From the confines of prison, Martin Luther King's Letter from Birmingham Jail gracefully portrays his struggle of opportunity and mission towards freedom. Kings intellect and ethical appeal is shown throughout the letter, helping him justify his argument against segregation and holds him above any other writer, clergyman, or anti-segregationist of his time.
Before he starts his letter, King gives a note stating the confinements of jail and replying to the letter. His description of jail as "somewhat constricting circumstances" understates his living conditions as he writes his letter on old newspapers because he wasn't allowed paper. Never in his letter does he point a finger or put blame on anyone but himself. He could gain sympathy from his readers and exaggerate prison, but instead he down plays and avoids it, speaking of jail only when he apologizes to his readers for writing a long letter. King doesn't want the sympathy of his readers to keep his letter focused on his point and not to distort the fairness of the argument. He shows great sympathy for others when he apologizes to his readers when he concludes his letter. With the beginning and ending of the letter greatly sympatric towards the readers, King shows great respect towards his readers in places where it would influence them the most. .
King also shows great sympathy and respect for his opposers by questioning his own actions. In paragraph ten he says, "Why direct action? Why sit-ins, marches and so forth? Isn't negotiation a better path?". Here he gives the readers an alternative to direct action, negotiation. He shows his opposers and readers perspectives, but still proves that direct action was the best form of negotiation in his situation. King keeps his argument evenhanded and never distorts the oppositions facts while still proving his points fairly and consciously.
Kings fairness makes his argument respectable, but his respect and gratitude for his audience makes King admirable.
