Read Chapter 9 and 10 and complete the review questions.

CHAPTER -

10

~

R . and Synthesis of ev1ew . ,, Argument Strateg1e.:;

. will be able to: After studying this chapter, you , . ment and argument w eory to analyze L01 Use key pomts about argu

1 .

two texts and write an argument ana ys1s.

T he purpose of this chapter is to provide you with the opportunity to review and synthesize what you have learned ab~ut reading, writing, and viewing argument. Your task here 1s to apply

argument theory as you read and analyze two letters. The first, "A Call for Unity: A Letter from Eight White Clergymen," was published in a Birmingham, Alabama, newspaper in April 1963. The second, "A Letter from Birmingham Jail," was written shortly thereafter by Martin Luther King Jr. in response to the clergymen's letter.

As you read the two letters, assess the rhetorical situation from visual as well as textual material, notice the positions both parties take on the issue, and identify the claims, support, warrants, and backing for the warrants in each letter. Look for and analyze fallacies and refutation. As part of a final evaluation, decide whether each letter is primarily ethical or unethical. Consider that you must formulate reasons and evidence for your final evaluation. Plan to make some notes on these matters as you read.

Then, in the "Exercises and Activities" section that follows these example arguments, you are asked to apply your understanding to write an argument analysis paper. In this paper, you will explain the results of your reading and analysis. You will not be criticizing or showing what is wrong with the letters; you will not be arguing with the ideas or attempting to refute them. Instead, your purpose will be to explain the argumentation methods that these authors use to make their arguments. You will rely on information about argument theory that you have learned in earlier chapters in this book to help you make your

'

1uations and write h Writing the Argument Analysis Paper 31 eva a t orough · th t ·111 analysis

Jllent is a you w 1. earn to write paper. A side benefit of this assign- other classes. a type of paper that is sometimes required in

Reading f, , r t he Argument A 1 . p . . na ys1s aper

vse the followi ng info rmation to hel . . p you read and analyze the letters:

1. The rhetoncal situation for the 1 t . . . section first to h elp you situate t~ ters

1 is det~iled m pages 308-310. Read this

. . ese etters m their historical context. 2. Focus topics that identify rel

directed questions in 3 evant argument theory are listed along with . f d t . pages 10-3 11. Page numbers for each topic are provided 1 you nee O review· When you finish reading the two letters you should b~ able to answer the questions th t · ' . . a accompany each of the topics. A group work and discussion exercise to help you understand and work with these topics is provided on pages 325-326 .

3. Questions appear in the margins of the letters that 'will direct your attention to various argumentation techniques and methods that the clergymen and King employ. Answer these questions as you read. Your answers will help you understand the letters, respond to the questions that accompany the topics, and gather the information you will need to write your paper. Underline the information in the letters that answers the questions in the margins. Write your own insights and thoughts in the margins. These activities will help you generate plenty of material for your paper.

Writing the Argument Analysis Paper · ment analysis paper appears at the end of

The complete assignment for the argu t to read it now so that you will know what this chapter on page 326. You may wan me ideas to help you write this paper. you will finally be asked to do. Here are so .

. f it is little more than a hst of your f our essay, even i . . d h I. Create a structure or Y 1. Place your ideas m an or er t at

f ake an out me . . 1 . rnain points. Or, if you pre er, m_ aring and contrastmg the two etters m rnakes sense to you. Since you ~111 ?e com~t the clergymen's letter and then ab_out th1' y want to wnte first abo h f them last Or, as an alternative, s paper you ma . b t bot o · . h Kin , 1 , d draw conclus10ns a ou . . tyle and then descnbe how eac

g s etter an . nal roof or wrztzng s ' . set up topics such as emotzo p h ·que in their letters. h

' 1 each tee Ill . Be sure to place eac author, in turn, emp oys 1 m· the rhetorical situat10n.h one addresses. Then . k d to exp a d' nces eac .. 2. You will be as e d to describe the au ie . e the authors' pos1t10ns .

letter in historical context an ·nts of view and summard1zerstand the ideas in each both p01 ader un .d

explain the issue frorn h detail to help yo~r re utline of each letter to gm e your 13 e sure to include enoug . d Make a brief 0 l · raanize · etter and how each is o o sulllmary wri ting•

L01 Use key points about argument and argument theory to analyze two texts and write

. an argument analysis .

308 . of Argument Strategies

Chapter 10 Review and Synthesis . . d describe the support m both 1 h claims an . "S etter 3 Y ·n be asked to state t e 1 ·rn and support 1n top Calling Pe s. . ou WI . about c a1 _ ~ nl Opie The following example, wntten h' The following sente1u.e not o y states th

'Aliens"' provides one way to dot is. t the author, Caree n Shannon, uses. 11 e claim but also lists the types of suppor vided in the pa ragraphs that follow ore information about the support can be pro ·

, r ,,, Careen Shannon uses all three kinds In her essay "Stop Calling People A iens, ort her claim that the la nguage used to of proof-logos, ethos, and pathos-:to b~l{inappropriate _and ~armful, an.d plays a describe undocumented workers is. d s toward both IffiJillgrants and 1mmigra dangerous role in shaping public atutu e - tion policy.

. d ara hrased or quoted material from the letters to 4. Include summanze ' p p . ' . ts Here is an example, again us· provide evide~ce ~o support your roam pom ~nd a direct quote could rov~g Shannon, which illustrates how a summary P de support.

Shannon uses an analogy to suggest the harmful effect~ that inapprop~at~ la,nguage can have. "Like the Japanese word 'gaijin,' " she wntes, "the word ahen serves to exclude those upon whom itis bestowed" (210). Ev~n when such la~guage h~s been officially sanctioned as acceptable, Shannon contm~es, t~e harm, It _ca_uses 1s enough to invalidate its legitimacy. "So what," she says, "1f the regular dict10nary also says that 'alien' means 'strange' or 'repugnant' or 'in science fiction, a being in or from outer space and not native to the Earth; extraterrestrial'? That has nothing to do with immigration, or how we treat immigrants, does it?" ( 210).

Place page numbers in parentheses at the end of each summarized, paraphrased, or quoted passage to show where you found it in this textbook, as in the example above.

5. Write a conclusion in which you evaluate these letters. Are they ethical or unethical? Is one more effective and convincing than the other? Why? Write a final evaluative claim about the letters that is based on the ideas and evidence in your paper. At this point, decide whether you want to leave your claim at the end of your paper or to move it to an earlier position in your paper. Where would it be most effective?

