A New Day

A New Day

Martin Luther King addressed eight white clergymen as to why his was requested in Birmingham. In his appeal to the Clergymen he described how injustices towards blacks were being justified by laws of segregation. Martin Luther King’s use of rhetorical strategies gave the Clergymen insight as to how segregation and racism affected blacks living in Birmingham.

He asked the clergymen to imagine being black for a day and having to see “vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hatred fill policemen curse, kick brutalize and even kill your brothers and sisters”. (476) Dr. King described detailed brutal events of how family members were mistreated in hopes that the clergymen could personally imagine this brutality. The detailed description of the brutality was meant to break down the barrier of hatred between whites and blacks by appealing to the clergymen hearts and helping them to see God created everyone in his own image, making bo race of people better than the other. The approach used was not to cause discord in Birmingham, but too help the Clergymen see that it was a time for change.

Dr. King needed everyone to see how violence was not the answer to solving problems. He preached to the black community that in order to see change come everyone would have to be proactive and support the efforts of the civil rights leaders by staying the course of nonviolence no matter how hard it seemed. Blacks would have to coming together as a people in order to be taken seriously. Dr King used a strong tone when addressing the people in his I have a dream speech “In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force”. He wanted Blacks to understand even though freedom was an important factor in their lives, to achieve it without violence would be an everlasting reward. He reminded them not to give in to the ill feelings of being oppressed for so many years, but to channel that anger in to a positive strength that would motivate them for years to come.

. He asserted wisdom and faithfulness in his beliefs