Read this excerpt from paragraph 10 of “letter from a birmingham jail" and answer the question. just as socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, so must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood. what is king's most likely reason for comparing socrates' ideas about tension in the mind with the tension of those who were involved in nonviolent direct action in birmingham? the uplifting goals king sought while writing in birmingham are as relevant today as they were when socrates wrote about in athens. the strain among opposing groups in birmingham was similar to the creative blockades in ancient athens, to which socrates referred. the situation in birmingham required an appeal to city officials, which was similar to socrates' petition for action to the greek city-states. the actions of socrates served as an example for king of how harmony was eventually achieved among warring groups during ancient times.