The Necessity of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Jail
Within the 1960s, Birmingham Alabama was plagued with extreme hostility and violence
towards people of color. Bombs tainted blue skies with dust and fragments of concrete.
Disintegrated buildings seemed to melt onto the floor. Areas were shattered into fragments, but it
was incomparable to the collapsed spirits of the black community. Upon his arrival, Martin
Luther King Jr. was sent to prison for protesting segregation. After trudging to his jail cell, he
wrote a letter responding to racist white clergymen from Alabama. Within his Letter from
Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. encourages his audience to view pure hatred firsthand
by stating the necessity of being in Alabama. He applies powerful religious allusions, anaphora,
and rhetorical questions to counter the claims of the men, ultimately moving the audience to
consider the roaring prejudice that tainted the United States.
Martin Luther King Jr. provides powerful religious allusions in order to show the
audience the extent of the prejudice within Birmingham Alabama and to persuade them to take
the initiative to make a difference. This is exemplified by his utilization of biblical tales. “Of
course, there is nothing new about this kind of civil disobedience. It was seen sublimely in the
refusal of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar because a
higher moral law was involved. It was practiced superbly by the early Christians, who were
willing to face hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks before submitting to
certain unjust laws of the Roman Empire” (King 1963). By referring to how Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar, he is referring to the rebellious nature and
confidence of the black community. The biblical story shows how the men are unwilling to bow
to the king, similar to how people of color refuse to accept and conform to segregation. Overall,
it elaborates on the commitment to protest by showing how despite the consequences, they are
Within the 1960s, Birmingham Alabama was plagued with extreme hostility and violence
towards people of color. Bombs tainted blue skies with dust and fragments of concrete.
Disintegrated buildings seemed to melt onto the floor. Areas were shattered into fragments, but it
was incomparable to the collapsed spirits of the black community. Upon his arrival, Martin
Luther King Jr. was sent to prison for protesting segregation. After trudging to his jail cell, he
wrote a letter responding to racist white clergymen from Alabama. Within his Letter from
Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. encourages his audience to view pure hatred firsthand
by stating the necessity of being in Alabama. He applies powerful religious allusions, anaphora,
and rhetorical questions to counter the claims of the men, ultimately moving the audience to
consider the roaring prejudice that tainted the United States.
Martin Luther King Jr. provides powerful religious allusions in order to show the
audience the extent of the prejudice within Birmingham Alabama and to persuade them to take
the initiative to make a difference. This is exemplified by his utilization of biblical tales. “Of
course, there is nothing new about this kind of civil disobedience. It was seen sublimely in the
refusal of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar because a
higher moral law was involved. It was practiced superbly by the early Christians, who were
willing to face hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks before submitting to
certain unjust laws of the Roman Empire” (King 1963). By referring to how Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar, he is referring to the rebellious nature and
confidence of the black community. The biblical story shows how the men are unwilling to bow
to the king, similar to how people of color refuse to accept and conform to segregation. Overall,
it elaborates on the commitment to protest by showing how despite the consequences, they are
