he position of forever obliging politicians to question whether their decisions are proper. Although Dr. King was known more as a political activist and preacher than philosopher per se, the Letter shows that he also put himself in the position of questioning political wisdom. King does not shrink from the label of "outsider coming in" but rather embraces that label. Not only that, he criticizes clergymen who "have blemished and scarred [the church] through social neglect and through fear of being nonconformists" (Letter). In an effort to be a part of society, the church has abdicated its role as the carrier of social conscience. In other words, King positions the church as the failed conscience of society. He intends to reposition it, to interrogate society's decisions about how to organize itself.
Poets may be able to create phrases that oblige society to take another look at itself. And in that regard, the Apology and the Letter each contain language that is meant to catch the ear of a politically undiscerning public. Socrates' phrase "And now, O men who have condemned me" (Apology 28) is a very famous bit of poetry that accuses unjust accusers. Similarly, Dr. King poetically addresses fellow clergymen who have declared that his protests are ill timed: "when your first name becomes 'nigger,' your mi
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