Analysis of
“A Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
By Stacey Kramer
From the very beginning, King establishes himself within his audiences’ group so he is
not seen as an “outsider” but as someone they can trust. In the heading, he addresses his audience
as “My Dear Fellow Clergymen:” King uses this similarity between him and his audience
throughout the letter, and he contrasts this camaraderie with his disdain for and disappointment
toward his fellows and their inaction. For example, in the third paragraph, he compares himself
to the apostle Paul and Christian prophets, simultaneously implying that he is not only as holy as
these people, but that he is as knowledgeable about the gospel and its history as his fellow
clergymen. In the last sentence of paragraph twelve, King quotes St. Augustine, further
exemplifying his knowledge of the church, while also mentioning a figure who valued freedom
and the sanctity of the church. In the next paragraph he references St. Aquinas as well. Later he
justifies civil disobedience with a reference to a biblical story, where the people being punished
for such were protected from death by God, in paragraph seventeen. Also in that paragraph, he
used pathos as well as ethos: “It was practiced superbly by the early Christians, who were willing
to face hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks rather than submit to certain
unjust laws of the Roman Empire.” The adjectives he uses emphasize this sacrifice and beg the
question towards the clergymen whether they would be willing to do the same.
In paragraph ten, he writes: “My friends, I must say to you…” This is as if he is their
long-time friend who must admit something, though it is difficult, because he is their friend, and
friends deserve honesty. He uses this honesty again in the second sentence of paragraph eleven,
by stating the word “frankly”, and once more in the beginning of paragraph nineteen, by writing:
“I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers.” This honesty
towards his “brothers” may cushion the blow as he criticizes the church’s inaction. In the
thirteenth paragraph he states: “Paul Tillich has said that sin is separation. Is not segregation an
existential expression of man’s tragic separation, his awful estrangement, his terrible
sinfulness?” He appeals to ethos by mentioning Paul Tillich, a theologian who tried to mesh
Christianity with other philosophical and societal problems. King then creates an emotional
appeal by using the words tragic, awful, and terrible. He also implies that the clergymen are not
doing their job, which is to help humanity through faith. He is almost combative with the
clergymen in the paragraph twenty-two, when he states: “You speak of our activity in
Birmingham as extreme.” This “you” is very direct and accusatory. It is accentuated by his
almost parent-chastising-a-child tone in the next sentence: “At first I was rather disappointed that
fellow clergymen would see my nonviolent efforts as those of an extremist.” He held higher
standards for his fellow clergymen, expecting them not to fall into the habit of conformity.
Paragraph twenty-six repeats these techniques:
But despite these notable exceptions, I must honestly reiterate that I have been disappointed with
the church. I do not say this as one of those negative critics who can always find something
wrong with the church. I say this as a minister of the gospel, who loves the church; who was
nurtured in its bosom; who has been sustained by its spiritual blessings and who will remain true
to it as long as the cord of life shall lengthen.
This appeals to ethos by reiterating his knowledge of the gospel and his fondness for it;
because of his fondness for the church he shows his concern is genuine and heartfelt. He also
uses his description of his love of the church to appeal to pathos. He uses diction to suggest a
deep love that is betrayed by its change towards what he sees as the wrong direction. In
paragraph thirty-one he combines his use of pathos and ethos:
Yes, I love the church. How could I do otherwise? I am in the rather unique position of being the
son, the grandson and the great grandson of preachers. Yes, I see the church as the body of
Christ. But, oh! How we have blemished and scarred that body through social neglect and
through fear of being nonconformists.
He appeals to ethos by citing his heritage of preachers, implying that he is deeply
involved with the church. He appeals to pathos again by his declaration of love. When he states:
“How could I otherwise?” This short sentence sounds reminiscent of lovers’ replies to the
question “How could you love him/her?” This implied helplessness is a mark of true love. He
shows how he suffers because of his love, as well, with his exclamation of:”But oh!” This short
sentence emphasizes the sharp pain King feels at the church’s state. He uses powerful words
such as “blemished” and “scarred” to give this state a physical form. This emphasizes the strong
role reversal suggested here by King’s labeling the clergymen as the ones persecuting Jesus in
the form of the church, rather than those worshipping him. It also alludes to the idea that the
church that is wrong now may be resurrected as Jesus was. In the last paragraph of his letter he
reminds the clergymen once again of their common thread by saying that he would want to meet
them: “…not as an integrationist or a civil-rights leader but as a fellow clergyman and a
Christian brother.”