6. Read your draft, revise it, and submit it.

Rhetorical Situation for "A Call to Unity: A Letter from Eight White Clergymen" and "Letter from Birmingham Jail" Birmingham, Alabama, was a very strange place in 1963. Black people were allowed to sit only in certain parts of buses and restaurants, they were required to drink from separate water fountains, and they were not allowed in white churches, schools, or various other public places. The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was a well-known minister in the black Baptist church and a leader in the civil rigbt5

Rhetorical Situ . at1on for ,, A C

all to Unit " d ,, 309 ~~~ _ _ _ .,,..,,..__~~~~

Y an Letter from Birmingham Jai l"

Dr. Marti_n Luther King Jr. was jailed more than

once dunn_g t~e civil rights movemen t. In this 1960

Photo, P?lice in Atlanta, Georgia, are taking him

to court in handcuffs for participatin g in a sit-in at

a segregated lunch counter in a dep artment store.

~e was sentenced in this instance to four months of

a~d labor and was released on bail p ending appeal

on y after Bobby Kennedy, phoned t he judge.

For Discussion: What special features of visual

argument are apparent in this photo graph?

~ov~m_ent at that time. The purpose of t he movement was to end segregation and

dis~nmmation and to obtain equal right s and access for African Americans in th

e

United States, but especially in the Sout h.

Dr. King and others carefully prepare d for demonstrations that would take

?1!ce in Birmingham in the spring of 1963. The demonstrato rs began by "sitting

ll1 at lunch counters that had never ser ved blacks before and by picketing stores

.

Twenty people were arrested the first da y on charges of trespassing. The civil righ

ts

leaders then applied for permits to pick et and stage protests against the injustice

s

of discrimination and segregation. T hey were refused permission, but the

y

dernonstrated and picketed anyway. D r. King was served with an injunction

&ranted by a circuit judge. It said civil rig hts leaders could not protest, demonstrate

,

boycott, or sit in at any facilities. King a nd other leaders decided that this was a

n

~nfair and unjust application of the law , and they decided to break the law by

'&nofing the injunction.

;:----___ 1 13obby I< hn F

Kennedy was the U.S. Attorney Gene ral at this time.

ennedy, brother of President Jo · '

310

t Strategies . of Argumen

Chapter 10 Review and Synth esis ·day and he expected to go Good Fn , 1 d 1 b to

. d to march on t Dr. King na ong een awa King himself dec1d~ nd caption documen ~ nee of any consequent PUnis~e

jail. (As the photogrdia~ baedience required accepdaed before he had walked h. 1-f · 1 'vil so t ) In e , . a

that nonv10 ent c~ate the tension of prates 1th fifty othe r people . Kmg stayed in me~ts so as to er sted and jailed, along w his famous letter. It was written in a mile he was arre . he wrote . -. bl· h J·ail fo; eight days. During that ~1me, h'te clergymen that h.aa b t> e n pu is ed in a . d by eight w 1 response to a letter signe . . local newspaper. ther protests and some :iolence. Thousands

After King left jail, there were fur d were jailed. Finally, black and White d nd thousan s ,,., ct M of people demonstrate , a f' 1 terms were announce on ay IO, · t and some ma :l · k' f · leaders began to negoua e, s fitting rooms, and r nn 1ng ountams in

1963. All lunch counters, restr.?om ' d ithin ninety days; blacks were to be downtown stores were t? be _desegreg:~hi:sixty days. The many people arrested hired in clerical and sales Jobs m stores

1 ed on low bail, and permanent lines

. re to be re eas during the demonstrations we bl' h d between black and white leaders. The of communication were to be eS

ta is . e ttled down and began to implement demonstrations ended then, and the oty se

2 the agreements.

Focus Topics to Help You ~nalyze the Letters Answer the questions that accompany the eight focus topics listed. Use the questions in the margins of the letters to help you locate the information you need to address the questions as well as suggestions posted under each topic.

I. Rhetorical situation (pages 43-46). Consider each of these points.

a. What is the exigence for these two letters? What caused the authors to write them? What was the problem? Was it a new or recurring problem?

b. Who is the audience for the clergymen's letter? For King's letter? What is the nature of these audiences? Can they be convinced? What are the expected outcomes?

c. What are the constraints? Speculate about the beliefs, attitudes, habits, and traditions that were in .place. that limited both the white clergymen and King. How did these constraining circumstances influence the audience for both letters at that time?

d. Think about the authors of both letters. Who are they? Speculate about their backgrounds, experience, affiliations, and values. What motivated them to write?

e. What kind of text is each letter? What effect do its special qualities and features have on the audience?

2This account is drawn from Lee E. Bains Jr., "'Birmingham, l 963 : Confrontation over Civil Rights, w in Birmingham,

Alabama, 1956-1963: The Black Struggle for Civil Rights, ed. David J. Garrow (Brooklyn: Carlson, 1989), I 75-83 .

Focus Topics to Help You Analyze the Letters 31

f. Think about yourself as the r d . ff ea er What . constramts a ect the wa · is your position on the issue? What

d . h . y you read ab t . ? groun wit either the cl ou it. Do you perceive common influenced b y these letters~rgHymen or King, or both? Describe it. Are you

. ow?

2. organization ,.::.-::u.l claims (pa , 1 .. parts. What is tlk subject of e:C~ 51; 166) - Divide each letter into its main particular order'? \ Vhat is th

1 p~rt. Why have the parts been placed in this

Claun. in each lc1·t·er? Wh t e re atrnnship between them? What is the main - · · a types of 1 · subclaims? \IV.hat types of 1 . c aims are they? What are some of the ' · c aims are they?

3. Logical proof)· a1-1d style (pages 185_196 d logical proof in each of the le . an 200-201) . Analyze the use of the audience. Prov· d tters. Provide examples. Describe their effect on

1 1 e an example of the language of rational style in one of

the etters.

4. Emotional proof s and style (pages 197-199 and 203) An 1 th f -· 1 f" h . a yze e use o emo uona p~oo in eac of the letters. Provide examples. Describe their effect on the audience. Provide an example of the language of emotional style in one of the letters.

5. Proofs and style that establish ethos (pages 196-197 and 201-202). Analyze the use of proofs that establish ethos or credibility in the letters. Provide examples. Describe their effect on the audience. Provide an example of language that establishes ethos in one of the letters.

6. Warrants and backing (pages 123- 128). Identify the warrants (both logical and contextual) in each of the letters. What appeals to community values provide backing for the warrants? How much common ground do you think exists between the authors of the letters? How much common ground do you share with the authors? As a result, which letter do you find more convincing? Why?

7. Fallacious thinking and rebuttals (pages 224-230 and 128- 129). Provide examples of reasoning that is considered fallacious or wrongheaded by the opposing parties in each of the letters. What rebuttals are made in response to these? How effective are they?

