Letter from Birmingham Jail: What's Up With the Closing Lines?

    Letter from Birmingham Jail: What's Up With the Closing Lines?

      The last few paragraphs of "Letter from Birmingham Jail" show MLK being humble and conciliatory.

      Like ya do, Dr. King.

      • He apologizes for the length of the text and for taking up so much time from his readers (37).
      • He hopes that his letter has expressed patience and truth (38).
      • He emphasizes his fellowship with the eight clergymen as a "Christian brother" (39).
      • He ends with a signature Dr. King rhetorical flourish, hoping that "the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty" (39).

      He hits all the right notes: diplomatic, humble, poetic. And when we put the letter down, we're left with a vision of the night sky, the stars twinkling down on a miraculously unified and happy country.

      Ahhh.

      Oh, and we also feel a little satisfied that he's totally stuck it to those eight clergymen.