Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter From Birmingham Jail

In 1963 from Birmingham jail, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested for being a partaker in nonviolent demonstrations against segregation. While imprisoned, Dr. King wrote a letter in response to a public statement issued by eight Alabama clergymen addressing these diplomatic acts. Dr. King’s letter conveys his argument by approaching the clergymen’s statement rhetorically. Although his letter targeted all the rhetorical transactions effectively, pathos is one of the components that helped convince his audience by creating an emotional response to the clergymen’s argument. Beside Dr. King littering his letter with pieces of pathos here and there in conjunction with logos and ethos, there are some sections that exclusively use pathos. In his letter, he discusses whether his direct actions were “untimely and unwise,” police brutality, and the courageous acts of the sit - inners and demonstrators.
King’s statement correlates to the clergymen’s idea of “untimely and unwise” by recognizing his substrata audience. King started off his statement by saying “we,” referring to his “black brothers and sisters” for playing a critical role in the civil rights movement. His pathos driven statement ignited inspiration to his African American brother and sisters by letting them know that 340 years of not gaining their constitutional and God - given rights is way too