Guidelines

• Your essay should be 4–6 paragraphs long with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion.
• Develop a focused thesis that articulates a specific stance on how King's rhetoric operates within the letter.
• Use at least three direct quotations from the text as evidence, properly cited.
• Analyze how King's language functions — not just what he communicates.
• Consider the historical context of the letter and its intended audience.

Suggested Lens Questions to Guide Your Argument

• How does King's reference to religious and philosophical authorities (e.g., St. Augustine, Aquinas, Socrates) enhance his credibility with his clerical audience?
• In what ways does King redefine "extremism" to reclaim it as a virtue instead of a criticism?
• How does King's tone vary throughout the letter, and what does that indicate about his rhetorical objectives?

In your essay, make sure to:

• Identify and analyze at least two distinct rhetorical strategies (e.g., appeals to religious authority, counterargument refutation, use of allusion, or emotional storytelling) that King uses to persuade his audience.
• Explain how King defines and differentiates just laws from unjust laws, and assess the effectiveness of this distinction as a logical argument.
• Discuss how King's tone and word choice evolve throughout the letter and what those changes indicate about his rhetorical intent.
• Support your argument with specific textual evidence, including direct quotes from the letter.

Write a well-developed argumentative essay in which you argue that King's rhetorical choices — such as his use of allusion, shifts in tone, and logical refutation — are crucial to the moral and persuasive power of the letter.

Your essay should:

> "One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws." — Martin Luther King Jr.

• Identify and analyze at least three distinct rhetorical strategies King employs.
• Explain how each strategy supports King's central argument that unjust laws must be challenged through nonviolent direct action.
• Consider how King anticipates and addresses counterarguments, and assess the effectiveness of this method.
• Use specific textual evidence (direct quotations and paraphrase) to back up your points.