Preview

Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
323 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail
Desire’ Jefferson
October 7, 2014
English 1550
Karen Kotrba
Rhetorical Analysis: Martin Luther King Jr. Birmingham Jail Letter
Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter from Birmingham Jail was written on April 16, 1963 while he was incarcerated in the Birmingham City Jail. This letter addresses the criticism that a group of white men had thrown at him and his pro-black American organization about their non-violent actions against racial discrimination and injustice among black Americans in Birmingham. He notes that he doesn’t usually respond to letters of criticism but he thought that they were “good willed people and their criticism was sincerely set forth.” King writes this letter to defend his organization's actions. King's letter talks about

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In "Letter from Birmingham Jail", Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. responds to a letter he was sent by white clergymen that challenge his right to protest. He was called an outsider and an extremist. Dr. King shows from the start that he is a man of knowledge and can be trusted. To build on that trust and knowledge he must present an argument that appeals to his audience using the three pillars; ethos, pathos and logos.…

    • 738 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Written by Martin Luther King Jr., the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is a paragon of persuasive writing that takes advantage of ethos, pathos, and logos in order to convince its readers to take MLK’s side during the American civil rights movement. The use of ethos defines MLK as a credible writer; the use of pathos appeals to his audience on a personal level; and the use of logos layers his arguments and claims with irrefutable reasoning and logic. By using all three techniques, MLK is able to hold the attention of his readers and persuade them to take his side in the battle against segregation.…

    • 1184 Words
    • 34 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is a response to eight of his fellow clergymen. He wrote this letter while the government arrested him and other protesters who were demonstrating in Birmingham, and he dedicated his whole life to the civil rights of the Blacks. In this letter, he response to the clergymen that questions his methods of protest. Different from Thomas Jefferson’s pure logic argument, he still adds his passionate sense of the injustice African Americans has suffered to his cool logic argument. Also, he uses first person perspective in this letter, which makes it more personal. Anyway, these two writings own different properties, so it is obvious that they would have different writing techniques. However, Martin…

    • 155 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Martin Luther King Jr's “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written during his 8 day sentence in jail in 1963. He chose to travel and protest in Birmingham due to the fact that it was widely known as one of the most segregated city in the U.S. The letter not only addresses the issues of unjustly being arrested for being an "extremist" of his approach to the protest, and of the incompetence of the church but its also an appeal for things to be seen from his point of view.…

    • 790 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Martin Luther King, Jr. was an African-American pastor, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He was born January 15th, 1929 in Atlanta Georgia and was killed April 6th, 1968 in Memphis Tennessee. The Letter from Birmingham was written on April 16, 1963. King was in Birmingham because he was president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and they were asked to help direct a nonviolent program for civil rights. The letter was a response to a letter written by clergymen who stated Martin Luther King’s actions in Birmingham Alabama where “unwise and untimely”. King started writing the letter…

    • 1810 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Genre is the framework that the academic writing will be based on, and it is similar to a format where things can be expected to be appear at a certain point in writing. Genre is often determined by the rhetorical situation and can be change to increase the readability and complexity of an academic writing. Audience is part of a big rhetorical situation because rhetorical situation consists of many other factors like constraints, issue. Audience can changes the languages of the paper to adapt to the selected group of people. With restricted audience can sometimes affect the effectiveness of the paper. Rhetorical situation will the most important term to explain because it is the deciding factor for both genre and audience. Rhetorical situation is a situation where it demands a response according to Lloyd Bitzer.…

    • 569 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Reading through the commentaries of George E. Carter and Keith D. Miller, another perspective of Martin Luther King Jr. was exposed to me, that I was unaware of when first reading his famous works such as, “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, and his famous speech, “I Have a Dream”. Both men offered a different side of their views on MLK, providing analysis on his rhetorical writing styles as well as his influences in his writings. Transcendentalism can be seen in works of Martin Luther Kings, but his influences in his writing reach much further than that ranging from his Christian roots all the way to his findings while reading works of Gandhi.…

