Mlk Rhetorical Analysis Essay example

In the Letter from Birmingham Jail written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, while he sat in jail on April of 1963 for his participation in a peaceful protest of segregation. King responded to the protest of white ministers, who criticized his actions and felt such demonstrations “directed and in part led by outsiders” were “unwise and untimely”, suggesting that black people should wait for the court system to work. King efficiently uses pathos in his letter by appealing to people’s empathy by talking of the years of injustices black people have suffered and his own experiences with racism and segregation. He successfully uses logos to further strengthen his arguments by using historical and literal analogies. He also establishes ethos by showing

Martin Luther King Jr. is known for his speeches and active movements against segregation and oppression of African Americans in the mid-1900s. In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, King makes apparent the three artistic appeals, especially logos and pathos. Throughout the entire piece, King repeatedly appeals to logos and pathos using a series of rhetoric including anaphora, imagery, and allusion. By using these literary devices, King is able to effectively correct the misconceptions held by his accusers and justify the behavior of the nonviolent protest by shining light on the unjustified segregation that is holding the African American community hostage. In a response to a statement issued by eight white religious leaders of the South, King maintains a steady and respectful tone conveying to his audience his refinement and good cause.

gains sympathy from the clergymen by using the rhetorical appeal of pathos. He includes pathos in his letter in order to appeal to human emotions. He hopes to excite the emotions of the reader in order to obtain support. King says in the fourth paragraph of his lengthy letter to the clergymen, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This simple sentence has a much more significant message than one might think.

In the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King, Jr was responding to the clergymen of Alabama who criticized his actions. This letter uses rhetorical devices which draw on the intellectual legacy of the Western tradition of ethos, logos and pathos, this makes his letter effectively and persuasive in both content and style.

In the letter, MLK uses ethos several times to appeal to the ethical side of his audience. Supporting this is a section from the letter in which King states, “But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms.” King is saying that he is

Martin Luther King Jr. targets the social injustice and racial discrimination prominent specifically in Birmingham, Alabama through his Letter from Birmingham Jail to instigate nonviolent actions in detriment to the violent racism and aggression toward the African American community. Martin Luther King Jr. underlines that hopes for the abolishment of racial discrimination have been wrongfully abated in Birmingham by false expectations, and he is attempting to take leadership as an insightful outsider to fight for fundamental civil rights. Martin Luther King Jr. alludes to historical instances of insurgent civil disobedience in his Letter to appeal to ethos and establish his credibility. He also claims this racial discrimination is a shadow of the slavery in the South prior to abolition, and he appeals to logos and pathos as he underlines his indignation over this archaic mindset.

Rhetorical Essay Rough Draft. “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is a letter written by Martin Luther King Jr. from a jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. MLK was arrested while participating in a peaceful anti-segregation march on the grounds that he did not possess a parade permit. This letter is a response to 8 white clergy men who did not agree with his peaceful protests against racial inequality in America. The purpose of this letter was to convince his critics (the clergymen) that his actions were right and argue that the time for change is now.

There is much speculation as to who the audience of “Letter” is. Some analysts say it is the clergymen; others say it is white militants in America as a whole. Michael Osborn made this distinction when he said, “Earlier critics have observed that there actually are two audiences for the “Letter,” the ostensible and the actual.”(31) The ostensible audience is the eight clergy mean while the actual audience is moderate, white Americans. The ostensible audience’s main argument against King’s “Letter” is that the Civil Rights Movement should wait because the timing of the movement isn’t right. Dr. King points out the flaw in this logic by stating, “Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct-action campaign that was “well timed” in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation.”(2) No revolution, violent or peaceful, is going to be acceptable in the eyes of the oppressors. To get through to the clergymen, the African Americans couldn’t have started violent riots. That would have been too uncivilized. When it comes to civil injustice, “public discourse is almost always a response.”(Patton 2) The clergymen, being white men who have never suffered from segregation or oppression, couldn’t possibly understand the sense of urgency for the equal rights of black

In Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter “Letter From Birmingham Jail” he attempts to explain himself to the clergymen that have been criticizing his actions , and explain why he is protesting in the city of Birmingham. In the beginning of this essay, he states his points as to why he belongs in Birmingham at this time, and that he is not an "outsiders coming in”. Further along in this essay he shows the importance of these non violent protest, and that “all communities and states are interrelated, and he feels compelled to work for justice anywhere that injustice is being practiced.” In this Argumentative letter, Dr. King uses many rhetorical appeals to give his argument great strength, and he show cases immense emotions to appeal to the readers to help them relate to the injustice that him and the African American community are facing.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most influential figure from the Civil Rights Movement and still is to do the young minds of today. He is considered the face of the Civil Rights Movement. From his rallies, to his protests, to his speeches; it was obvious of how much of a great mind MLK had. He produced many popular and powerful piece of writings all throughout this period, such as his “I Have a Dream” speech, but his most famous piece of writing is Letter from Birmingham Jail. This letter was written on April 16, 1963 after King was arrested for leading a demonstration that was designed to bring attention to the cruel racist treatment of blacks in Birmingham, Alabama. Within in this letter it’s clear that Dr. King used his extensive knowledge of ethos, pathos, and logos in order to influence the reader.

In this letter Martin Luther King responds to the criticism he received from several Clergymen which basically articulated that Mr. King should withhold from any further acts of demonstration for the Negro community. Mr. King goes on to explain how although the clergymen feel his actions were “unwise and untimely”, he has taken the proper steps in trying to provide peace among the Negro and white communities. However, he states how the empty promises and absence of change that the Negro community was assured would never actually ensue, leading to Martin Luther King pursuing further and more extreme actions.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is one of the most monolithic pieces of racial justice literature in American history. His words, written some 53 years ago, still echo in modern writing and sentiment on the subject. No argument however, is revered without reason, and this letter is no exception. His writing stands firmly and persuasively through the march of time not because it was so thoroughly accepted and widely endorsed. In fact, many still rejected his efforts and the letter would not become popular until much later, when it was truly recognized as a masterpiece. No, Dr. King’s letter stands because of his remarkable usage of argumentative speech. His writing weaves a web of pathos, ethos, and logos, each piece lending themselves to strengthen the other. Not only does he use these forms near flawlessly, he is able to clearly and exactly refute the claims and positions of his opponents and use them to further his own argument.

From the historical aspect, King did a great job in convincing his opponents on social justice issues with this letter, since he carried out the nonviolent campaign and successfully won over equal rights for black people. However, leaving alone the history, I’d like to look into the language aspect in this missive and analyze how King’s words make his letter unexpectedly persuasive.

King’s use of pathos in his letter not only supports the claims that he makes but also makes his

To begin the Letter, Martin Luther King Jr. uses Aristotle’s definition of ethos to “butter up” the clergymen, calling them “men of genuine good will” and declaring “[their] criticisms are sincerely set forth” (165). King takes the high ground instead of getting into a petty name calling squabble to demonstrate that his viewpoint is legitimate and also to open the ears of the clergymen as they are more likely to listen if they feel respected by the writer. King sets his character to one that is equal to his fellow clergymen, announcing his role as “president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.” (165) King cleverly addresses ethos of Aristotle’s triangle first to structure his argument on civil disobedience using other parts of the triangle.