Summary of King's Letter from Birmingham Jail.
King responds to criticism for his participation in the civil rights demonstration that landed him in jail. The letter is specifically directed towards clergymen that attempt to argue logically, yet King proves his argument to be more sound. Although at the beginning of the letter, King appears to regard the clergymen as "fellow clergymen" (142), it becomes apparent later that when he addresses them as equals, he is not trying to be sycophantic, instead sarcastic.
Dr. King makes a point to use the clergy's arguments against them. In their condemnation of King's techniques, the clergy argue that King's ways contribute to "violent and disruptive behavior". However, King justifies his own attendance at the demonstration by saying that a group associated with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference "asked (us) to be on call to engage in a nonviolent direct-action program if such were deemed necessary" (143). This points out that King was not an unsought troublemaker, on the contrary an invited guide. .
King uses the term and title of clergyman more properly than those who condemned him did. He believed that as clergy, they were duty-bound to participate in the fight for equality. The standards that clergy live by are higher than those of the average person. King compares the fight that he was waging, to that of the Apostle Paul from the Bible. This is due to the fact that the readers cannot argue the virtue of Paul's mission nor the goal of King. At one point, King asks "Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: "I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus"" (150).
All the way through the letter, King refers to influential icons from the past to show that his fight was just as correct as those he cites. For example, Dr. King makes reference to St. Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas, in his views of deontic morality, believed that just because something felt good, did not make it just.