8. Ethical or unethical (pages 232-235). Do the clergymen and King both make an adequate effort to understand the issue and its co_nsequences~ Does each also d t d the position held by the other? Is their support fair, accurate,

un ers an h • ? c and/or convincing? can you, as the reader, accept t eir warra1:ts. an you

h f to community values that serve as backmg for these

accept t e re erences , 1 d h ld h lal

·ms be qualified if they are not a rea y? Do the warrants? S ou t e c ' . . 1

· • · ly believe their positions are m the best mterests c ergymen and King smcere . ? D of th

1 . Birmingham as well as of the larger society ... o you agree

. e peop e in . f d and who is burdened by their pos1t10ns? Do you ':'71th them? Who 1s ~ene ite nor Kin are trying to manipulate the find evidence that e1th~r the clergyme . . g ropriate emotional appeals, audience by hiding their real pu~ose, usmg ~dapJce or telling lies? Do either

. d e using maccurate ev1 e ' manufacturing ev1 enc , f . . s of words to cloud perceptfons, or of the arguers change the us~a~ ~e m~i:? What do you conclude about the do they minimize issues to tnviahze t e . ?

1. . of the letters. ethical and unethical qua mes

312 h . . f Argurnen C apter 10 Review and Synthesis o t Strategies

ESSAY #l

What is the issue?

What is the clergymen's position?

What is the claim?

What type of claim is it?

What are the rebuttals?

How do the authors build ethos?

How do they appeal to logic?

How do they appeal to emotion?

What are the

warrants?

Describe the predominant style.

A CALL FOR UNITY: A LE~~MEN* FROM EIGHT WHITE CLER the editor of a Birmingham, Alaban, te this letter to a, I men who wro The eight white Alabama c erg~ . d ominations. newspaper represent various religious en April 12, 196

3

ong those who, in January, issued d 1 ymen are am d 1· . h we the undersigne c erg on Sense," in ea 1ng wit racial d o der and Comm · • "An Appeal for Law an r d d rstanding that honest convictions w xpresse un e d problems in Alabama. e e din the courts, but urge that

in racial matters could properly ~e p:r::antime be peacefully obeyed. decisions of those courts should in t e vidence of increased forebearance

Since that time there had been som~:le citizens have undertaken to work and a willingness to face facts. Respo1:1s

1 i f . t' n and unrest. In Birmingham . bl h'ch cause racia nc 10 ' on vanous pro ems w i , . . . . that we all have opportunity for a recent public events have given mdication . bl

new constructive and realistic approach to raoal pro ems. t· b f ted by a series of demonstra ions y some However, we are now con ron . .

of our Negro citizens, directed and led in part by outsiders. We reco~mze. the natural impatience of people who feel that their hopes are slo': m bemg realized. But we are convinced that these demonstrations are unwise and untimely. . .

We agree rather with certain local Negro leadership which has ca~led for honest and open negotiation of racial issues in our area. And we believe this kind of facing of issues can best be accomplished by citizens of our own metropolitan area, white and Negro, meeting with their knowledge and experience of the local situation. All of us need to face that responsibility and find proper channels for its accomplishment.

s Just as we formerly pointed out that "hatred and violence have no sanction in our religious and political traditions," we also point out that such actions as incite to hatred and violence, however technically peaceful those actions may be, have not contributed to the resolution of our local problems. We do not believe that these days of new hope are days when extreme measures are justified in Birmingham.

We commend the community as a whole, and the local news media and law enforcement officials in particular, on the calm manner in which these demonstrations have been handled. We urge the public to continue to show restraint should the demonstrations continue, and the law enforcement officials to remain calm and continue to protect our city from violence.

We further strongly urge our own Negro community to withdraw support from these demonstrations, and to unite locally in working peacefully for a better Birmingham. When rights are consistently denied, a cause should

*"A Call for Unity,"© 1963 by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., copyright renewed 1991 by Coretta Scott King. Reprinted by arrangement with The Heirs to the Estate of Martin Luther King, .Tr., c/o Writers House as agent for the proprietor, New York, NY.

ESSAY #2

What is the issue? What is King's position?

Identify and describe the Rogerian elements and efforts to establish common ground throughout this letter.

Focus Topics to Help You Analyze the Letters 313 be pressed in the c th ouns and i • . e streets. We appeal t b n negotiat10ns among local leaders and not in

· · o oth O h. ' pnnc1ples of law and d ur w 1te and Negro citizenry to observe the . or er and common sense.

(Signed)

C.C.J. Carpenter, D.D. LL . D.D., Auxiliary Bish , ... D., Bishop of Alabama; Joseph A. Durick, Grafman Templ E op, D10cese of Mobile-Birmingham; Rabbi Milton L

' e manu-El B" · · Bishop of the Alabama- ' irrr.nngham, Alabama; Bishop Paul Hardin, Bishop Nola B H West Flonda Conference of the Methodist Church·

n armon B" h f ' M ethodist Ch . h· ' is op o the North Alabama Conference of the urc , George M Murray DD LLD B. h Episcopal D · · , · ., · · ., 1s op Coadjutor

of the Alab IOcese of Alab_ama; Edward V. Ramage, Moderator, Synod , p . ama Presbytenan Church in the United States· Earl Stallings

astor, First Baptist Church, Birmingham , ,

LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL* M artin Luther King Jr.

~artin Luther _King Jr. was a Baptist minister who preached nonviolence and equal justice. He was a pivotal leader m the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

April 16, 1963

My Dear Fellow Clergymen:

While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely." Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas. If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything other than such correspondence in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work. But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms.

I think I should indicate why I am here in Birmingham, since you have been influenced by the view which argues against "outsiders coming in." I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with head-_ quarters in Atlanta, Georgia. We have some eighty-five affiliated organizations across the South, and one of them is the Alabama Christian Movement for

1 h ff d . 1 d financial resources Human Rights. Frequent y we s are sta , e ucat10na an_ . . ham asked with our affiliates. Several months ago, the affiliate here m Brrm_mf g ch were

. . 1 di t action program I su us to be on call to engage m a nonv10 ent rec - h h came we lived d d when t e our deemed necessary. We readily consente 'an b f my staff am here . l "th several mem ers o ' up t o our promise. So I, a ong WI 1 have organizational ties here. because I was invited here. I am here because

~ 3 b Dr Marti n Lu th e r King, Jr., copyright Lett K ng Jr © 1 96 y . · L h r er from Bi nnin gham J a il, " by Dr. M arti n Lu th er i , . ith Th e He irs to t he Estate of Marun ut er

enew d . d b a rrange m e n t w v , e 199 I by Core tt a Sco tt Kin g. R ep n n t e ~ N Yor k, NY. "lng, J I , ropn eto r, ew r .. Cl o W rit ers Ho u se as a gen t for 1 , e P

rnent Strategies 314 thesis of Argu . •. . . . h

Chapter 10 Review and syn . because inJ ust1ce is ere. Just . ·ngharn i • d as I

m in Birrn1 heir villages an( carne their How does King build ethos?

What is the effect of the comparison with Paul?

Draw a line at the end of the introduction.

Draw a line at the end of each of the other major sections of material. Label the subject of each section in the margin.

What is the subject of this first section?

What is the claim?

What type of claim is it?

Is it qualified?

Identify and analyze the effect of the emotional appeals.

