The English language, at times can be very confusing. Confusion arises because the English language consists of different perspectives on the same thoughts, writings, or words. Such is the case with Martin Luther King and his fellow clergymen; as King says "the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be."(7), thus indicating that the word extremist can have more than one meaning. The clergymen have intended to label King with a negative connotation of the word extremist, but King perceives that label to be a positive depiction. But is the word extremist's lack of explicit meaning a bad thing? Or is this lack of explicit meaning essential for the English language? Martin Luther King indirectly argues in his "Letter from Birmingham jail" that words having no explicit meaning are for the good of the English language, since it allows him to further his case and clarify his stance on the going on in Birmingham. Martin Luther King redefines the word extremist so effectively that he proves there is an advantage in the English language having words which lack explicit meaning. .
The word extremist is usually associated with negative connotations; Martin Luther King has been called an extremist by his, "fellow clergymen"(1). King is called an extremist because of his conduct in Birmingham: direct action, in an attempt to establish equality among the people of Birmingham. The labeling of King as an extremist, which the clergymen have done, proves to be appropriate; however, it's King's, not the clergymen's definition of the word extremist that allows the label to be appropriate, "initially I [King] was 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?"(7). King perceives the word extremist in an entirely different perspective then the clergymen had intended, thus the clergymen, by using the word extremist, have created a new perspective for King to describe his actions, thereby allowing him to further strengthen his point.
