I truly understood Martin Luther King Jr.’s greatness and influence after reading his ‘Letter from the Birmingham Jail’. While I have heard his speeches and read his history, it was this letter which really resonated with me. This is a landmark document of the civil rights movement and it is difficult to refute any of the points Dr. King makes. It was written as a response to “A Call for Unity” written by eight clergymen, who criticized him and his methods, called for a halt to the civil rights movement and asked local leaders to trust in due process. This response carefully deconstructs each and every argument put forward by the clergymen and definitively shows why the clergymen were wrong to think in the way that they did. Dr. King’s letter is, in my opinion, the gold standard of an argumentative essay; he completely respects his opposition and does genuinely seek areas of agreement between both parties. It is a classical ethos argument as he establishes his credibility as a theologist and clergyman from the very beginning. He further makes use of logos when addressing the concerns put forward by the clergymen, disproves their claims and points out why their school of thought simply will not achieve the goals of the civil rights movement. He elicits pathos as well by using powerful vocabulary and phrases when talking about the plight of African Americans throughout history. It would be difficult for an individual reading the letter to not sympathise with their situation and join their cause for justice. While the “Call for Unity” is just over a page long, Dr. King’s letter is about fourteen pages and this is indicative of the amount of thought he gave when writing this. It is a comprehensive letter which can never have a counter-response because of the power of Dr. King’s arguments.