1at are some of values expressed

his argument?

b sically, a c left t . - _ But more a . hth century B. . d ries of their hume towns and

h of the eig h boun a • 1

h ' the prop ets d" far beyond t e f T rsus and ca rne L t e gospel of "thus saith the Llor Paul left his village o a Roman worid , :-. o am I cornpeu d . the Apost e f the Greco- L'k e Just as h far corners o wn home to,vn . 1 e Paul, I :rn Jesus Christ tot e ff dom beyond rny o 'd

llst the gospel o ree . n call for a1 . to carry 1 spond to the Macedom_a elatedness of alJ .:..:ornmunities constant Y r; I am cognizant of the interr nd not be conce rn ed about What dM~r~~;; ~annot sit idly by i1_1 Atlanta :ere is a threat to justice every-

an s a . . h InJ·ustice anyw .. r r d . . happens in Birmmg am. . ble network of mutua ity, ie ma single where. We are caught in an mesca~: one directly, affects all indirectly. Never garment of destiny. Whatever affec ow provincial "outside agitator" ff d t live with the narr , b ·ct again can we a or . 0 . . nited States can never e cons1 ered an idea. Anyone who lives ms1de the U

· h' ·t bounds outsider anywhere wit m 1 s . ·king place in Birmingham. But your 5 You deplore the demonstrations ta similar concern for the statement, I am sorry to say, fails tod exprests at1· ons I am sure that none of di

. h -t b ght about the emons ra . con t10ns t a rou . f · 1 kind of social analysis you would want to rest content with the super icia d

1 . that deals merely with effects and does not g~apple wi~h u?- e~ ying causes: It is unfortunate that demonstrations are taking place in Birmmgham, but it is even more unfortunate that the city's white power structure left the Negro community with no alternative.

. In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collect10n of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action. We have gone through all these steps in Birmingham. There can be no gain-saying the fact that racial injustice engulfs this community. Birmingham is probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States. Its ugly record of brutality is widely known. Negroes have experienced grossly unjust treatment in the courts. There have been more unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than in any other city in the nation. These are the hard, brutal facts of the case. On the basis of these conditions, Negro leaders sought to negotiate with the city fathers. But the latter consistently refused to engage in good-faith negotiation. Then, last September, came the opportunity to talk with leaders of Birmingham's economic community. In the course of the negotiations, certai~ pro°:~se~ were _ma~e by the merchants-for example, to remove the stores hum1hatmg racial signs. On the basis of these promises, the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth and the leaders of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights agreed to a moratorium on all demonstrations. As the weeks and months went by, we realized that we were the victims of a broken promise. A few signs, briefly removed, returned; the others remained. As in so many past experiences, our hopes had been blasted, and the shadow of deep disappointment settled upon us. We had no alternative except to prepare for direct action, whereby we would present our very bodies as a means of laying our case before the conscience of the local and the national community. Mindful of the difficulties involved, we decided to

identify and describe the rebuttals.

What is the effect of the comparison with Socrates?

What is King's planned argumenta- tion strategy?

'Nhy does King refer to history?

10

Focus Topics to Help You Analyze the Letters 315 undertak

e a process of lf . . . nonviolence and se -purification. We began a series of workshops on blows withou' t twl_e ~epeatedly asked ourselves: "Are you able to accept re a 1atmg?" "Ar We decided to h d · e you able to endure the ordeal of jail?" sc e ule ou dir • realizing that r ect-action program for the Easter season except for Christm h" · h · h ' year. Knowi h as, t is is t e mam s opping period of the by-product nfgdi~ at a st~ong economic-withdrawal program would be the

o rect action we f lt h hi ld b nressure t b ' e t at t s wou e the best time to bring • Th . 0

ear on the merchants for the needed change en it occurred to u th B. . , . in March and we ~ at . Irmmgham s mayoral election was coming up \,Vb en w~ disc speedily decided to postpone action until after election day. C h

overed that the Commissioner of Public Safety Eugene "Bull" ~o nnor, ad pil d h . ' .. e up enoug votes to be m the runoff we decided aga1·n to postpo · ' . ld ne actrnn until the day after the runoff so that the demonstrations cou not be used to cloud the issues. Like many others, we waited to see 1\1.r. Connor defeated, and to this end we endured postponement after po~tponement. Having aided in this community need, we felt that our direct- action program could be delayed no longer.

You may well ask: "Why direct action? Why sit-ins, marches and so forth? Isn't negotiation a better path?" You are quite right in calling for negotiation. Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. My citing the creation of tension as part of the work of the nonviolent- resister may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word "tension." I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, so must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and .brotherhood. . . . .

The purpose of our direct-action program is to create a s1tuat10n so cnsis- packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation. I therefore concur with you in your call for negotiation. Too long has our beloved Southl~nd been bogged down in a tragic effort to live in monologue rather than dialogue.

One of the basic points in your statement is that the action that I_a,~::Y . . . h . t· 1 Some have asked. y associates have taken m Brrmmg am 1s un rme Y· nl wer . . . . . t act?" The o y ans didn't you give the new city adnnmstrat10n trme o . dmm· i·stration must . . B · mingham a that I can give to this query IS that the new Ir b f ·t wi"ll act. We are . one e ore 1 be prodded about as much as the outg?mg f Albert Boutwell as mayor will

sadly mistaken if we feel t~at ~he elect~~e Mr. Boutwell is a much more bring the millennium to Birnungharn- both segregationists, dedicated to C nnor they are . b gentle person than Mr. o , I have hope that Mr. Boutwell will e . f the status quo. . d . the mamtenance o f tili"t of massive resistance to esegregation. h to see the u Y reasonable enoug

316 . ument Strategies Chapter 10 Review and Synthesis of Arg . . .

f devotees of ovil nghts.

Why does he refer to Niebuhr?

Identify and analyze the emotional proof.

To what human motives and values does King appeal?

Identify emotional language, examples, and vivid description.

What is the effect of the emotional proof?

What is the predominant type of proof in the first section of the letter?

t ressure rom . ·1 • • But he will not see this withou p h e not made a sing e gain lll civil My friends, I must say_ to you tha~;:o::iolent pressure. L~1nei:1t~bly, it rights without determmed legal a ldom give up theu pnvlleges . ·1 ed groups se ·1 . is a historical fact that pnvi eg I light and voluntan Y give up . 'd I y see the mora . d d voluntarily. Indivi ua s ma . Id Niebuhr has rem1n e us, groups their unjust posture; but, as Re~n~~ . d ls tend to be more immoral than m ~vi uath.at freedom is never voluntarily

h · f I experience We know throug pam ~ b d mantled by the oppressed. Frankly, given up by the oppressor; it must . e e mpai·gn that was "well-timed" in the · d' t act10n ca I have yet to engage m a irec - d duly from the disease of segregation view of those who have not suffered~'~ 'ti" It rings in the ear of every · For years now I ~ave he~~d ~he w~r "Wa~

1 ,, ·has almost always meant

Negro with piercmg famihanty. T~is f ur distinguished jurists, that "Never." We must come to see, with one O 0 "justice too long delayed is justice denied." . •

1 d G d We have waited for more than 340 years-for our const1~uti_o~~k an ~ -

given rights. The nations of Asia and Africa are rr.10ving with Jet 1 e spee toward gaining political independence, but we still creep at hors~-~nd-buggy

d · · of coffee at a lunch counter. Perhaps 1t is easy for pace towar gaming a cup . ,, . ,, those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregat10n to say, Wai~. But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at _will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters; whe~ you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothenng in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly 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 tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Fun-town is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people; when you have to concoct an answer for a five-year-old son who is asking, "Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?" 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 you are humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading "white" and "colored" when your first name becomes "nigger," your 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." when you are harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what to expect next, and are plagued with inner fears and outer resentments; when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of "nobodiness"-then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait. There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the aby~s of ~espair. I hope, sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable unpanence.

oraw a line where the subject changes.

