Why does King make this allusion?

In “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King, Jr., refers to the Old Testament story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, three Jewish men who were sentenced to death when they refused to worship a false Babylonian god.

Why does King make this allusion?

Select each correct answer

It reminds the reader not to worship false gods like wealth or fame.

It offers an example of civil disobedience.

It appeals to Babylonian readers of the letter.

It demonstrates his knowledge of the Bible.
HELP PLEASE

1 Answer
Jan 19, 2018

I would say "It offers an example of civil disobedience."

Explanation:

The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego states that they were three Jews who were thrown into a fire when they refused to worship the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar's gods. The king was polytheistic. Enraged, the king threw the three of them into a fire but they were saved by their belief in God, or Yahweh.

Recall that, before Dr. King made the allusion, he said: "there is nothing new about this kind of civil disobedience." He was talking about how he was arrested on the basis of parading and protesting without a permit, and he was justifying his actions based on the unfairness of the law. The law was correct in principle, he argued, but used to preserve a system of evil (segregation).

Dr. King was not demeaning Nebuchadnezzar's gods. He did not say that Nebuchadnezzar worshipped false gods or wealth or fame. He simply used the allusion to show how three brave men disobeyed their king because his ordinance was unjust.

Babylon is an ancient kingdom; therefore, there are no Babylonians left.

Dr. King is not trying to demonstrate his knowledge of the Bible; he is attempting to use a well-known historical reference to prove his point.