However, after a few nonviolent protests looking for desegregation, MLK was arrested in Birmingham, AL. While in jail Martin Luther King wrote one of the most important letters he ever wrote, as a response to the Clergyman’s Call for Unity, where he described Martin Luther King as extremist. His letter, which is titled “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, perfectly applies rhetorical strategies such as his great use of Pathos and Logos in order persuade not only the people supporting segregation, but African-Americans that want to protest against segregation using violence. Dr. Martin Luther King clarifies his ambitions by using words that emotionally appeal to his audience, aiming to persuade them to join him in his fight for desegregation in America. In the beginning of his letter, Martin Luther King emphasizes, “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” (45). Specifically, in this part of his letter from a Birmingham jail, Dr. King uses the word “painful,” to evoke a feeling of shame to his audience in order to convince them to fight for desegregation. Dr. King’s letter is so …show more content…
The fact that Martin Luther King writes his letter mostly using the first person point of view, makes the reader engage more with the letter, and connect with his personal experiences. His use of the first person makes it easier to understand the context of the letter, and makes the reader more curious to explore his other works. I found very interesting that he uses words carrying strong connotations, and the power that those words have in order to influence us to agree and follow his ideas. The examples that he gives, made me realize that I use rhetorical strategies every day without acknowledging it. Also, I have noticed that MLK follows the same idea that Kehinde Wiley has to find new ways to create art, by using strategical examples in order to create a new ways to persuade different types of