What is the sub-

ject of the second

section?

How and why does

King use definition?

How does he

support the

definition?

What is the effect of

the support?

Explain the example

of just and unjust laws.

How does King

further elaborate on this idea?

15

Focus Topics to Help You Analyze the Letters 317

You express a r . . . is certainly

1 . ~ eat deal of anxiety over our w1llmgness to break laws. This

the Suprem: ~~ltn~ate c?~cern. Since we so diligently urge people to obey schools at f" urt s decision of 1954 outlawing segregation in the public

, irst glance it m h d . break la O

ay seem rat er para ox1cal for us consciously to ws. ne may well ask· "H d · and ob . · ow can you a vocate breaking some laws

eymg others?" The 1· . h f of la . . · ·. answer 1es m t e act that there are two types C ws. JUSt and UnJust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws

onvers_ely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all."

Now h · h , w at is t e difference between the two? How does one determine whether a la · · . w 1s Just or unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of ha~mony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An UilJUSt law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority. Segregation, to use the terminology of the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber, substitutes an "I-it" relationship for an "I-thou" relationship and ends up relegating persons to the status of things. Hence segregation is not only politically, economically, and sociologically unsound, it is morally wrong and sinful. Paul Tillich has said that sin is separation. Is not s~gregation an existential expression of man's tragic separation, his awful estrangement, his terrible sinfulness? Thus it is that I can urge men to obey the 1954 decision of the Supreme Court, for it is morally right; and I can urge them to disobey segregation ordinances, for they are morally wrong.

Let us consider a more concrete exa;mple of just and unjust laws. An unjust law is a code that a numerical or power majority group compels a minority group to obey but does not m~ke binding on itse~f. :his is difference ~ad~ legal. By the same token, a just law is a co~e that a ~~Jonty compels a mmonty to f How and that it is willing to follow itself. This is sameness made legal. 0

Let me give another explanation. A_ law is ~njust if it is inflicted on a_ • ·ty that as a result of being demed the nght to vote, had no part m min on , ·

enacting or devising the law. W~o can say that the legi~lature of Alabama hich set up the state's segregat10n ~aws was democratically elected?

w h t Alabama all sorts of devious methods are used to prevent Negroes Throu; ou . g registered voters, and there are some counties in which, ev~n from e~mm constitute a majority of the population, not a single Negro 1s though egroes 1 nactment under such circumstances be considered registered. Can any aw e

democratically struc~u:ed? ·ts face and unjust in its application. For instance, S times a law is JUSt on I . h . ome h ge of parading without a permit. Now, t ere is

I have been arr~ sted o_n a c a;rdinance which requires a permit for a parade. nothing wrong m havmbg anmes unJ·ust when it is used to maintain segregation

h ordinance eco f 1 bl d But sue an . . h First-Amendment privilege of peace u assem y an and to deny c1uzens t e

protest.

318 . f Argument Strategies Chapter 10 Review and Synthesis O .

. 1 m trying to 001nt out. In

Analyze the deductive reasoning in this paragraph.

Identify and describe the effect of the historical analogies.

What type of proof predominates in the second part of the letter?

Draw a line where the subject changes. What is the subject of the third section?

What are King's warrants in this passage?

How do King's warrants differ from the clergymen's?

How and why does King use definition here?

h distinct10n a .. h b 20 1 hope you are able to se~ t e def ing the law, as w ould t e ra_ id no sense do I advocate evading or Y h one who breaks an unJust law Id lead to anarc Y· th 1 segregationist. That w~u d with a willingness to a:'cer!t e pe_na ~Y-must do so openly, lovmgly, an k law that consoem.e tells hun Is . d" . d al who brea s a . d I submit that an m 1v1 u h alty of imprisonmr .:1t 1n or er ·11· I accepts t e pen . . . Ii unjust, and who WI mg Y nity over its injusu ce, 1s 1n rea ty to arouse the conscience of the commu . expressing the highest respect for lawb · t this kind of civil disobedience. It h · nothing new a ou Of course, t ere ~s . e refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego was evidenced sublimely m th the ground that a higher moral b h I Of Nebuchadnezzar, on . . to o ey t e aws . erbl by the early Chnsuans, who law was at stake. It was practiced sup Y . . • f h · . . h lions and the excruoating pain o c oppmg were w1llmg to face ungry . .

1 f the Roman Empire. To a blocks rather than submit to certam unJust aws O · · • . . f d . ality today because Socrates practiced avil degree academic ree om 1s a re d . disobedience. In our own nation, the Boston Tea Party represente a massive act of civil disobedience. . .

We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler d~d ~ Germany was "legal" and everything the Hungarian freedom fig~ter~ di~ 1n Hungary was "illegal." It was "illegal" to aid and comfort a Jew m Hitlers Germany: Even so, I am sure that, had I lived in Germany at the time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers. If today I lived in a Communist country where certain principles dear to the Christian faith are suppressed, I would openly advocate disobeying that country's antireligious laws.

I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Councilor or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action" who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than out-right rejection.

I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and that when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress. I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that the present tension in the South is a necessary phase of the transition from an obnoxious negative peace, in which the Negro passively accepted his unjust plight, to a substantive and positive peace, in which all men will respect the dignity and worth of human personality. Actually, we who

identify and describe the effects of the analogies in these paragraphs.

What is the fallacious thinking King complains of here?

Summarize King's reasoning about time.

Describe the two 0PPosing forces.

Focus Topics to Help You Analyze the Letters 319 enga · ge m nonviolent ct· . bring to the f ire_ct action are not the creators of tension. We merely in the open su~ ace _the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out be cured so,l:i ere ~t ~an be seen and dealt with. Like a boil that can never the natural I a_s it is co:ered up but must be opened with all its ugliness to tension its em\;cmes of air and light, injustice must be exposed, with all the nation 1 -~ ure create

s, to the light of human conscience and the air of ·· a opmion before it can be cured.

