King’s use of rhetorical tools helps him convince the clergymen to take a second look at how African Americans are being treated. King utilizes emotive language to target his audience’s emotions. For example, he states, “if you would watch them push and curse old Negro women and young Negro” (3). He then goes on to give more examples, including, “I don’t believe you would have so warmly commended the police force if you had seen its angry and violent dogs literally biting six unarmed, nonviolent Negroes” (3). These help achieve his purpose because they are specific examples that make the clergymen feel guilty. Next, King utilizes questioning to make the clergymen reevaluate what they are doing. He says, “In this sense they have been rather publicly ‘nonviolent.’ But for what purpose? To preserve the evil system of segregation” (4).…
King starts his essay with addressing that he never usually answers statements that criticize his work. He goes on to state what role he plays in the south and why he is in Birmingham. He is there because Birmingham is the most segregated city in America and injustice is most prevalent there. He writes that nations such as Asia and Africa are moving forward with gaining political independence, but America was still moving with incredibly slow speed trying to obtain the same goal. There are examples of the horrors that colored people have gone through; parents getting lynched, people getting abused by officers, not being shown respect, and having to explain to their children why the cannot be in the same area as white people. He goes on to talk…
The thesis of Brent Staples written piece, “ Black Men And Public Space” to me states that in America for a long time, we as black men had to deal with racial issues for a long time in this nations most disgraceful time period, slavery. Feeling like a criminal all the time is not a good feeling, as he stated, a white woman made him feel as if he was a mugger or a rapist and “that being perceived as dangerous is a hazard in itself”. This is a chapter in America’s history I know they wished never happened.…
Martin Luther King, Jr. used many rhetorical strategies in the writing of his “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” His use of similes and metaphors gave great emphasis and power to the points he was trying to make. For example, King refers to a time when African-Americans were told to wait for a more convenient time to demand justice. King suggests that there will never be a good time to address this issue for those who are unaffected by the “disease of segregation” (13). When Dr. King talks about the “disease of segregation,” he emphasises the negative and damaging effects that segregation has on the oppressed. King’s use of metaphors gives an aspect of realism to the issue of…
1. The first article, ”There’s a ”Ferguson” near you” published in USA Today in 2014 by Jesse L. Jackson, a African-American civil rights activist, has an impartial approach to the subject of the racial unrest in Ferguson, but at the same time urges the reader to call for justice not only at Ferguson but also everywhere else. Jackson has her starting point at Michael Brown, a teenager killed by the police for causes that are still unknown. Slowly Jackson goes up the ladder of abstraction from Michael Brown to other black men, to Ferguson and at last to all the suburban and rural parts of America.…
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 his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr. creates a powerful response to a statement by some Alabama clergymen opposing his actions in Birmingham, Alabama. The initial explanation of why King is in Birmingham later becomes the background to the letter, justifying King’s civil disobedience and explaining the immorality of racial segregation. The letter not only addresses the issues of being arrested in an unjust manner for being an “extremist” of his approach to the protest, and the incompetence of the church, but it is also an appeal to the clergymen’s opinion from his point of view. The white clergymen stereotype King as another typical African American man that is not intelligent or important…
Furthermore, King states “the white power structure of this city left the negro community with no other alternative” by preaching patience and valuing “order” over “justice,” moderates have ensured the continuation of segregation. King’s disappointed that the white moderate’s do not realize that the black man causes tension, in order to reveal society’s underlying tension by taking direct action against injustice. King warns that moderates will one day feel remorse for having settled with “silence” instead of taking action against the injustice that the black community had…
In the informative essay “Black Men and Public Spaces”, Brent Staples describes his own experience growing up black in a racist society and discusses the interaction that take place with people. “The ability to alter public space in an ugly way”(302), through racial stereotypes affected him and many others. Stereotypes affect individuals regardless of race, sex, or religion.…
The reader sees constant development of ideas introduced by the author which, reduces the impact of the overall stance. For instance, too much emphasis is put in determining the nature of just and unjust laws (4), (5). Along with the content of the paragraphs lacking consistency, the links between the paragraphs themselves seem unsystematic. This is shown in between the paragraphs referring to ‘White moderates devoted to order than to justice’ (6) and King being optimistic about help from the White moderates but only a few supported him in his cause(8). Though both serve as examples of White moderates not being supportive of about parity across United States, which inevitably resulted in disgust among the Negroes; King has not included that these are all examples of the same phenomenon. He has assumed the reader would draw the link themselves. The disunity among the paragraphs acts as a major flaw in the letter. The reader’s attention is lost as the evidences provided by King are either too wordy or it just takes the reader’s thoughtfulness away for the main purpose. For instance, the numerous examples used by King to describe the massive torture the African Americans had to face is also too prolix and unnecessary. The reader notices that King has employed extreme use of pathos which seems rather pointless…
In “Black Men and Public Spaces”, Brent Staples is in his early twenties and is faced with the menacing crime of being a black man in the 1970’s. As Staples likes to walk the streets at night due to his insomnia, every stranger that comes close enough to realize that he’s a tall black man lets their fear take control of them as they avoid him to the point of fleeing. To the eyes of people (mainly women) at night, he was no different from any other thug or criminal who prowls the street. Having moved to New York, and growing accustomed to being perceived as a threat, Staples learned to properly give people their space to intimidate them less as he walks the streets. Despite being a journalist, he has even had security called in on him at a magazine class is viewed in the American society, as Staples expresses how African Americans company simply due to his appearance. No matter what people perceive Staples as, he never lets it gets to him as he would whistle the pleasant tunes of various classical music to show he means no harm. All these events truly reflect how race and gender struggle to maintain equality through his own personal experiences and actions.…
In Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, he stressed that now is the time to give African Americans true freedom, equality, and opportunity. This is still very relevant to African Americans today, even though it shouldn’t be. I say it shouldn’t be because now, for Mr. King was 52 years and five months ago. These problems have been going on for more than half a century after he professed his dream, and there has been little change since then. There is still discrimination towards blacks and other colored races. Racial injustice against Black Americans is America’s top priority or at least it should be. Plus, there are still forms of segregation in this country.…
One of the most effective uses of persuasive languages in Dr. King’s speech is the use of repetition. The use of repetition emphasises the crude meaning of racism and helps the audience’s minds associate “I have a dream” with Dr. King. By using repetition in his speech he creates many different effects. By using the word “negro” in his speech repetitively, it helps the viewer to recognise how racist…
Dr.King’s “I have a Dream” speech inspired a lot of people. His dream is one yet to become a reality but Civil Right’s have been give. However racism is still out there and affect African Americans lives and the country as a whole. To make his dream a reality, racism will have to end. Assuming a white shot a black on his color on purpose must stop, society will have to accept what each other race is capable of and how not everyone white or black is evil. According to King, they(protesters) must march ahead and never stop to fight. Also, that the country needs to live up to its creed “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”…
King tries to do this by first informing his audience of America's current condition but with an emotional appeal added to it. He speaks about how it is shameful that "the Negro is still languished" and "finds himself an exile in his own land." He speaks of the " unspeakable horrors of police brutality" that much too many Negro's have experienced. He speaks of this along with many other injustices that the Negro have had to face. He stated all of these wrongdoing committed from the white as his own strategy to hopefully reach out to some extent of humanity left in the hearts of those that have committed these deeds, to realize how much damage they are actually doing to millions of people. He states that he and many others will never be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and…