‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’ Rhetorical Analysis Martin Luther King Jr.‚ the leader of the Civil Rights Movement‚ was arrested and placed in Birmingham jail after leading a non-violent march to protest racism in the streets of Alabama- a highly segregated state at the time. There he received a newspaper containing “A Call for Unity‚” which was written by eight white Alabama clergymen criticizing King and his movement’s methods; this prompted King to write a letter in response to the critics
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A preacher‚ an author‚ and a leader in the American civil rights movement of the 1950s‚ Martin Luther King Jr. defends the actions of the African American community in his essay “A Letter from Birmingham Jail.” King’s purpose is to prove why the negative “extremist” label that is slapped on the protesters does not accurately reflect the actions that are taken to fight for equality. He adopts a hopeful tone in order to connect to the rationality and humanity in his mainly white audience despite their
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Letter from Birmingham Jail 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
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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested during a peaceful protest against segregation. In his letter to clergymen‚ King conveys his urgency in changing segregation laws by using a series of rhetorical strategies‚ such as metaphors‚ antithesis‚ parallelism‚ personal anecdote‚ antimetabole‚ and ethos to strengthen his argument. In paragraph 13 King starts out by using a simple but effective method of using metaphors. “Disease of segregation” is used directly to compare segregation as if it were a
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interesting because the public’s approval plays a significant role in ascertaining the president’s political power and policy-making. Comparing Malcolm X’s “The Ballot or the Bullet” and Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” reveals strands of logos and pathos. For example‚ Malcolm X’s speech “The Ballot or the Bullet‚” addresses
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Argument of a Jail Dream The civil rights movement took place during a time when America was divided by race and creed. Dr. Martin Luther King was motivated to write this letter by the unjustified violent acts of discrimination‚ imprisonment‚ and physical bodily harm that he and many others had encountered during what was supposed to be a non-violent racial segregation protest in Birmingham‚ Alabama. After being arrested for his part in the protest‚ he penned “Letter from Birmingham Jail” from the confines
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On April 12‚ 1963‚ eight white clergymen from Alabama wrote to the citizens of this state to urge them to stop the demonstrations and protests that were occurring during the civil rights movement. The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. who many consider the leader of the Civil Rights Movement wrote his own letter in response. On April 16‚ 1963 he wrote the letter that is now known to all as the “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” This letter was directed towards the clergyman and basically all Christian
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Journal #10 Letter from Birmingham Jail November 10‚ 2014 • Subject: Answering several criticisms from the clergymen‚ Dr. King himself addressed why he was in Birmingham and why racial segregation needed to be changed now. He explicitly pointed out that civil disobedience was necessary and timely. He implicitly blamed the Christian church members for not standing up for their fellow brothers and justice; he also displayed disappointment at the leadership of the clergy. • Occasion: The United
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Rhetorical Response – Letter from Birmingham Jail The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was composed on April 16‚ 1963 by Dr. Martin Luther King‚ Jr. from his jail cell‚ during his brief incarceration. Dr. King’s letter was written as a direct response to an open letter [which criticized his activity]; signed by eight white clergymen and published in the Birmingham News. Further‚ Dr King’s indirect audience was the United States (U.S.) White Moderate class. In his letter Dr. King made very effective
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Nikolas Wahl 2 February 2014 Rhetorical Analysis MLK “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written in April 1963‚ during the African Americans fight for equality. Martin Luther King Jr.’s claim was not just to reply to the eight clergyman who had called his demonstrations “untimely and unwise”‚ but also aim his justifications at a bigger audience of religious and secular beliefs. An audience that is black and white; therefore King is able to
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