25 In your stateme t . m u t b n s you assert that our actions, even though peaceful, s . e condemned because they precipitate violence. But is this a logical

a ssertion? Isn't this lik d · f · e con emnmg a robbed man because his possession 0 money precipitated the evil act of robbery? Isn't this like condemning

~ocr~t~s because his unswerving commitment to truth and his philosophical i~quin~s precipitated the act by the misguided populace in which they made hrm drink hemlock? Isn't this like condemning Jesus because his unique G~d-consciousness and never-ceasing devotion to God's will precipitated the evil act of crucifixion? We must come to see that, as the federal courts have consistently affirmed, it is wrong to urge an individual to cease his efforts to gain his basic constitutional rights because the quest may precipitate violence. Society must protect the robbed and punish the robber.

I had also hoped that the white moderate would reject the myth concerning time in relation to the struggle for freedom. I have just received a letter from a white brother in Texas. He writes: "All Christians know that the colored people will receive equal rights eventually, but it is possible that you are in too great a religious hurry. It has taken Christianity almost two thousand years to accomplish what it has. The teachings of Christ take time to come to earth." Such an attitude stems from a tragic misconception of time, from the strangely irrational notion that there is something in the very flow of , time that will inevitably cure all ills. Actually, time itself is neutral; it can be used either destructively or constructively. More and more I feel that the people of ill will have used time much more effectively than have the people of good will. We will have to repent in this generation not me_rely ~or the hateful words and actions of the bad people b~t for the appal~ng s_ile~c~ of h

d people. Human progress never rolls m on wheels of mev1tab1hty; t e goo f ·11· b k · h it comes through the tireless efforts_ o n:ien WI mg to e cowor ers wit

d d ·thout this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces Go ' ~nl tWl ati·on We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the of soc1a s agn · • · f . . lwa s ri ht to do right. Now is the time to make real the promise o trme is a Y d ; sform our pending national elegy into a creative psalm of democracy ~n N ra~ the time to lift our national policy from the quicksand broth~rh~~ . . ow is he solid rock of human dignity. of raoal 1nJustice tot . . . B"rmingham as extreme. At first I was rather

ak of our activity m 1 . You spe 1

n would see my nonv10lent efforts as those disappointed that fellow ~ ~rffmeabout the fact that I stand in the middle of of an extremist. I began t mN nr~ community. One is a force of complacency,

· f ces in the eg • two opposmg or who as a result of long years of oppression, made up in part of Negroesct and a sense of "somebodiness" that they have

d . d of self-respe 1 h are so rame . . nd in part of a few middle-c ass Negroes w o, . d to segregauon, a adJuste

320 t Strategies . of Argumen Chapter 10 Review and Synthesis . curity and because in soni

d onorn1c se b e f cadernic an ec •nsensitive to the pro lems

How and why does King attempt to reconcile the opposing forces?

Identify and describe the causal proof.

Summarize King's reasoning about the effects of oppression.

What is the effect of these comparisons?

because of a de_gree ;e :egation, have be~ornr:~ss and ha tred, and it comes ways they proflth~yotir force is one of b1~te e ressed in _the various black of t~e mass~s. T to advocating violence. It is ~he nation, the largest anct per~lousl~y c os~ps that are springing upMacrot:n rnovernent. Nourished by the nat1ona 1st gro .. h rnrnad's us 1 . d' • · • b kn n being EhJah Mu a . d . tence of raoal 1scnmmat10n, this est- ow h ontmue ex1s . . h h Negro's frustration overt e c h h ve lost faith in Amenca, w o ave movement is made up of pe?P1: w

O d :,ho have concluded that the white absolutely repud!a_ted ~hri~tI~nity, an

man is an incorng1ble devil. forces saying that we need d b t een these two ' h 1 have tried to stan e w . . ,, f the complacent nor the atred and emulate neither the "do-nothmgi s mho e i·s the more excellent way of love · Ii t Fort er despair of the black natwna s · f

1 t God that through the influence of and nonviolent proteSt. 1 am grate ~

1 ° e beca~e an integral part of our the Negro church, the way of nonv10 enc

struggle. d by now many streets of the South If this philosophy had not e~erg.e .'h bl d And I am further convinced Id I ·need be flowmg wit 00 · wou , am con vi , . . ,, " nd "outside agitators" that if our white brothers d1sm1ss as rabble-rousers ~ those of us who employ nonviolent direct action, and 1f they r~fuse to supp~rt our nonviolent efforts, millions of Negroes will, out of frustrauon and desparr, seek solace and security in black-nationalist ideologies-a development that would inevitably lead to a frightening racial nightmare. . 3o Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the American Negro. Something within has reminded him of his birthright of freedom, and something without has reminded him that it can be gained. Consciously or unconsciously, he has been caught up by the Zeitgeist, and with his black brothers of Africa and his brown and yellow brothers of Asia, South America and the Caribbean, the United States Negro is moving with a sense of great urgency toward the promised land of racial justice. If one recognizes this vital urge that has engulfed the Negro community, one should readily understand why public demonstrations are taking place. The Negro has many pent-up resentments and latent frustrations, and he must release them. So let him march; let him make prayer pilgrimages to the city hall; let him go on freedom rides-and try to understand why he must do so. If his repressed emotions are not released in nonviolent ways, they will seek expression through violence; this is not a threat but a fact of history. So I have not said to my people: "Get rid of your discontent." Rather, I have tried to say that this normal and healthy discontent can be channeled into the creative outlet of nonviolent direct action. And now this approach is being termed extremist. But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus an extremist for love: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and praY for them which despitefully use you, and prosecute you." Was not Amos an

Summarize King's description of the oppressor race.

What types of proof are used in this third section?

Draw a line where the subject changes. What is the subject of the fourth section?

Reconsider the rhetorical situations· Wn . W at Went before?

hat will come later?

Focus Topics to Help You Analyze the Letters 321

extremist for justice- " . . an everfloWin · Let Justice roll down like waters and righteousness like

"I bear in my t s~ream." Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: extremist· "H

O Y the marks of the Lord Jesus." Was not Martin Luther an

Bunvan· ;,1 ~Irle 1 stand; 1 cannot do otherwise, so help me God." And John

1 • WI stay · · ·1 of iny con . ,, m Jai to the end of my days before I make a butchery

sJave and ~~~~~e. ,~d Abraham Lincoln: "This nation cannot survive half evident th

11 ee. And Thomas Jefferson: "We hold these truths to be self-

v;,;c will,be :ta m_en are created ~qual. ... " So the question is not whether .. . xtrem1sts, but what kmd of extremists we will be. Will we be

ex tremists for hate O f 1 ? . . . . r or ove. Will we be extremists for the preservation of imustice or for the e t . f . . . h

: x ens10n o Justice? In that dramatic scene on Calvary's 111 three men w 'f' d f ere cruc1 1e . We must never forget that all three were crud-

. ied for the same crime-the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for

immorality, and thus fell below their environment. The other, Jesus Christ,

was_ an extremist for love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his

environment. Perhaps the South, the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.

