Response Paper #3:Finding Common Ground in “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
DUE DATE: Tuesday, June 02, 2020
Write a response paper based on an assigned reading and writing prompt. Your response paper must be 500 words and in MLA format (see attached link MLA formatting and documentation guidelines: https://daytonastate.edu/cwc/
Assigned Prompt:
Read “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr.: MartinLutherKingJr_Letter Birmingham.pdf
In “Letter from Birmingham City Jail,” Dr. King used the Rogerian method when he expressed understanding for his audience by reaching out to them saying “men of genuine good will and your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I would like to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms”. In his letter, King acknowledged their views, while disagreeing with their statements point by point. King spends nearly half of his letter addressing counterarguments before he launches into his main argument to the clergyman. In doing so, King sort to establish common ground throughout his letter. Write a response analyzing this argument. What are his major claims, his assumptions, the types of evidence he uses to establish common ground in his letter? Cite evidence from King’s text to support your claims.