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In his "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Martin Luther King Jr. creates a ringing response to a statement by some Alabama clergymen opposing his actions in Birmingham, Alabama. The initial explanation of why King is in Birmingham later becomes the background to an essay justifying King's civil disobedience and explaining the wrongfulness of racial segregation. Throughout the essay, King uses several literary tools which create a powerful tone to complement his strong opinions. He uses comparisons to help the reader understand not only the historical reasons why segregation is wrong, but the costly emotional effects that it has on everyone who experiences it. King also uses realistic examples to show the reader how segregation damages one's character. His terminology creates a clear definition between the whites and blacks as segregator and segregated. As shown in this piece, King's skill for expressing his ideas in writing has caused him to be considered one of America's greatest communicators.

King's use of comparison in "Letter from Birmingham Jail" makes the African-American's plight of segregation seem almost holy. First, King compares his "gospel of freedom" to the gospel of eighth century prophets and the Apostle Paul. Later, he compares being arrested for his peaceful but illegal actions to the crucifixion of Jesus for his "unique God-consciousness and never-ceasing devotion." King also connects himself to God by implying that above constitutional rights and legal laws are God-given rights, and these rights are the ones that he and his followers are supporting. He states that just laws are laws that "square with the moral law or the law of God." King continues this religious connection in his last paragraph, where he refers to blacks who conduct sit-ins as "children of God" who stand up for "the most sacred values in our Judeo-Christian heritage." Another comparison is made between King and Socrates, who was condemned for his ideas and forced to drink poison. These comparisons make Martin Luther King Jr. and his followers seem to be fighting an almost divine cause, one that has the support of God and of history.

King also uses his writing to evoke emotion. Aside from his comparisons to God and Socrates, which may help religious readers better connect to his message, King writes about the emotional suffering that blacks went through due to segregation and prejudice. He responds to whites telling blacks to "wait" for desegregation by mentioning several atrocities

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