Pathos In Letter From Birmingham Jail

Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail was written from the cell of the Birmingham jail in the margins of a newspaper; to address the criticisms of eight Alabama Clergyman. King uses pathos, logos, and ethos to appeal to his readers. In addition, to his appeals King uses several persuasive strategies in his response to the attacks on him for his involvement in organizing a non-violent protest to support the civil rights movement. The purpose of this essay is to appeal to readers the injustices of segregation and the unjust laws. King’s most effective strategy in his letter is the use of an emotional (pathos) appeal to persuade his readers to feel something in regards to racial discrimination, and the unjust laws. As a respected member of the
As an illustration, a five-year-old little boy ask his father why white people treat colored people so poorly. Another example, is a child asking to go to “Fun Town” after seeing a television commercial; the father must explain to his child that white children are not permitted to go to “Fun Town”. King uses these examples to explain how the young colored children develop their bitterness towards the white man. Although, King appeals to logic and ethics as well as emotion in his letter; the examples he provided are the most effective with his use of pathos. In other words, he enables his audience to imagine themselves in the same situation. Dr. King’s explains why he became involved in the non-violent demonstrations. He provides good reasons for the Negroes to have equal rights. In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” King writes about many of the terrible injustices the whites have inflicted on Negroes. He also talks about how hard it is on children to learn and understand all the discriminations blacks go