    • 1293 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    He effectively makes and develops his argument by announcing King's death and mentioning all the problems that is plaguing the U.S. He states that Martin Luther King Jr. has passed away, and he continues to say that with his death. We should learn to love and to give justice, It says on paragraph 3,"Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and to justice between fellow human beings. He died in the cause of that effort." He continues to develop his argument by mentioning that you can be bitter and hate him. He then said how the country would be, if they would continue the they are doing their things. He then mentions the death of a family member, and mentions how he was killed by a white man. He gives his favorite poet and asks everyone to say a prayer.…

    • 350 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the Spring of 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led about a thousand African-Americans through non-violent protests in the business district in Birmingham. Unfortunately, he and other top activists were thrown into jail by Birmingham police in retaliation and were treated under harsh conditions, as did all African-Americans. On the day of his arrest, the Birmingham, Alabama newspaper published The Public Statement by Eight Alabama Clergymen called King’s activities “unwise and untimely,” calling for the community to renounce protest tactics that caused unrest in the community, to do so in court and “not in the streets.” King wrote back from jail arguing each point the clergymen wrote in their “public statement”. In the Letter from Birmingham Jail, King writes point by point his reasons for coming to Birmingham and the actions he had committed and why he wishes to continue his fight for equality. King successfully employed the use of Logos, Pathos, and Ethos by arguing back on legal, historical, and political grounds.…

    • 749 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Dr. Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is a response to Dr. King's follow clergymen criticism. The topic of Dr. Kings letters from a Birmingham prison is the nonviolent protest being done in Birmingham, Alabama in the fight for African Americans civil rights. Some clergymen, mostly white American men, believe the nonviolent protest Dr. King and African Americans were during was "unwise" and "untimely". The main argument Dr. King is making in the letter is the protest being done in Birmingham is "wise" and most important "timely". The way Dr. King constructs his argument is as if he was preaching his argument to his congregation. Take for instance when the part of the letter when Dr. King talks about different men, both biblical…

    • 172 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Martin Luther King Jr. presents a compelling argument against segregation of the black and white community in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” He informs Birmingham’s eight religious leaders that he does not wish to cause violence but to promote equality among mankind, which has been disturbed by segregation laws and practices in Birmingham. King’s counter arguments signify the flawed claims made by the clergymen, forcing them to question their unjust actions and consider the benefits of non-violent protest. His elaborate justification of his perspective effectively ignites the power within his argument.…

    • 756 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Martin Luther King Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, philanthropic, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He worked for racial equality and civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience. This letter was published in King’s book “Why We Can’t Wait.” It was written in response to a public statement of concern issued by eight White clergymen of Alabama; who disagreed with his civil rights actions. King also quite deliberately wrote his letter for a national audience. The letter reveals King 's strength as an advocate and his extent of knowledge. It alludes to numerous secular thinkers, as well as to the Bible. Although, King successfully…

    • 1993 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Martin Luther King Jr. uses a metaphor in his speech when he explains that, “The bank of justice is bankrupt.” He compares a “bank of justice,” to the American government and “bankruptcy” to an insufficient amount of justice in America. Bankruptcy is filed when there is inadequate resources to support an organization. This insufficiency is being compared to injustice for the Black people of America. Furthermore, King Jr. wants to acknowledge that equality and justice can and should be given to the Blacks.…

    • 244 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Martin Luther King Jr. uses facts, logic, and appeals to emotion to show that America’s involvement in the Vietnam war was unjust. By doing this speech he convinces people that the war does not solve anything but more problems and violence for everyone.…

    • 416 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are a wide array of issues that exist and continue to negatively impact individuals around the world. Out of these issues, the lack of women’s rights is one of the most significant topics that continues to affect our society and effectively relates to the ideas presented in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” Women’s rights are rights that women and girls are entitled to such as, the right to vote, the right to live free from violence, and so on. However, it is evident that women are not able to enjoy these rights to their full extent as many of these rights are manipulated and taken away from them. They are not treated equally and are often taken advantage of due to the widespread acceptance of the practice…

    • 715 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays