Question

Read the excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”

Of course, there is nothing new about this kind of civil disobedience. It was evidenced sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar, on the ground that a higher moral law was at stake.

King uses this allusion to
retell an important historical tale.
describe a governmental struggle in another place.
explain the reason for his peaceful approach.
forge a connection with familiar figures of faith.

Answer 1

forge a connection with familiar figures of faith.

He invokes the biblical story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to appeal to readers' religious knowledge and to show civil disobedience as morally grounded in a well‑known faith example (refusal to obey unjust laws because a higher moral law is at stake).