Civil Disobedience Rhetorical Analysis

In the book “ 50 Essays” by Samuel Cohen : “ Civil Disobedience” by Charles Thoreau, “Letter from Birmingham” by Martin Luther King Jr., and “ Civil Disobedience: Destroyer of Democracy” by Lewis H. Van Dusen Jr. , and with each of these essays they use different ways throughout their essays to persuade the readers. I will be discussing the different appeals that each Author uses to draw in their audience by using ethos,logos,pathos,and Kairos. Each appeal has a different meanings, and as well a different way of connecting with its audience. Thoreau and Van Dusen uses similar forms of persuasion to obtain their audience's attention throughout the essays.

Thoreau and Van Dusen both tend to lean more towards the use of logos in their essays. In both essays they are both against the American government's laws, and stupidity and injustice within the laws. They both say that the American government is useless, and they are only there to work against you through the passing of unnecessary laws. As Therou states “ The Government itself, which is only the mode which people have chosen to execute their will, is equally liable to be abused and inverted before the people can act through it.” What Thoreau is trying to say here is that people put most of their trust into the government, and they always take our rights and suppress them
through laws. This angers the people as they are forced to abide by the rules; however, many don't and take matters into their own hands and do as they please. Taking things into their own hands happens in all three of these essays, but a serious form of betrayal of democracy would be in Van Dusens essay . Van Dusens uses this quote as an example of Pathos in his essay to help show that the government is trying to run the lives of all americans. In Sophocles’ tragedy, Antigone chose to obey her conscience and violate the state edict against providing burial for her brother, who had been decreed a traitor.” With this she was later put to death for the disobedience of the Sophocles. The Sophocles killed her for doing what she thought was the right thing to do for her brother. Both Thoreau and Van Dusen both use Pathos in to help make their argument . Pathos focuses on the values and beliefs of the intended audience. Most people will override the laws to do what they think is right when it comes to something they love or feel strongly about. The same type of issues have came about as well in the Martin Luther King Jr’s. letter to the government .

These two compare to Dr. King’s letter do to all of the violence, and mistreatment of all the innocent African Americans. By using logos Dr. King makes it known that all African Americans are done being mistreated for being different. He tells of how they wish to be free, and able to coexist with us in peace and fairness. Dr. King shows the unfairness and injustice of segregation with this quote.“ But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick,and even kill you black brothers and sisters… when you finally find yourself 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 been advertised on the television, and watching the tears well up in her eyes that funtown is closed to colored children.” He was speaking for all African Americans Martin Luther King Jr. was fighting with the government to end the segregation feud that was going on, and it took an entire army to change their mind. Dr. King uses logos to help bring justice to the government, and stop segregation in its tracks.

There are many different ways that ethos, logos,pathos,and kairos can be used to help persuade a reader.
Henry David Thoreau, Lewis H. Van Dusen, and Martin Luther King Jr. all three found a way to show their messages through the different forms of persuasion in writing. By using the different way to draw in their audience they have shown to their readers that the power of persuasion, and the ability to stand for what is right you can accomplish almost anything. If Dr. King can help end the everlasting feud between African Americans and Whites with the power of what is right then anything can be accomplished with the right
mindset.