An open letter from Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most famous documented conversions of a man from prison. Although the entire text is an oratory example, one of the paragraphs of this text, in my opinion, is the most revealing. In this passage, the politician refers to the criticism of the Birmingham campaign and arguments in its defense. A clear understanding of this text is necessary, as it contains the majority of ideas that Dr. King describes over several pages. The reader can analyze the entire subsequent speech by correctly interpreting this fragment. However, this passage is too easy to ignore, taking only one thought out of it and not noticing the rest since they are carefully built into the text. Therefore, this paper aims at this passage’s interpretation to reveal its complexity and its relationship to the central themes of the entire work.
The literal meaning of this excerpt, which is most clearly visible to the reader, is to express the need for protests, regardless of the current administration. This argument is the main one in contrasting criticism of the untimeliness of actions and emphasizes the need to influence the authorities as straightforwardly as possible. The words used by the politician are devoid of softness, have no hidden meaning, and express a concise answer embodying the whole essence of this struggle. The authorities should be pushed and forced to pay attention to existing problems. The reason for this, among other things, is the policy of segregation, which has long been entrenched in the system, because of which all its members strive to maintain the status quo. This idea is especially striking in this paragraph and somewhat overlaps with other arguments. The words about the need for a pushing sound are exceptionally sharp since all other arguments use other means of expression.
Except for the initial thought, Dr. King’s tone in this paragraph can be described as emotional and somewhat sympathetic. While the politician acknowledges the need for pushback, he hopefully highlights the possibility that the newly elected Mr. Boutwell will be much fairer than his predecessor. However, he notes with sadness that the very fact of his election cannot bring much-needed change. Such turns of speech as “sadly mistaken” and “the hope I see” emphasize the writer’s passionate attitude to the topic under study. What is needed to bring about change is the action of civil rights people. Dr. King repeatedly refers precisely to the citizenship of the protesters further in the text, to the need to give them their legal and fair rights. This theme, along with the inability to wait, is central in the entire letter.
It can also be traced in the following lines, which emotionally refer the reader to the need for nonviolent pressure. The theme of this kind of pressure is critical throughout the work. Dr. King emphasizes that their movement would never have reached its current position without this technique. The politician doesn’t say it directly, but he encourages his comrades to keep fighting for their rights because “privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily.” In addition, the writer notes the immorality of the community compared to individuals, thereby laying the foundation for another reasoning regarding morality and justice.
Thus, this paragraph sets the tone for all subsequent discussions and briefly outlines the main problematic points. First of all, Dr. King talks about the impossibility of waiting, further revealed as a criticism of white people’s privileged perspective. Secondly, he emphasizes that the whole system is vicious, taking away fair rights from a large population. In addition, this paragraph touches briefly on the immorality of behavior towards blacks, which runs through the entire letter. Finally, this passage is written almost entirely in a polite, sympathetic tone, reflecting hope, and gentleness but also a purpose. Therefore, the passage under consideration is connected with all the work’s main ideas and carries all the essential qualities of the politician’s rhetoric, making it especially important for reading and analysis.