Understand Strategies Of Argument Employed By Martin Luther King

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Letter from Birmingham Jail
I have chosen the first and the second paragraphs from the ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail.’ The first paragraph gives an overview of the whole message of King’s letter. King presents himself as someone who is part of a group and not a stranger so as to earn trust. The heading speaks for him as he puts himself as part of the clergy; “My Dear Fellow Clergymen.” He expresses his disappointment and disdain on his fellow clergymen and their lack of supportive action (Augustine, 223). This is emphasized by the similarity he creates between himself the expected audience of his letter. For instance, he makes several references to the ancient Christian prophets and apostles such as Paul. This is an example he included to show his fellows that he is as knowledgeable as them when it comes to the gospel. King implies that he doesn’t proclaim to be holy but has a strong mastery of history.
In the first paragraph, King points out that he did not concentrate on criticisms. For instance, ‘…my secretaries would have little time for anything other than…correspondence in the course of the day…would have not timed for constructive work’ (Augustine, 218). He defends his endeavors and explains the impossibility of his allegations. The mentioning of secretaries gives King a serious and more professional look. In his performing, he implies that he uses his time wisely on issues that are worth his time, not a criticism of his fellow clergymen. Still, on the same paragraph, King avoids mentioning that the message from the clergymen is not important; ‘But since I feel li...