Analyzing the Appeal of the Open Letter
(about 1.5 – 2 pages)
In class, we have discussed the narrative power of the epistolary or letter form. Writers use this form, often seen as private, to express a certain level of intimacy and familiarity and invite dialogue. The epistolary novel, for example, is a well-known fictional genre in which an author crafts their entries as letters (may be from one person or an exchange between two or more). Epistolarity in nonfiction is typically written from one point of view.
The open or public letter is an important subgenre in which writers address social issues, justify their stances or actions, or give advice to others. We are examining two types of public letters: political and advice.
Political Letter: M.L. King’s “Letter From a Birmingham Jail”
Why does King choose the letter format? In what ways is he addressing counterarguments about his use of civil disobedience? What are those arguments and how does he confront them?
Many writers consider MLK a master of metaphor. Choose at least three powerful metaphors from “Letter…” and analyze their appeal.
“Letter…” includes several portable quotes that others involved in social change movements have used. A classic one is that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Do you agree? Why? Why not?
Advice Column: “The Ethicist,” Anthony Appiah, New York Times, sample column (may want to sample additional columns)
- How does philosopher Anthony Appiah address the writer’s concerns? In what ways is he effective as a writer providing advice?
- Take five minutes, and on a separate page write part or all of an open letter that either (a) expresses a political stance or (b) provides advice about a common human problem. If you choose (b), you should write a brief letter explaining the problem and seeking advice and then answer it, as Appiah would in “The Ethicist.” Make 8 copies of this exercise.
Attribution of Quote:
King, Jr., Martin Luther. “Letter From a Birmingham Jail.” © The Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr., Inc. All rights reserved. This content is excluded from our Creative Commons license. For more information, see https://ocw.mit.edu/help/faq-fair-use/.
