letter to birmingham jail

Have you ever had to make a difficult decision that would change people’s lives everywhere? This was Martin Luther King Jr.’s decision when deciding whether or not to travel to Birmingham to preach his beliefs. In a Letter From Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr., tries to convince the clergymen that it is necessary to go to Birmingham by appealing to their reason and emotion. Luther initially begins by trying to appeal to their sense of logic by listing multiple reasons why he must go to Birmingham. Luther states that Christ had traveled to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so he must do the same with the carrying of the gospel of freedom. By using a biblical reference, the clergymen would be more inclined to agree with Luther because the Bible is their life. He uses these references throughout the entire letter. Since Luther is utilizing the Bible, the clergymen must see the sense as to why he would want to go to Birmingham, which would convince them to agree with Luther. In lines 40-47, Luther also gives many examples of Birmingham not being reasonable, and declining any negotiations. The clergymen were asking Luther why he would not reach out to the leaders of Birmingham before coming in to the city. By giving the examples of the rejection of the leaders of Birmingham, the clergymen would have to see the logic as to why Luther would want to come to Birmingham. The clergymen clearly did not recognize the fact that Luther had already reached out to the clergymen, and had been denied by them. By using these examples, the clergymen would see the fact that it is only logical for Luther to go to Birmingham due to the lack of acceptance. Therefore, by listing biblical references, as well as giving examples of the rejection of the Birmingham leaders, Luther gives an argument that would cause the clergymen to see the reason behind his letter.