Excerpt from Letter from Birmingham Jail, by Dr. Martin Luther King
16 April 1963
My Dear Fellow Clergymen:
While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities
"unwise and untimely,." Seldom do l pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas. If I sought to answer all the
criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything other than such correspondence in
the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work. But since I feel that you are men of genuine
good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will
be patient and reasonable terms.
I think I should indicate why I am here in Birmingham, since you have been influenced by the view which argues
against "outsiders coming in."I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference (SCLC), an organization operating in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. We
have some eighty five affiliated organizations across the South, and one of them is the Alabama Christian
Movement for Human Rights. Frequently we share staff, educational and financial resources with our affiliates.
Several months ago the affiliate here in Birmingham asked us to be on call to engage in a nonviolent direct action
program if such were deemed necessary. We readily consented, and when the hour came we lived up to our
promise. So I, along with several members of my staff, am here because I was invited here. I am here because I have
organizational ties here.
10. How does the author structure the text?
a. Explaining why he's in jail, addressing his criticisms, blaming the SCLC for his incarceration. b.Explaining why he should not be in jail, attributing his success to the SCLC, ignoring his criticisms
c.Claiming that his imprisonment is unneeded, dismissing his those who criticize him, talking about the insurmountable success of the SCLC
d. Explaining why he will respond to his critics, explaining his relationship to the SCLC, and providing the
reason he is in Birmingham
