the charges were unjust. "A law is unjust if it is inflicted on a minority that, as a result of being denied the right to vote, had no part in enacting or devising the law." He also brings to attention the clergyman's disapproval of the demonstrations, and explains why their position has no merit. "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
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