MLK in His 1963 Letter Essay

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I can assure you that it would have been much shorter if I had been writing from a comfortable desk," (para. 47). The use of sarcasm allows King to retain his sense of confidence rather than to seem conciliatory to those who have thrwarted civil rights. Earlier on, King also uses sarcasm to enhance the confident tone of his writing. "I am sure that none of you would want to rest content with the superficial kind of social analysis that deals merely with effects and does not grapple with underlying causes." (para 4).

To achieve a balanced tone in the letter, King blends anger regarding discrimination with the hope of liberation. Doing so, King frames civil rights as a necessary part of achieving the social order and the goals of the Founding Fathers. He remains angry while also pointing out that liberation was the ultimate goal of American Independence. King states, "We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights," (para 13). King again points out that the protesters are "standing up for what is best in the American dream.

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..thereby bringing our nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the founding fathers in their formulation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence," (para. 46). Framing civil rights as a legal imperative, King blends confidence, anger, and hope.

Anger is harmonized with hope in King's letter, as the author is willing to defy the establishment while at the same time acknowledging the need for peace and social order. King uses sarcasm and arrogance to assume a position of power. This tone allows King to remain strong in his position as he calls for immediate social change. King then balances anger and defiance with hopefulness, as he concludes "that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty," (para. 49).

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