If they are not allowed this peaceful expression of the needs they so desire, it could lead to a much uglier action. Dr. King expressed his concern that if something is not done with these feelings and absolute needs of the African American there will be violence and mayhem. “The Negro has many pent-up resentments and latent frustrations, and he must release them. So let him March”. History has shown that if a person or people are ignored they will become violent and fight for their “God-given” rights. King diligently explained that “black nationalist” groups are becoming prevalent in society and he has faith that the “Negro Church” has had direct influence in keeping the violence from erupting. However, how can they are expected to stay complacent?
Finally, the sheer frustration King felt was with the Church in general. “In deep disappointment I have wept over the laxity of the church. There can be no deep disappointment where there in not deep love”. This is probably the most heartbreaking assertion King makes. He feels that the Church has skirted its responsibilities to the African American people, hiding behind “anesthetizing security of stained-glass windows”. King summarizes his letter by making the point that he hopes that the Church will see it's responsibilities “it's” means it is/you need its as people of God and understand the need for direct action, the justification of unjust laws and the impending danger of the African American rising up in violence if they are not heard. Martin Luther King does this all in a diplomatic, heartfelt and completely inoffensive voice.
“Letter from Birmingham Jail” is a clearly written essay that explains the reasons behind, and the methods of nonviolent civil disobedience, and gently expresses King’s disappointment with those who are generally supportive of equal rights for African-Americans. Martin Luther King, more than any other figure, shaped American life from the mid-‘50s to the late ‘60s. This was a time when large numbers of Americans, barely recognized as such by sanctioned power, dared to dream of what the country could be at its best, in the face of what often was its worst.
Although his strong religious background gains him much respect as an authority, Dr. King’s most influential words come from his perspective and his ability to communicate his feelings to any other man. Examples of this appear throughout the letter which begins as Dr. King appeals to the eight leaders on a level that would effect any human who has emotions of any sort. The disappointment is heard in his voice as he tells of the years of broken promises and the hardships endured during this whole process; “For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant 'Never." We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that "justice too long delayed is justice denied.’”; This quote by Dr. King is so powerful because anyone can relate to the word wait. Nobody likes to wait on something and never receive it. Dr. King feels that the entire movement is unjust. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly”; Here Dr. King is expressing his idea that if segregation continues it will eventually destroy all humanity.
Another approach to explain, to the clergymen, the situation in Birmingham happens to be the most effective demonstration as a rhetorical appeal. Dr. King opens the argument by intensively describing the 340 year long wait his race had to endure for equal treatment. He goes on to mention how America, such an advance nation, was so far behind continents such as Asia, where Negroes were free and independent. Dr. King speaks of the victims who have seen mobs hang their loved ones; those who witnessed a brother or sister being drowned; those who were mistreated by police and society as a whole; and especially those who have to tell their children that they are not allowed to play in the same parks that white children are because of the color of their skin; to explain to a child to meaning of the word hate; those whose names no longer matter to the society that sees them as inferior and unworthy of the human name. “You find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see the tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children….when you take a cross-country drive and find it necessary to sleep night after night in the uncomfortable corners of your automobile because no motel will accept you…when your first name becomes “nigger,” you middle name becomes “boy” (however old you are) and your last name becomes “John” and your wife and mother are never given the respected title “Mrs.”…’” Dr. Kings use of the word “you” places the readers (clergymen) in the situation, almost begging the question “what would you do in my shoes?” This passage is very touching.
Dr. King closes his letter with, “Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty”. Dr. King is tell the clergymen here to have hope, this time will pass and the people of our nation will become brothers and there will be peace. Dr. Martin Luther King’s use of Pathos plays an exceptional role of demonstrating oppression of people from all ages and times. Whether or not his message truly reached the eight clergymen, one will never know. It may be assumed , that if the letter was read, it touched the reader in some way. His attention to universal emotions was meticulous. Dr. King did not use many complex vocabulary or try to write in a way such as to impress. He did not need to. He made his point by appealing to the emotions of every man who has ever lived.
References
Lee, Ronal E. (1991). The Rhetorical Construction of Time in Martin luther King Jr.’s “Letter From A Brimingham Jail.” Southern California Journal. 56 (4, Summer), 279-288.
Appel, Edward C. (1997). The rhetoric of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Comedy and Context in Tragic Collision. Western journal of Communication. 61 (4, Fall), 376-402.
Snow, Melinda. (1985). Martin Luther King’s “letter From a Birmingham Jail” as Pauline Epistle. Quarterly Journal of Speech. 71 (3, August) 318-334.
Letter From a Birmingham Jail. (12 Dec 2003) Retrieved from online source: http://www.nobelprizes.com/nobel/peace/MLK-jail.html
