In "Letter from Birmingham Jail", Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. responds to a letter he was sent by white clergymen that challenge his right to protest. He was called an outsider and an extremist. Dr. King shows from the start that he is a man of knowledge and can be trusted. To build on that trust and knowledge he must present an argument that appeals to his audience using the three pillars; ethos, pathos and logos.…
In his open letter "Letter From Birmingham Jail", civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. responds to a letter from white clergymen who criticize his "untimeliness" and "poor tactics". With the use of rhetorical strategies, such as elevated diction, anaphora, and an appeal to pathos, King effectively communicates the urgency for a nonviolent approach in order to eliminate…
“Letter from Birmingham Jail” is written to the audience of clergymen. Martin Luther King Jr., wrote this letter to respond to clergymen who had questions for him. Paragraphs 12-14 are the most persuasive and thorough. King uses many rhetoric mechanism and appeals. Throughout those paragraphs, there is an excessive use of: pathos, logos, ethos, metaphors, symbolism, direct addressment and parallel structure.…
In Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, he uses an authoritative voice in his analogies, allusions, and ethical appeals that make his argument more relatable and compelling. In comparison, his authorial counterpart lacks the same confidence in his stylistic devices and ethical appeals making his argument weak and less…
Written by Martin Luther King Jr., the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is a paragon of persuasive writing that takes advantage of ethos, pathos, and logos in order to convince its readers to take MLK’s side during the American civil rights movement. The use of ethos defines MLK as a credible writer; the use of pathos appeals to his audience on a personal level; and the use of logos layers his arguments and claims with irrefutable reasoning and logic. By using all three techniques, MLK is able to hold the attention of his readers and persuade them to take his side in the battle against segregation.…
One of the main rhetorical devices that King uses is pathos for whites to understand what happens to the oppressed. For instance, to show the clergymen are wrong for saying his actions are “unwise and untimely,”he uses sombre diction such as “victims, broken, shadow, and deep disappointment” to indicate that his community has already waited and were brought to a dead end. The sentences are used to make the reader feel guilty with pity for their hopes that were shattered. Another example that represents that his protest is wise and show the readers that what has been going on is personal and needs to be stopped is when he states, “when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your brothers and sisters at whim;…
In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr. uses rhetoric to persuade readers into supporting his cause. His letter addresses white men questioning his actions, though his message is for gaining supporters throughout America. Addressing the criticism of white men questioning and criticizing his recent behaviors, he begins explaining the motives behind his actions, their justification, and his next endeavors to rid America of its social injustices.…
Since ancient times, promoters of justice have brought into play rhetorical strategies to persuade their opponents. On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter regarding the criticism several clergymen made, stating that the movements of nonviolent resistance to racism from Dr. King were “unwise and untimely”. In this letter King uses several rhetorical strategies but mainly he makes use of 3. In the first one, King uses an outside authority (Religion), given the fact that he is trying to persuade Christians. Second, Dr. King appeals to emotion (Ethos), he tries to appeal to their human and goodness side. Third, King employs analogies to emphasize his argument against racism.…
Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written in April 1963, during the African Americans fight for equality. Martin Luther King Jr.’s claim was not just to reply to the eight clergyman who had called his demonstrations “untimely and unwise”, but also aim his justifications at a bigger audience of religious and secular beliefs. An audience that is black and white; therefore King is able to justify his reasons and tactics of beginning immediate action using nonviolent protest to everyone. Throughout his letter Martin Luther King Jr. demonstrates the use of ethos, pathos, and logos to help support his claim while also consistently referring…
Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is one his many writings on segregation and racial inequality towards blacks in the southern American states. While his actions may not have had much success at first during the 1960’s what made his arguments so powerful was his use of pathos and logos.…
Martin Luther King Jr. was the acknowledged leader of the American Civil Rights Movement. King earned several degrees and was a bright man. His “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written in April 1963, while he was in jail in Birmingham, Alabama, for acts of civil disobedience (499). His letter is a response to a letter signed by clergyman criticizing his actions towards civil rights. The clergymen believed that his actions were “untimely.” King states ,”if I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk…I would have no time for constructive work” (500). He usually does not respond to letter that criticize his work and actions, but he believed the clergymen were men of genuine good and they meant no harm. King was president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and they had affiliates all throughout the South. King believed he was supposed to spread freedom. He agreed that if Birmingham ever needed him that he would be there. “Injustice everywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (500). King used an approach to resolve issues in nonviolent manners. It consisted of sit-ins, marches, and etc. Nonviolent direct action would create a tension that an otherwise ignored subject would have to be faced. With nonviolent direct action and ignored issue would come to light and can no longer be ignored(502). After the direct-action program, King hoped that the doors to negotiation would open.…
King used ethos and pathos. Ethos means appeal to authority. In Dr. King’s letter, he stated the reason for the nonviolence protest after they had waited for more than three hundred and forty years for their constitutional and God giving rights. Dr. King also stated, “The purpose of our direct-action program is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation”. After Black Americans waited for years and years without any favorable law and conditions, which will at least be, just, they had to protect because as the saying goes if persuasion fails force is applied, they needed to do sometime in order for the authorities to do something and see their seriousness. Even though black American knew the law would not be in their favor, they wanted the lawmakers and the authorities to negotiate with them for a suitable law, which will be just. Nevertheless, pathos, which means appeal to emotions. Black Americans were tired of waiting, bad thing were happening to their family and hardly answered when being asked by their children” Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?, when colored people first name becomes ‘nigger,’ their middle name becomes ‘boy’ however old they were”, they felt they were forever fighting a degenerating sense of “nobodiness”. Black Americans felt they were being avoided which was true and they hope something will be done about…
In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter to the eight Alabama clergymen under the confines of a jail cell in a Birmingham, Alabama prison. The letter stated his thoughts and opinions on the racial tension between the white and the black communities of Alabama. Martin Luther King’s letter was written as a rebuttal to the letter he received from the Alabama clergymen that stated the demonstrations, protests, and acts of civil disobedience of the Negro community were unlawful and should be put to a stop immediately. Martin Luther King replied by indicating that the blacks had a right to peaceful protests; they were simply trying to educate the community about the prejudices present in Alabama and to motivate a change. King incorporated the tree rhetorical strategies of ethos, logos, and pathos throughout his letter. In Martin Luther…
Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is one of the most well known documents in American history. King’s profound ability to articulate important ideas, values, concepts and Biblical perspectives made for some of the most powerful and inspirational pieces of American literature ever produced. One technique that King used in his public speeches and letters was his allusions to historical figures, the Bible and opposing congressmen. During the 60’s when cultural prejudice still held strong roots in Congress, it was King’s talent to inspire the public that revolutionized America’s racial injustices. King’s frequent use of allusions in his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail proved his intelligence and greatly attributed to his success and popularity during the 1960’s. His allusions demonstrated his referential capabilities while also making his messages readily relatable to the public.…
Martin Luther King’s uses of both pathos and ethos effectively. He uses pathos to obtain sympathy and sorrow from its audience. The language evokes pity for MLK, who has been imprisoned, and for the people who are suffering injustice. He states his reason for being in Birmingham, “I am in Birmingham because injustice is here.” This is to gain the support of the reader right from the beginning. He then goes on to describe the injustice that is present in Birmingham,”vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers a will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim;” His use of ethos, established him as an ethical figurehead and gave credibility to his claims. " I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference,…