Argumentative Essay on “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King‚ Jr. and “A More Perfect Union” by President Barack Obama Colette Eubanks November 21‚ 2011 ENG 101 Christopher Brunt On April 16‚ 1963‚ from the jail in Birmingham‚ Martin Luther King‚ Jr. wrote a letter to the eight‚ white Alabama clergymen. They had attacked his civil rights work in a public statement released on April 12‚ 1963. To persuade his readers‚ King mainly uses three types of persuasion that are
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While being detained in a Birmingham jail King wrote a poetic response to an article written by some Southern clergymen explaining what led up to him being arrested and put in jail. In his powerful response King illustrates his credibility‚ appeals to the emotions of the clergymen‚ and supports his stance with logical reasons. Also through the use of logical‚ ethical‚ and emotional appeals King is able to illustrate his point of view to the clergymen. In Kings letter to the clergymen‚ King establishes
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“Letter from Birmingham Jail” “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written on April 16‚ 1963 by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It was written in response to the objections of white southern men. This letter explains Martin Luther Kings’ actions and tries to clarify and explain his protest for desegregation was necessary and definitely not untimely. The letter explains why he was in jail‚ the wrongful acts against African Americans during the civil rights era‚ and the use of direct action to make a difference
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The rhetorical device that I think is most effective in Martin Luther King Jr. “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is logical appeals. King’s purpose for using logical appeals is because he is stating facts and injustice rules in the society. The effectiveness of the rhetorical appeal logos is working because it made me put myself into their shoes and all that they had to experience just because of their race. For example‚ the letter says in paragraph 1. “If I sought to answer all the criticisms that
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In 1963‚ strong opinions on black civil rights were being brought forth in Birmingham‚ Alabama and other southern states. Some of those strong opinions was from 8 clergymen‚ who spoke out against King and his ideas on desegregation and equality for all. King felt the need to defend his ideas of the men he thought were supportive of the civil rights cause. In King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”‚ he uses rhetorical strategies such as appeals to ethos‚ logos‚ and pathos‚ as well as diction‚ syntax
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03-21-2013 Letter from Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King Jr. wrote "Letter from Birmingham Jail" in response to his fellow white clergymen who criticized his actions that landed him in jail. He used Biblical examples to show that his nonviolent actions were necessary for African Americans to move forward in this country. This letter was mainly directed to those religious leaders who have the power to do something about segregation but don’t. The purpose is to hopefully get the backup from powerful
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ENC 1102 MWF/11-11:50 March 25‚ 2013 Martin Luther King’s Philosophy of Justice Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written in response to a public statement of concern and caution issued by eight white religious leaders of the south. His inspiration for writing the letter was the clergymen’s unjust proposals and the letter allowed him to present his rebuttal. In this letter‚ King explains his philosophy‚ which includes his views of “just laws” and “unjust laws.” He also explains
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In this letter‚ Martin Luther King utilizes both the rhetorical field of religion‚ and the rhetorical element of audience as a combination to support his arguments against the clergymen and the white moderate’s view of the civil rights movement as a whole. \ By using religion in various points of the text‚ King uses the clergymen’s own knowledge against them to prove his cause just. He provides examples of lesser known stories to place a metaphorical spotlight on the clergymen in particular. The
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Nation Murray 1/5/11 Period 1 Letter from Birmingham Jail Assignment 1. Identify a list of biblical allusions King uses in this essay. Explain how these allusions to biblical figures and events appeal to both ethos and pathos. “Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their thus saith the Lord far beyond the boundaries of their home towns‚ and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners
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‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’ Formative Assignment 1. The overall point that Martin Luther King is making in the letter is that in order for civil rights to be achieved‚ the act of non-violent protests must be allowed. King believed that if non-violent methods were prohibited then tension would keep building up‚ and would result people being much more violent in order to let their opinions be heard. King also believed that there was no better time than that moment to fight for their rights‚ rather
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