Letter from Birmingham Jail
Letter From Birmingham City Jail: An Appeal of Logic, Emotions, and Personal Conviction
In persuasive essays, authors attempt to help their readers consider a point by using a variety of techniques to present their arguments. To captivate a reader’s attention in an appealing way, they offer logical reasoning, emotional testimonies, and their own personal convictions to present different arguments in favor of their platform. These three phenomena, known as logos, pathos, and ethos, are valuable tools in any writer’s work. In “Letter from Birmingham City Jail,” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. writes to the clergymen as an argument supporting civil disobedience, asserting his mission to end segregation through a series of peaceful protests. In order to inspire his captive audience, Martin Luther King effectively uses ethos, pathos, and logos throughout the letter to reinforce his persuasive appeals.
One way authors present their arguments is through a series of logical appeals and reasoning, which is partly what “Letter From Birmingham City Jail” aims to do. This concept, called logos, is the presentation of different key ideas. From the opening of his letter, King clearly states his objective, “To try and answer [the clergy’s] statements” regarding his “unwise and untimely” protests (King 205). However, to merely state his arguments is not enough. Reading the World explains, “while evidence provides the basis for an argument’s support, how we apply logic to that evidence is part of how we make that argument effective” (Austin 597). To justify reasons by explaining their motives is key to persuasion. What exactly is King’s objective in organizing silent protests? He explains:
“I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice...I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that the present tension in the South is a necessary phase of the transition from an obnoxious negative peace…we who engage
In persuasive essays, authors attempt to help their readers consider a point by using a variety of techniques to present their arguments. To captivate a reader’s attention in an appealing way, they offer logical reasoning, emotional testimonies, and their own personal convictions to present different arguments in favor of their platform. These three phenomena, known as logos, pathos, and ethos, are valuable tools in any writer’s work. In “Letter from Birmingham City Jail,” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. writes to the clergymen as an argument supporting civil disobedience, asserting his mission to end segregation through a series of peaceful protests. In order to inspire his captive audience, Martin Luther King effectively uses ethos, pathos, and logos throughout the letter to reinforce his persuasive appeals.
One way authors present their arguments is through a series of logical appeals and reasoning, which is partly what “Letter From Birmingham City Jail” aims to do. This concept, called logos, is the presentation of different key ideas. From the opening of his letter, King clearly states his objective, “To try and answer [the clergy’s] statements” regarding his “unwise and untimely” protests (King 205). However, to merely state his arguments is not enough. Reading the World explains, “while evidence provides the basis for an argument’s support, how we apply logic to that evidence is part of how we make that argument effective” (Austin 597). To justify reasons by explaining their motives is key to persuasion. What exactly is King’s objective in organizing silent protests? He explains:
“I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice...I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that the present tension in the South is a necessary phase of the transition from an obnoxious negative peace…we who engage