MLK's Letter from Birmingham Jail

As I began to read this article, I was immediately drawn in. The combination of superb word choice, and the impressive quantity of persuasive techniques astounded me. Just the argument alone was enough to get me interested, but the way MLK wrote it was really what got me to read the article so closely. I am pretty sure that this article was the one I spent the most time reading each word. Because I took so much time to understand it, I really got the whole meaning of the letter. There is no doubt that this is my favourite article from our course-reader, for several reasons.

First of all, I really liked MLK's writing style, particulary the persuasive aspect of it. The respect that he showed in his writing towards his opponents took his argument to a whole new level. It really proved just how accepting and wise he really was. It is so easy to get caught up when writing persuasively, and start insulting the opponent in attempt to strengthen the argument, but MLK stayed away from all of that. Just that simple act shaped his letter into one of the great pieces of writing in history, in my opinion.

Another reason why I liked this letter was because of the persuasive techniques used. There are so many that I will not name all of them, but I will mention I few that really stood out for me, and had a lasting impression. He used great examples and references to support his argument. Bringing in such historical figures such as Jesus, Socrates, and Hitler to compare and contrast them to the points he was making was a great idea. And the way he blended in these references to his writing was exceptional.

Yet another rhetorical strategy that really made an impression on me was the use of repetition in a subtle yet effective way. Just one example of this was the paragraph-long sentence just after his "horse and buggy pace" line. The way he squeezes in so many examples in a repetitive manner all in one sentence might appear exhausting and daunting, but it actually worked perfectly.

MLK's letter was outstanding in every detail and aspect. In addition to being my favorite article, "Letter from Birmingham Jail" was also the only writing that I could find no fault in. If anyone could find something wrong with the essay I would like to hear about it because I could not find even one.