I had hoped that the white moderate would see this need. Perhaps I

was too optimistic; perhaps I expected too much. I suppose I should have

realized that few members of the oppressor race can understand the deep

groans and passionate yearnings of the oppressed race, and still fewer have

the vision to see that injustice must be rooted out by strong, persistent

and determined action. I am thankful, however, that some of our white

brothers in the South have grasped the meaning of this social revolution

and committed themselves to it. They are still all too few in quantity, but

they are big in quality. Some-such as Ralph McGill, Lillian Smith, Harry

Golden, James McBride Dabbs, Ann Braden and Sarah Patton Boyle-have

written about our struggle in eloquent and prophetic terms. Others have

marched with us down nameless streets of the South. They have languished

in filthy, roach-infested jails, suffering the abuse and brutality of policemen

who view them as "dirty nigger-lovers." Unlike so many of their moderate

brothers and sisters, they have recognized the urgency of the moment and

sensed the need for powerful "action" antidotes to combat the disease of

segregation. L t e take note of my other major disappointment. I have been so greatly

disa;p:-nted with the white church and its leadership. Of course, there are

bl excepti ons I am not unmindful of the fact that each of you has

some nota e · . . d 11 · "f"cant stands on this issue. I commend you, Reveren Sta -

taken some s1gru 1 . . . Ch · t·an stand on this past Sunday, m welcommg Negroes ings for your ns i · d h C h 1· ' h" · n a non-segregated basis. I commen t e at o ic to your wors 1p service o 1 f . t rating Spring Hill College severa years ago. leaders of this state or mbelg ceptions I must honestly reiterate that I have

But despite these nota e ex ' . . . ith the church. I do not say this as one of those negative

been d1sappmnted w find omething wrong with the church. I say this as a

critics who can alwa~s ho ;oves the church; who was nurtured in its bosom;

minister of the gosp_e ' : by its spiritual blessings and who will remain true to who has been sustaine

h e cord of life shall lengthe n.

it as long as 1

ment Strategies 322 S thesis of Argu . s: th b Chapter 10 Review and yn

leadership 0 1 u e us protest in 1 catapulted into

tht lt we would be supported by When I was sudden Y few years ago, _1 _e s priests and rabbis of the How does King build ethos in this fourth section?

What common ground did King hope would be clear? How was he disappointed?

How and why does King use vivid description?

What is the effect of the historical analogy?

35

Alabama, a . minister ' b Montgomery, f lt that the white . Instead, some have een outrigh the white church. I e g our strongest alheds. movement and misrepresenth,t ld be amon h f ee orn - · · · ..... 1g South wou . to understand t e r re cautious tha n courageous

nts refusing been rno , . ?ppone .' 11 t o many others have thetizing secunty of stamed-glass its leaders, a O • b hind the anes and have remained silent e

. · d to Birrningharn with the hope that

wm ows. d ms I came h • • In spite of my shattered rea '. rnunity would see t e Justice of our h . of this corn 1 h the white religious leaders 1P ld serve as the channe t rough 1 concern, wou I h d h d cause and, with deep mora h the power structure. a ope that

40

which our just grievances could reac . I have been disappointed. each of you would understand. But aia~n us leaders admonish their worshipers I have heard numerous s~uthe~ ~e g:ecause it is the law, but I have longed to comply ':'1th~ ~esegregation_ ~e~:::: this decree because integration is to hear white ministers declare. F . b ther,, In the midst of blatant . db the Negro is your ro . morally nght an ecause h d white churchmen stand on injustices inflicted upon the Negro, I ha':'e wa~ e nctimonious trivialities. In the the sideline and mouth pious irrelevanoes an sa. . . . f I midst of a mighty struggle to rid our nation of racial and e~onorm_c lilJUS ICe, have heard many ministers say: "Those are social issues, with wh~ch the gospel has no real concern." And I have watched many churches comrmt ~h~mselves to a completely other-worldly religion which makes a strange, unB1blical distinction between body and soul, between the sacred and the secular. I have travelled the length and breadth of Alabama, Mississippi and all the other southern states. On sweltering summer days and crisp autumn mornings I have looked at the South's beautiful churches with their lofty spires pointing heavenward. I have beheld the impressive outlines of her massive religious-education buildings. Over and over I have found myself asking: "What kind of people worship here? Who is their God? Where were their voices when the lips of Governor Barnett dripped with words of inter-position and nullification? Where were they when Governor Wallace gave a clarion call for defiance and hatred? Where were their voices of support when bruised and weary Negro men and women decided to rise from the dark dungeons of complacency to the bright hills of creative protest?" Yes, these questions are still in -my mind. In deep disappointment I have wept over the laxity of the church. But be assured that my tears have been tears of love. There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love. Yes, I love the church. How could I do otherwise? I am in the rather unique position of being the son, the grandson and the great-grandson of preachers. Yes, I see the church as the body of Christ. But, oh! How we have blemished and scarred that body through social neglect and through fear of being nonconformists. There was a time when the church was very powerful-in the time whell the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what theY believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transfonned

How does King

contrast organized

religion and the

inner church? What

is the effect?

Why does King use historical analogies here?

What types of proof are used in the

fourth section?

Focus Topics to Help You Analyze the Letters 323 the more f . s o society Wh in power became di·s·t benever the early Christians entered a town the people fo b · ur ed a d · · '

r emg II disturbers f h n llllinediately sought to convict the Christians pressed on in the c

O _t ~ peace" and "outside agitators." But the Christians

- b ' 0 nVIctlon th t th " 0 ey God rather th a ey were a colony of heaven," called to 'T'h an man Sm 11. 1 ey were too G d-. . · a m number, they were big in commitment. ~1,

0 mtox1cated to b 11 • 11 . . e l Ort and exampl h e astronom1ca y mt1midated." By their gladiatorial cont et t ey brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and

es s. Things are different no s

ineffectual v · w. 0 often the contemporary church is a weak ·· 01ce with an u · . . '

of the stat ncertam sound. So often It is an arch-defender the Pow

us quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church · er structu f h ' .1 re

O t e average community is consoled by the church's 51 ent-and oft

en even vocal-sanction of things as they are But th · d ·

h e JU gment of God is upon the church as never before. If today's ~ urch do:s. not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its ~uthent1city, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust.