He attacks the clergymen’s inaction by showing how unchristian it is to ignore the
segregation King faces from a daily basis. Paragraph thirty-two was where King attacked the
clergymen by questioning their faith and commitment: “There was a time when the church was
very powerful—in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer
for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the
ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of
society.” King is stating here that the church is no longer powerful because it is influenced rather
than influences. He implies that the clergymen are almost squeamish, and too selfish, to go with
what they believed. His metaphor here is a simple and practical comparison, as he uses items that
are common and not idealized. King wants the church to be relevant to the real world and to be
of practical use, like a thermostat. In his third to last paragraph, he states: “I can assure you that it
[the letter] would have been much shorter if I had been writing from a comfortable desk, but
what else can one do when he is alone in a narrow jail cell, other than write long letters, think
long thoughts and pray long prayers?” He implies that the clergymen, writing their statements
sitting at comfortable desks, do not compare to King, who is suffering for a worthy cause in a
courageous way. He appeals to pathos by drawing out his sentence and restating the word ‘long’.
His last paragraph even goes so far to imply the clergymen are not devout Christians: “I hope
this letter finds you strong in the faith.” Here King doubts that the clergymen would be strong in
“the” faith, an absolute entity that cannot be changed, which King believes is the basis for his
actions against segregation. This faith is the true church, which the clergymen, through inaction
and dehumanization of Christianity, ignore for the sake of law and order. King again uses pathos
after demoting the clergymen, by stating in the second sentence: “I also hope that circumstances
will soon make it possible for me to meet each of you…” reminding the clergymen that King is
in jail. This also appeals to ethos, as King is acting gentlemanly enough to want to meet the men
he is trying to debunk.
King also reminds the clergymen of their common background. They are all from the
United States and all based in the south. He appeals to logos in paragraph four when he states:
“Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial ‘outside agitator’ idea. Anyone
who lives inside the United States can never be considered and outsider within its bounds.”
“Never again” refers to the Civil War, when the South believed that the North was interfering
with its affairs and so split from the United States. Referencing this time frame also brings back
memories of slavery and the elimination of it. The second sentence is simply stated and is written
very confidently, creating both an appeal to ethos and logos. In the last sentence of paragraph
nine, King describes the South as “…our beloved Southland…”, clearly an appeal to pathos,
which would be very effective among the all-Southern clergymen who most likely value the
South as an entity almost as much as those during the Civil War did. In paragraph eleven, King
writes more patriotically: “We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that
‘justice too long delayed is justice denied. ’” This quote reminds the audience of the values that
the United States is based upon. Hopefully, this will lead the clergymen to apply this not only to
criminal prosecution but also segregation. Paragraph twelve is where King compares other
nations to the United States: “The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jetlike speed
toward gaining political independence, but we still creep at horse and buggy pace toward gaining
a cup of coffee at a lunch counter.” This race with other countries invokes patriotism, and a
competitive spirit that desires to improve more quickly than, what is implied as, inferior
countries. King is also appealing to logos by making this seem like such an obvious blunder on
the clergymen and the United States’ part that King must be right and they should improve their
nation like the other countries have sense to do. In paragraph thirty-six, King appeals to both his
common background with the clergymen as an American and a Christian:
…they were in reality standing up for what is best in the American dream and for the most
sacred values in our Judaeo Christian heritage, thereby bringing our nation back to those great
wells of democracy which were dug deep by the founding fathers in their formulation of the
Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.
This sentence is powerful because of its twin appeals. It appeals to pathos through its
clear patriotism and such honored words as “sacred” and “great”. Mention of “the” founding
fathers creates a feeling of reverence in the audience and King uses this to convince the
clergymen that the founding fathers would have supported his side, and so if the clergymen were
loyal to them and “the American dream”, they would also join his side.
King uses metaphor extensively when appealing to pathos. He mostly uses this when
talking about suffering caused by segregation and the society based around it. For example, in
paragraph nine, King writes: “…so must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the
kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to
the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood.” In paragraph 11, King philosophizes
about freedom: “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by
the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed…in the view of those who have not
suffered unduly from the disease of segregation.” King takes the voice of the representative of a
group who has knows suffering well and is willing to work hard to achieve freedom. He uses
absolute words like “never” and “demanded” to suggest the strength of this group’s demands.
