Analysis Of Dr. Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

Dr. Martin Luther King was an equal rights activist whose efforts ended the demand for equality among the people of our nation. Dr. King wrote an open letter titled, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” while in jail on April of 1963, when segregation was at its greatest in Birmingham, Alabama. The letter was a reply directed to several white, moderate, clergymen who had written an open letter criticizing his actions during the civil rights movement. The increased violence and social injustice caused an unwarranted misery and hopelessness among people, which based on his explanations could lead to other uprising and turmoil among the people. His effective use of rhetoric language enabled him to move his audience to open up their minds to see the
Pathos is an appeal to the emotions and the sympathetic imagination, as well as to beliefs and values. This method plays a critical role in his letter because, throughout the full writing, he used this appeal to reach out to his readers on a personal level. One example of this method is when he said, "...when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children." (King, 3) To see how this would engage readers emotionally, all you have to do is put yourself in that situation. Any person would be disturbed by the thought of having to explain to your innocent little girl that she cannot go because the park does not allow colored children. The essence of every child is in their innocence and to see that stripped away at such an early age by the harsh reality of racial inequality would bring tears to any human's eyes. Through the entire letter, he appealed emotionally and logically to his readers by providing examples of the gruesome reality. He urged people to change or uphold higher moral values and create a better image, as people can only preserve the democracy by living it the godliest way possible. The circumstances do not change life, but by the people creating the situation, the life, and the well-being of everyone around us, as we are all unified in time and space. His continued use of arguments based on reason and value to improve the readers' awakening, stimulate their spiritual consciousness, and change their decision-making principles by reflecting on the current social conditions imposed by the current situation. In his opinion as the lack of negotiation, the increased brutality, and the injustice continues,