Civil Disobedience

What rhetorical strategies were applied by Martin Luther King Jr. in “Letter from Birmingham Jail� and which of those was likely most important in influencing the readers of that time?
In Birmingham, Ala., in the spring of 1963, King's campaign to end segregation at lunch counters and in hiring practices drew nationwide attention when police turned dogs and fire hoses on the demonstrators. King was jailed along with large numbers of his supporters, including hundreds of schoolchildren. His supporters did not, however, include all the black clergy of Birmingham, and he was strongly opposed by some of the white clergy who had issued a statement urging the blacks not to support the demonstrations. From the Birmingham jail King wrote a letter of great eloquence in which he spelled out his philosophy of nonviolence. This essay, entitled “Letter From Birmingham Jail� demonstrates Kings exceptional literary prowess by his mastery of several rhetorical strategies to persuade.
King’s rhetorical strategy to influence his audience in “Letter From Birmingham Jail� is that of a three-pronged approach. In an effort to aid in King's goal to alter societal structure, its evils, and its balance of power,

King’s final approach at persuading the readers of “Letter From Birmingham Jail” is one true to his natural calling; an appeal to the spiritual nature of man. Born the son of an Atlanta pastor and growing up almost literally in church, King’s entire upbringing focused around the spiritual relationship of God and man. Being that religious leaders in the community were often the most respected and admired, King began to see the church the way his father did -- as a means for great social change for African-Americans. By quoting religious leaders like St. Augustine, "an unjust law is no law at all" (717), Dr. King creates the ethos of a spiritual leader. He further develops this ethos by demonstrating his knowledge of the conditions and circumstances of early Christian leaders. Dr. King states, "Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid" (212). By comparing his situation to Paul's, be it effective or not, Dr. King not only shows his knowledge of Paul'!

He galvanized a generation and changed the social fabric of an entire nation

s early response to the Macedonian but also implies that he too is on a spiritual mission. This method relies on the power of moral conscience. People will be more willing to stop their oppression if they have to question their own ethics. Dr. King presents information and thinking that proves him more than just a scholar but a spiritual leader as well. King’s basis for his campaign of nonviolence originated in the highest type of love - love for people who hate you. King preached that the combination of agape(spiritual love) with nonviolent action would elicit change (Walton 78).