Jail House Rock

1. "I came across your recent statement calling my present activities 'unwise and untimely.' Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas."

The King is setting the stage to respond to his critics.

2. "You deplore the demonstrations taking place in Birmingham. But your statement, I am sorry to say, fails to express a similar concern for the conditions that brought about the demonstrations.:

The King states that the clergy view demonstration as a bad thing, and reponds with his own view that the reasons for demontration are worse. The King then goes on to describe the steps of nonviolent demonstration.

3. "You may well ask: 'Why direct action? Why sit ins, marches and so forth? Isn't negotiation a better path?'...  Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue."

The King is addressing questions that could theoretically be asked in order to strengthen his argument.

4. "Some have asked: 'Why didn't you give the new city administration time to act?" The only answer I can give to this query is that the new Birmingham administration must be prodded about as much as the outgoing one, before it will act."

The King is address a question that is commonly asked about his arguements. The King does not enumerate one specific speaker because the question is a common one. By addressing this type of question, the King is once again strengthening his arguement.

5. "One may well ask: 'How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?' The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust."

The King knows that some of his arguements can seem contradictory, such as breaking laws to pressure government officials while also advocating folling of other laws such as the 1954 Surpreme Court decision outlawing segregation. The King adresses this contradiction in "They say / I say" form with a theoretical "they," to keep this arguements strong.

6. "In your statement you assert that our actions, even though peaceful, must be condemned because they precipitate violence. But is this a logical assertion? Isn't this like condemning a robbed man because his possession of money precipitated the evil act of robbery?"

The King states the a belief of the clergymen that condemns domonstrations and uses Reductio ad Absurdum to strengthen his own dissenting belief.

7. "It is true that the police have exercised a degreee of disipline in handling the demonstrators. In this sense they have conducted themselves rather 'nonviolently' in public. But for what purpose? To preserve the evil system of segregation."

The King uses an "implied" they say / I say maneuver. The implied "they say" is the question "Isn't the government ustified because the the nonviolent and disiplined actions of its police force?" The King adresses this throectical implied question without specifically stating it.