Birmingham Jail

Letter From Birmingham Jail
By: Brendan Southern

Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK), was one of the most influential and memorable of that of the civil rights movement. Being a well-educated black christian he appealed to many people of many demographics throughout America. Aside from this, he was highly persuasive, and properly motivated to lead the movement that helped form this country into what it is today. In his letter From a Birmingham jail to his fellow clergymen, he answers questions to clergymen about his actions and views on the civil rights movement. MLK’s strong, leading tone tells readers that MLK knows what he is seeking, and how he will reach that goal, and why it works in interest to the Clergymen. He uses high vocabulary terms
Pathos appeals to emotions, and passion. One immediate example of Pathos is King’s saying of “Others have marched with us down nameless streets of the South. They have languished in filthy, roach infested jails, suffering the abuse and brutality of policemen who view them as ‘dirty nigger-lovers.’” He uses such a terrible tone that makes the reader feel a certain disgust, about not only his situation, but the entire situation during that time as a whole. Using this device in this way can inspire many emotions and appeal to all people, Clergymen and common black folk of his audience alike. Another great example of Pathos is when MLK says “There have been more unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than in any other city in the nation.” MLK states that negro homes and churches are more likely of a bomb threat than any other area in the entire nation, which was of course true. This might trigger a sort of sympathy or sadness into the audience, which creates just more reason to listen to King. King very blatantly uses pathos effectively throughout the paper, painting mental images into the audience’s heads and giving everyone a feel of the situation at
He gives multiple presentations of each in a manner that is most effective. He knows how to use them, and exactly how to appeal to specific yet broad audiences. Using Ethos, he can strike the hearts of politicians and figureheads, turning them towards his cause. Using Pathos, King can paint mental pictures using tune words and go for a wide variety of commonfolk and sympathizers. By using Logos, he provides logic and persuasive points to help with his case, which could resonate with any variety of people. But, out of the three, the one that provides the most support for his cause would have to be Pathos. The matter at hand is very personal and emotional for many, many, people. The civil rights movement was a call for passion against all men, white or black. King recognizes this and uses it and the nation’s strong emotion to bring many people to the winning cause of the end of