Analysis: Letter from Birmingham Jail

Martin Luther King Jr. states his arguments in one of three different ways: one, he states the opposing argument then contrasts it with his own argument, two, he quotes his adversary then either disagrees with his opponent and explains why, or he agrees with his opponent twisting his adversary’s argument to fit into his argument, or Martin Luther King Jr. shows his side of the argument in a positive light by displaying the opposition’…

…the situation. Accepting order over justice seems silly following King’s argument, disputing “positive peace” for “negative peace” seems futile. The white moderate’s idealistic view of the world and the situations within it is a myth, and the happy-go-lucky lives that they are living are just fairytales revealed when held under King’s magnifying glass. All of these are ideas, which are argued extremely effectively by King within this paragraph and throughout his letter.