from “Letter from Birmingham Jail” – Martin Luther King, Jr.docVIP

from “Letter from Birmingham Jail” – Martin Luther King, Jr. (Page 1137 – 1145) Directions: Answer thoroughly in legible, complete sentences. PRE-READING QUESTIONS What is an allusion? What are some different examples? Reference to a person, place, event, or literary work that the author expects the reader to be familiar with; historical, biblical, mythological, etc. What is the difference between an inductive reasoning and a deductive reasoning? Inductive – specific information to a general conclusion (regular triangle) Deductive – Broader statement to more specific (inverted triangle) QUESTIONS FROM TEXT According to the text, who is MLK writing this letter to? 8 white clergymen who wrote a letter in response to his protesting; “unwise and untimely” Why does King say, “seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas”? b/c he gets so much criticism for all that he does that his secretaries would have little to no time to accomplish anything else What group was MLK a part of? What was his role? President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference In the 3rd paragraph (“But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. . .”), what type of allusion is King making? Why/What influences do they have on the reader. Biblical – Old Testament prophets and early leaders of the Christian church; King relies heavily on biblical allusions b/c they are part of the common language of the Christian clergy – helps aid in his argument In the 4th paragraph (“Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. . .”), what generalization (or premise) does King begin his argument with? “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” What conclusion does he make about how this premise applies to the United States? Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds King shows empathy with his clergymen when he states “it is unfortunate that demonstrations are tak