Perhaps I have once again been too optimistic. Is organized religion too inextricably bound to the status quo to save our nation and the world? Perhaps I must turn my faith to the inner spiritual church, the church within the church, as the true ekklesia and the hope of the world. But again I am thankful to God that some noble souls from the ranks of organized religion have broken loose from the paralyzing chains of conformity and joined us as active partners in the struggle for freedom. They have left their secure congregations and walked the streets of Albany, Georgia, with us. They have gone down the highways of the South on tortuo~s r~des for freedo_m. Yes, they have gone to jail with us. Some have been dism1sse? ~rom their

h Ches have lost the support of their bishops and fellow mm1sters. But they c ur , h ·1 . h have acted in the faith that right defeated is stronger t an ev1 tnump an~. Their witness has been the spiritual salt that has preserved the true meamng

1 · these troubled times They have carved a tunnel of hope of the gospe 1n . · . h the dark mountain of d1sappomtment.

throug h h as a whole will meet the challenge of this decisive I hope the c urc 'd f · · I h

- 'f h h rch does not come to the a1 o Justice, ave no . hour. But even 1 t e c u I h o fear about the outcome of our struggle in despair about the future. a:e n at present misunderstood. We will reach

. if our motives are Birmingham, even . . . ham and all over the nation, because the goal the goal of freedom m BIImmg d d though we may be, our destiny of America is freedo1:1. ~buse~ an B;~i;;;he pilgrims landed at Plymouth,

l·s tied up with Amenca s destmy. tched the majestic words of the h of Jefferson e we were here. Before t e pen h ges of history, we were here. For

. d dence across t e pa . . h . Declaratwn of In epen 1 bored in this country wit out wages, . ur forebears a ·1 ff . m ore than two centunes o . h homes of their masters wh1 e su ermg · they bmlt t e 1 · ali they made cotton king; .1. 11. on-and yet out of a bottom ess VIt ty

h meful hum1 ia 1 . f 1 Ill. J·ustice and s a 1 If the inexpressible crue ties o s avery gross h . and deve op. ill ·

they continued tot nve osition we now face will surely fail. We w win could not stoP us, the opp

324 Chapter 1 O

Draw a line where the subject changes. What is the subject of the fifth section?

What is the predominant type of proof in this fifth section?

Provide some examples.

Describe the effect.

. ent Strategies Review and Synthesis of Argum

. f our nation and the eternal Will f ed hentage o o our freedom because the sacr . demands. . . God are embodied in our echomg • one other pmnt m your state- 1 · Ued to mentwn d d h 45 Before closing I fee unpe dl y u warmly com n1en e t e

ment that has troubled me profo~n Y,~r:er" and "preve n ting violence." Birmingham police force for keepmg

1 ommended the police force if you

I doubt that you would have so wahr~ ytocunarmed nonviolent Negroes. . • k · th · r teet 1n ' . had seen its dogs sm mg ei_ end the policernen 1f you were to I doubt that you would so qmckly comm nt of Negroes here in the city jail· if observe their ugly and inhumane treatme Id Negro women and young Neg,ro t h them push and curse o you were to wa c d ki k Id Negro men and young boys· · 1 · "f e to see them slap an c O , gu s, 1 you wer h they did on two occasions, refuse to give us if you were to observe t em, as . . . food because we wanted to sing our grace together. 1 cannot JOin you m your praise of the Birmingham police department. . . r . h dl" It is true that the police have exercised a degree of disap ine in an mg the demonstrators .- In this sense they have conducted themselves r~ther "nonviolently" in public. But for what purpose? To preserve the evil system of segregation. Over the past few years I have consistently preached that nonviolence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek. I have tried to make clear that it is wrong to use immoral means to attain moral ends. But now I must affirm that it is just as wrong, or perhaps even more so, to use moral means to preserve immoral ends. Perhaps Mr. Connor and his policemen have been rather nonviolent in public, as was Chief Pritchett in Albany, Georgia, but they have used the moral means of nonviolence to maintain the immoral end of racial injustice . As T. S. Eliot has said: "The last temptation is the greatest treason: To do the right deed for the wrong reason."

I wish you had commended the Negro sit-inners and the demonstrators of Birmingham for their sublime courage, their willingness to suffer and their amazing discipline in the midst of great provocation. One day the South will recognize its real heroes. They will be the James Merediths, with the noble sense of purpose that enables them to face jeering and hostile mobs, and with the agonizing loneliness that characterizes the life of the pioneer. They will be old, oppressed, battered Negro women, symbolized in a seventy-two-year- old woman in Montgomery, Alabama, who rose up with a sense of dignity and with her people decided not to ride segregated buses, and who responded with ungrammatical profundity to one who inquired about her weariness: "My feets is tired, but my soul is at rest." They will be the young high school and college students, the young ministers of the gospel and a host of their elders, courageously and nonviolently sitting in at lunch counters and will- ingly going to jail for conscience's sake. One day the South will know that when these disinherited children of God sat down at lunch counters, they were in reality standing up for what is best in the American dream and for the most sacred values in our Judaeo-Christian heritage, thereby bringing our nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the founding fathers in their formulation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

a line to set off 0raW conclusion. What the .

is the concluding

idea?

What is King'~ urpose in this

p . ? conclusion.

Never before have I written so long a letter. I'm afraid it is much too long to take your Precious time. I can assure you that it would have been much shatter ii I had been writing from a comfortable desk, but what else can one do when he is alone in a narrow jail cell, other than write long letters, think long thoughts and pray long prayers?

If I have said anything in this letter that overstates the truth and indicates a n unreasonable impatience, I beg you to forgive me. If I have said anything that understates the truth and indicates my having a patience that allows me to settle for anything less than brotherhood, I beg God to forgive me.

Exercises and Activities 325

D You find the two 0 . . ? tters convincing . le

1 WhY or why not.

so I hope this letter finds you strong in the faith. I also hope that circum- stances will soon make it possible for me to meet each of you, not as an integrationist or a civil-rights leader but as a fellow clergyman and a Christian brother. 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

Are the clergymen's and King's argu- ments moral or immoral according to your values and standards?

I • • h radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great natwn wit all their scintillating beauty.

Yours for the cause of Peace and Brotherhood, Martin Luther King, Jr.

Review Questions 1. Describe the argument analysis paper. {L01)

f th·s paper? {L01) 2. What is the purpose o . 1 . mpl1"sh this purpose? How are . ·11 help you acco 3 What rhetorical strategies w1 ployed in other types of argument . . f t from those em these strategies dif eren

papers? (L01) . h letters by the eight white clergymen · 1 situat10n for t e 4. Describe the rhetonca . Jr {L01) and Dr. Martin Luther Kmg · . h xamples of them. {L0 1) . ? Provide t ree e 5. What are the focus topics·

· ·t·es Exercises and Activi 1 • - . the Focus Topics . ussion: Understandmg one of the eight A. Group Work and Disc s and assign each gr~u~etorical situation;

Divide the class into eight glroOu3pl,l Here are the top1~s . ral proofs and style; ages 3 - . 1 . emot10n h' ki g focus topics listed on P • 1 proofs and sty e, king· fallacious t m n d 1 ims• logica and bac ' · ns that organization an c a t;blish ethos; warrants rt" es Utilize the questJo k all

proofs and style t~at :~ical or unethical v: ;:ep~re for the group ;;~dally and rebuttals; an e s i·tem on the hst. f class and make not~s mh margins h f ocu tside o

1 · ns m t e accompany eac letters ou The brief ques 10 • I d the two · group. students w1l rea . d to therr

. assione on the focus topic 0

-