Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the greatest civil rights activists this nation has ever seen. The ability he had to seize an opportune moment in time was phenomenal. A true example of this ability was a time he had been jailed for not having the proper permits during a civil rights parade in Birmingham, Alabama. While he was in jail, eight clergymen criticized him, calling his activities “unwise and untimely” (112). He responded to their criticism with amazing rhetoric, grasping at their hearts and minds with syntax, diction, examples, and allusions in his now famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”…
Civil rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr. in his response to his fellow clergymen, “letter from Birmingham jail” he argues that racial segregation is unjust. He supports his claim by first building his credibility then using emotional strategies to manipulate the clergymen with effective imagery, then discussing his outrage and disappointment with our society, and finally wanting our society to recognize that racial prejudice will soon pass away. King’s purpose is to persuade his audience to view his actions as a beneficial factor to society in order to maintain equality. He creates multiple tones such as, sarcasm disappointment and disbelief to the eight clergymen.…
The Use of Rhetorical Strategies in Martin Luther King, Jr. 's "Letter from Birmingham Jail"…
Martin Luther King Jr. uses imagery as a rhetorical strategy. With the use of imagery Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. makes his response to the eight white religious leaders with much detail. He states “…When you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you speak to your six-year old daughter why she cannot go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her little eyes when she is told that fun town is closed to colored children…”. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. expresses how young children are also being affected due to segregation, in which I can see in my mind because if that were me as a child I know that I would be devastated. In this perspective of the imagery that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. uses I can agree on his…
Martin Luther King Jr. uses metaphors and analogies in his letter to appeal to the spectators from an emotional point of view and persuade his audience to join his anti racist movement.…
Martin Luther King is an expert on using strong language to effect his audience. We see this often in his speech I have a Dream, in this excerpt from the speech he mostly uses language to cause an emotional effect on his audience and to provoke action from them.…
In the excerpt of ¨Letter from Birmingham Jail¨ Martin Luther King Jr uses many rhetorical devices that help make his letter emphasis more on the problem that many African-Americans were facing before and during the civil rights movements. In the the letter King uses techniques like repetition to bring more focus and meanings to his ideas, allusion to relate to an event that explains King's motivation, and pathos to bring the reader to feel what he feels through what he has written. An example of repetition that King uses is on paragraph 7 in“Letter from Birmingham Jail” it states “When you take a cross country drive… when you are humiliated day in and day out… when your first name becomes “nigger” your middle name becomes “boy”... and your…
“I guess it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say wait.” Martin Luther King uses both literal and figurative language to get his points across. Metaphors, allusions, and similes also litter the letter. His letter uses great structure and diverse language to its advantage, which he uses to influence his readers.…
Words like “shameful” “sadly crippled” “chains of discrimination” “guilty” ”oppression” “injustice” “bitterness and hatred” have a very negative connotation and helped him establish empathy for the African Americans who were undergoing injustice, and discrimination. As a contrast, he also used words like “justice” “freedom” “majestic” “brotherhood” “glory” and “faith” which carry a positive connotation. Words like this were encouraging and have sense of hope to them. More than appealing to emotions in a negative manner, Martin Luther King also wanted to transcend his hopes and dreams for the American people by his use of…
In April of 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a highly structured letter to eight clergymen who attacked his work in a public statement. Martin Luther King Jr. purposefully directed this letter at the eight leaders of the white Church of the South expressing the urgency of changing segregation laws, but ultimately his views and judgments spread to America as a whole. In paragraphs 13 and 14 of Letter from Birmingham Jail, we reach the expressive and climactic division of his essay. Throughout the essay King has kept a very calm, yet passionate and objective tone, but in these critical paragraphs is where we start to see the emotion fall through the page. In order to demonstrate the urgent need for the reformation of segregation laws, Martin Luther King Jr. principally focuses on rhetorical devices such as potent imagery.…
Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech is one of the greatest speeches of all time. He achieves this status because the speech is brilliantly written and flawlessly presented. The speech’s clear purpose is to persuade the audience of the problem that is segregation and to call people to fight for civil rights. King’s language is simple and direct, yet very powerful and well-chosen. The speech itself appears to be easily understood. However simple, it very impactful. He uses analogies throughout the speech, these prove the speech to be more accessible to everyday people. He also treats his audience with a huge amount of respect, acknowledging their troubles, as well as, encouraging them to keep going. His use of the phrase “I have a…
The main one was “ I have a dream.” His speech states that all black men and white men will be together as loving brother and sisters. Affirming that all white men and black men will sing together “Free At Last ! Martin also had a lot of white followers. Not all whites were as cruel as the other whites. Martin Luther King’s speech inspired lots of people then and now.…
In Martin Luther King Jr.’s "Letter from Birmingham Jail," He’s responding to a statement made by clergymen in Alabama about his dealings in Birmingham, Alabama. In this letter King uses rational ideas, moral values, and emotion to establish to the clergymen as well as the "white moderate" why civil rights should be granted to African Americans. In his letter King uses powerful literary tools that strongly match his views. He uses similes to help the audience understand not only the historical foundation of why segregation is immoral, but the awful emotional effects that segregation and discrimination has on the African American people who are experiencing it. King uses realistic imagery to give the reader an idea about how segregation harms a person’s character. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" had a great effect on the audiences because of his skilled use of pathos throughout the essay.…
Martin Luther King Jr’s letter uses tone, diction, and analogy to develop his argument. In his letter he addresses his clergymen’s criticism to his actions in Birmingham. He justifies his actions by arguing that he was invited here (Birmingham), and that he belonged in Birmingham. Dr. King uses different variations of the rhetorical devices tone, diction, and analogy.…
Throughout the mid-20th Century, racism of African Americas was a huge concern in the United States, to the population of African- Americans. The speeches of Martin Luther had an impact as it illustrates the racist problems of the time. Also to provoke the audience into feeling compassion and providing hope to the miserable…