Question

Read the excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." Answer the question that follows. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Here, King contrasts two ideas for emphasis. Which rhetorical device is he using? Antithesis Metonymy Rhetorical question Zeugma

Answer 1

The rhetorical device Dr. Martin Luther King is using in this excerpt from his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" is Antithesis. This device involves the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas, often in parallel structure, to emphasize their differences or contradictions. In this case, King contrasts the ideas of sitting idly by in Atlanta with being concerned about what happens in Birmingham, as well as the concepts of injustice anywhere and justice everywhere. This sharp contrast serves to emphasize his main point about the universality of justice.