LETTER TO BIRMINGHAM JAIL: An Examination of Rhetoric

Writings such as Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” characterizes the elevated language and composition needed to accomplish the task of racial equality. The idea of calling out the reader for their lack of input into the cause is a very effective choice which is also a major point in the essay, “Standing Up for Children” written by Marian Wright Edelman. The primary focus of the essay is not the equality of races, but the equality of children. Edelman’s main argument is that we, as a united people, need to set up the world so that our children can abide and flourish. I suppose “[she has] a dream that [our] children will one day live in a nation where they will not” have to fear their future (MLK, “I have a dream speech”). When we evaluate the persuasive techniques required to get people on board with the change we wish to see in the world, there are various similarities between King’s writing and Edelman’s writing.

King’s letter opens with a defense of the actions that put him in jail to the clergyman whom he felt weren’t fulfilling their end of the bargain regarding the movement towards equality. He progresses, as does Edelman, towards an angrier tone of voice to portray that there has been no effective solution to the issues we see in today’s society. Martin Luther King Jr. is the role model for many social activists because he pinpointed the greatest social injustice America has committed against people of color. Today racism still plagues the global community and has not been eradicated from the local communities of America. These acts of injustice distort our current sense of community and thus the issues seen in communities perpetuates the need for social activism.

If King had solved the world’s problems, there would be no room for Edelman. Perhaps she follows the rhetorical style of King because of his influence on today’s society. She opens her essay with a quote by one of King’s mentors which not only sets the tone for her essay but also allows her to appeal to the readers sense of ethos. While both King and Edelman discuss solutions to the issues they explain in their writing, Edelman’s primary focus is the solution because the problem is already apparent to the naked eye. It takes a more focused look at the problem to determine potential solutions let alone the primary solution.

The escalation of discontent with the surrounding society that appears in both King’s letter and Edelman’s essay as well as similar philosophies show the similarities between the two authors. “Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever” (MLK, Jr.), so it is our job to work towards protecting our children (Edelman).