His metaphor about segregation suggests that it must be contained and cured before spreading
and harming more people. It brings to mind repulsive imagery that King wants associated with
segregation. The word “unduly” gives him the air of a heroic savior intending to those who’ve
been treated unjustly. Paragraph twelve is filled with appeals to pathos and metaphors in
sentence four, which is separated by semicolons to create a long list of hardships that build upon
each other and add to the emotional appeal. King mentions small children, who are innocent and
yet are still affected negatively by circumstances that they cannot control. He describes a young
girl turned bitter because of segregation, and the parent’s helplessness to stop it. He uses the
word “your” and “you” to directly appeal to the clergymen’s emotions by transferring the
sympathy from others to oneself. He gradually transitions from describing fears of death, loss of
control in ones’ life, and feelings of insecurity to less deadly yet still tragic occurrences, like loss
of dignity. King then follows this persuasive sentence with: “I hope, sirs, you can understand our
legitimate and unavoidable impatience.” He addresses them directly in a polite manner, however
this politeness is tongue-in-cheek. He uses the word “hope”, which seems too submissive and
meaningful to be used here. King contrasts the suffering in the previous sentence with the
clergymen’s expectations in the latter. This all leads to a sarcastic tone, as King feels that it is
absurd for him and his fellows to hold back as the clergymen ask in the circumstances.
He also uses pathos when to convey a sense of urgency, trying to convince the clergymen
that they must help King’s cause. For example, in paragraph nine, King writes: “…so must we
see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise
from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and
brotherhood.” The word “must” and “need” clearly and directly shows this urgency. King also
used “we”, implying that this is a challenge that all must face together. His metaphor of rising
from darkness into light implies the idea of rising up to heaven. King makes his future of
desegregation sound ideal and wonderful enough to warrant creating this tension which King
believes is necessary.
King defends the Birmingham protests and his own actions by appealing to both ethos
and logos. For example, he makes himself seem superior to the clergymen, whether through his
willingness to sacrifice himself for desegregation or his higher importance overall. For example,
in the first paragraph, King notes that: “If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk,
my secretaries would have little time for anything other than such correspondence in the course
of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work.” He mentions that he has secretaries,
which makes him seem more successful and important. He also states that he is too busy doing
“constructive work” to answer criticisms, implying that criticisms such as the clergymen’s are
unimportant and normally not worth his time. He then ensures that he cannot be accused of
calling their message unimportant and not worth his time by continuing: “But since I feel that
you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to
answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms.” He wants to change
their “sincerely set forth” opinions in patient and reasonable terms”, as if the clergymen he is
addressing are naïve children that are guilty of a simple misunderstanding.
He specifically defends his presence in Birmingham by appealing to logos and ethos. He
notes in the second paragraph that he has: “…the honor of serving as president of the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state…” and that
“We have some eighty five affiliated organizations across the South…” He is a leader of a large
influential organization, and so is an important person, and also logically has jurisdiction in
Birmingham. He goes on to explain: “Several months ago the affiliate here in Birmingham asked
us to be on call to engage in a nonviolent direct action program if such were deemed necessary.
We readily consented, and when the hour came we lived up to our promise.” King appeals to
logos by showing that he did not simply go into Birmingham without knowledge of what was
going on there or without the judgment of a citizen of Birmingham. It shows that he is not a
crusader, but a hero called to action. The phrase “we lived up to our promise” begs the question:
would the clergymen want King and his supporters to go back on a promise because they are not
originally from Birmingham but have jurisdiction there? It also implies that King is an honorable
man who does not make promises he is not willing to keep, thus appealing to ethos. In paragraph
six, he writes: “In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to
determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self purification; and direct action. We have gone
through all these steps in Birmingham.” This is a clear appeal to logos through listing of clear
concise steps. King maintains that because the protestors have thought carefully about this
protest and have taken steps to avoid the protests and to avoid violence in these protests, King
and the protestors are not at fault and are good people for preparing so much. In paragraph
sixteen, King writes: “I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is
unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience
of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.” He states
this in a logical fashion.
In paragraph nine, and twenty-one, he references Socrates, comparing himself to him and
implying that Socrates’ wise demeanor and noble sacrifice are similar to his own personality and
self-sacrifice for a larger goal. Also in paragraph twenty-one he compares his and his fellow
protestors’ actions to Jesus: “Isn’t this like condemning Jesus because his unique God
consciousness and never ceasing devotion to God’s will precipitated the evil act of crucifixion?”
In paragraph twenty-four, he compares himself to famous “extremists”, such as Jesus, Amos,
Paul, Martin Luther, John Bunyan, Abraham Lincoln, and Thomas Jefferson. The mere mention
of these names stirs feelings of support towards them and those similar to them. He includes both
religious and patriotic figures to reiterate his commonality with the clergymen he is writing to,
through both common religious and national background.
King’s letter is full of many appeals to logos, ethos, and pathos. He uses metaphor ot
convey his hope for a future without segregation. He uses sarcasm to indirectly attack the
clergymen.