In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, King feels the Southern Church is unable to understand and grasp the complexity of this situation. He goes on to mention the four peaceful demonstration steps they have gone through, “collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action”(King 6). By stating this, King explains that if they just blatantly said there is racial injustice in the community, rather than peacefully protesting, there would be no gain in their goal of equality. King uses several emotional statements that are very logical regarding to the treatment of Negroes in Birmingham. He states, “We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and…
(719), we have a dual appeal. Dr. King, to support his reasoning that a legal…
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.…
Throughout Letter From Birmingham Jail, King uses several metaphors to describe the harmful effects of inequity and motivate his followers to work towards “transforming the] pending national elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood.” For example, to promote immediate action, King proclaims that “now is the time to lift national policy from the quicksand of racial injustice.” By placing the abstract consequences of discrimination next to the perceivable discomfort of being stuck in quicksand, King helps his readers understand the severe ramifications of injustice. More importantly, the harmful outcomes that King described motivate his readers to take action in order to soothe the wounds of their neighbors and fellow citizens.…
In one of those arguments, King has a long paragraph devoted to giving descriptions of the harsh lives of African-Americans during the past 340 years. King says "that when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait" (¶14). In this quotation taken from among many other examples in the paragraph, King shows how African-Americans live their lives in the United States under racial prejudice and violence. Through this paragraph, the reader can actually feel the violence that is being carried out against African-Americans. As I read the paragraph, I was extremely saddened by the horrific violence of lynching and the effects of segregation. Here the intention of the appeal is carried out because the readers sympathize with African-Americans, and many times one's emotions have a stronger effect in influencing one's actions more than logic and reasoning. Thus, the pathos appeal is very persuasive in King's argument and proves to be very effective in the…
Martin Luther King Jr., born on January 15, 1929, fought for the injustices of his brothers and sisters throughout his life. While being an active activist, Martin Luther King was imprisoned to Birmingham jail due to his participation in a nonviolent demonstration against segregation and discrimination in Alabama. During his sentence, he wrote a letter, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” to counter the criticisms of his actions from the clergymen by claiming that “An unjust law is no law at all”(par. 12), “Injustice everywhere is a threat to justice…
Martin Luther King’s famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written to respond to a public statement “Call for Unity” by a group of white religious leaders of the South. The logic appeals of King’s article which is supported by fact and examples are less than the ethos and pathos appeals. King did a good job to use his personality as ethos appeal to evoke the readers’ emotion which is pathos appeal.…
In "Letter from Birmingham Jail", Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. discusses whether or not African Americans have the same opportunities and equal rights as whites do. Then, King further explains the daily struggles and dilemmas that African Americans have been going through for such a long time and that change is essential. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. uses appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos. King also uses historical, biblical, and literary allusions to support and further his argument. Dr. King begins with ethos and logos by discussing how nonviolent protests are perfectly legal and are lawful acts. He states that he is imprisoned in Birmingham because, "injustice is here," (King 332). This appeals to ethos because it is morally and ethically…
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,…
Martin Luther King uses pathos and antithesis in this document, to emphasize and support his feelings towards civil disobedience. To show pathos, he writes, "If you would observe their ugly and inhumane treatment of negroes here in the city jail; if you could watch them push and curse old negro women and young negro girls" (Page 10). He uses pathos in this to try and persuade people into ending segregation by painting a visual in the readers head that gives them the feeling of sympathy towards the segregated. Martin Luther King also uses antithesis in this document. the text reads, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" (Page 6). This sentence makes the reader stop and think about the inner meaning and provides contrasting word…
On April 3rd, 1963, various sit-ins and marches began in Birmingham, Alabama to protest racism and racial segregation. These protests were led by Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. On April 10th, King and other marchers were unfairly arrested for marching without a permit. While in jail, King saw a letter in the local newspaper from eight clergymen that expressed their concerns over having King and his protestors in Birmingham in the first place. “A Letter from Birmingham Jail” is King's response to those clergymen, in which he explains to them why he has come to their city and how an unjust law is no law at all.…
Imagine your family “smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society” (King). How would you feel? Would you rebel so that your family can have what they need? Martin Luther King, the famous civil rights spokesperson and leader known for his civil disobedience. Talking about the extreme mistreatment that people of color receive makes his audience interested. He was bringing great justice to the african-americans by speaking up about the issue, since everyone knew this was wrong but no one was ever brave enough . Martin Luther King included a large variety of rhetorical appeals in his “Letter From Birmingham jail,” The two most effective ones are polysyndeton and pathos because they force the reader to consider the consequences about the discrimination and overwhelming hatred towards the african-americans while also making…
Martin Luther King Jr.'s revealing, 'Letter from Birmingham Jail', delves into the segregation, injustice and violence of Birmingham, Alabama, "probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States"(Inquiry, p.#391, paragraph 6) In response to criticism from eight clergymen of Birmingham, King details the process of preparation for the nonviolent protest that took place in Birmingham. Imprisoned for protesting without a license, Dr. King's words continue to reach far beyond the bars of his prison in his letter from Birmingham jail.…
Martin Luther King Jr. faced many challenges during his life. One of the challenges that he faced included being criticized because of what he believed in concerning the laws of segregation. What King discloses in his essay, “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” displays how the laws of segregation have affected African-American’s. In this essay, King also brings up why he is justified in his preaching about the separation of African-Americans and white people. He uses the rhetorical appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos numerous times throughout his essay to relay his argument about the laws of segregation and the African-Americans that are being cruelly treated.…
The purpose of both Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is to talk about the injustice law in the society. Thoreau explains how the government is run by the majority “because they are physically the strongest” (941). Thoreau believes a society “in which the majority rule in all cases cannot be based on justice” (941). Thoreau suggests to the audience that it is necessary to “resist” the injustice “for the most part” (942). Similarly, King states that “one has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws,” and that “conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws” (265). Through non-violence protest, both Thoreau and King are encouraging their audience to take the duty of civil…