King Jr., Martin Luther. “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Letter. 16 April 1963. Print.
While in Birmingham jail, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter to his fellow clergymen to explain why he is in Birmingham Jail. Martin Luther King Jr. came to Birmingham, Alabama to help the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights deal with the problem of segregation. King and his organization have taken a nonviolent stand in stopping the segregation in the town of Birmingham. In his letter to his fellow clergymen, King gives examples of the injustices that the African American people have endured in Birmingham. In his writings, King refers to historical figures and events that have taken place in history. He quotes some of the historical figures but also recognize people who have stood up to injustice and the consequences they had to face for their actions. Near the end of his letter, he talks about religion and faith with the hopes of one day being able to talk face to face with his fellow clergymen about the injustice that is taking place in Birmingham.
A. Allusion (from literature).
“I would agree with St. Augustine that “an unjust law is no law at all.”
It helped him make his point about not just obeying the law but having the responsibility to disobey unjust laws. It also made for a great transition for the next paragraph.
B. Allusion (from history).
“We should never forget everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was “Legal” and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was “Illegal.” It was illegal to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler’s Germany.”
It shows how people see the law differently. One person saw the law as a way to benefit him and the other people saw the law as being unjust.
C. Allusion (from Bible).
“Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their “thus said the Lord” far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the...