Ethos Pathos Logos In Letter From Birmingham Jail

Martin Luther King, Jr., uses pathos, ethos, and logos in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” An example of pathos, is when King talks about a little girl seeing an advertisement for an amusement park. She cries when her dad tells her that she is not allowed to go to the amusement park, due to the fact that colored people are not allowed in there. This shows that even children where not spared from racism. One way King uses ethos, is how he quotes multiple historical figures in his letter in order to point out that being an extremists does not necessarily evil.

In April of 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. and a group of men prepared to rally around stores on Easter weekend, in order to convince store owners to remove the harsh signs prohibiting African Americans to shop in that store. Martin Luther king, along with several others, were arrested. This is where Dr. King wrote his “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” This was written primarily to a group of ministers who had publicly condemned Dr. King and his actions. Dr. King had no way of knowing if his letter would be published, but he knew there would be a chance.

Mariah Mofford Professor Fetters English 1001 26 January 2015 Fighting For Segregation Martin Luther King,Jr was a civil rights leader , who was in the Birmingham jail for being apart of the campaign, King was asked to come to Birmingham to join in the non-violent direct action program. He was put in the jail in 1963, eight white clergymen wrote a letter in the newspaper and Martin Luther King,Jr wrote in the cell on anything he could find, for his attempt to explain the movement and himself. Through Kings rhetoric, and his language, he turns the white clergymen words back on themselves.

King wrote a letter in 1963 while he was imprisoned in Birmingham jail to eight white religious leaders in response to a “public statement of concern and cautious issued.” The letter was for a request to put a stop on the political action march in Birmingham that King was in charge of. This letter has turned into one of the best works of argument in U.S. history. Due to the logic of this letter being unsavory reputation and usefulness is due to its expressive use of pathos, logos and ethos. King’s use of pathos in his letter not only supports the statement he is making as well as making his argument morally irrefutable.

However, using these same topics to make another feel a certain type of way can really bring out the emotions in oneself. Dr. King knows this very well, as he uses pathos in his writing to make sure that people can truly grasp the horrors of segregation. The writing states, "But when have you seen vicious mobs lynch your mother and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brother at whim;" This can clearly be interpreted as the use of pathos, because of the horrific topics he discusses, for the purpose of making the audience understand just how awful that segregation can truly

Not only does King use ethos to make his letter compelling, but he also uses logos. By appealing to the logical side of a person, King strengthens his argument. With this in mind, one can see why he states numerous questions throughout his letter; it is an attempt to get the reader to logically think about what he is proposing. In particular, King proclaims, “In your statement you asserted that our actions, even though peaceful, must be condemned because they precipitate violence. But can this assertion be logically made? Isn’t this like condemning the robbed man because his possession of money precipitated

King also used pathos in his speech to show emotion. “And those who hope that the negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual.” (King 262) King is showing emotion in this patho by saying that even though the

As King notices that the clergymen are “holy” and “religious” men, he uses that to his advantage by pointing out that segregation is immoral. He shows this to the Clergymen as he writes, “Is not segregation an existential expression of man’s tragic separation, his awful estrangement, his terrible sinfulness?” (King, paragraph 16) Through pathos, King shows the clergymen that segregation is something that is completely apprehensive in a way that provokes emotion. In addition to proving that segregation is sinful, King uses the style of pathos to prove that even if he is labeled an extremist, he is not evil. This is shown as King compares his actions to Christ when he writes, “The other Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth, or goodness.” (King, paragraph 27) It is intended for the clergymen to be emotionally affected by the mention of their savior, who had ideas that are similar to King’s philanthropy. Despite the fact that ethos and logos are used throughout the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” the application of Pathos is clearly the most important and

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. lived in the South when segregation was a part of everyday life. Segregation set African American people apart from the rest of society. In response to the horrific acts of segregation, King decided to change the operations of the South. Most people associate King as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and head of the Civil Rights Movement (2). Because of his leadership, Dr. King organized and lead marches, sit ins, and several other nonviolent protests (10). Also, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote several profound pieces of literature. The “Letter From Birmingham Jail” is one of Dr. King’s most famous pieces. This letter was written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from his jail cell in Birmingham,

During the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960’s, Martin Luther King Jr. was known as one of the most visible leaders of the time. He was well respected not only for his determination in what he believed was right, but for his ability to do so non-violently. On April 16th 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was sent to jail for eight days as a punishment for parading without a permit. On the day he was arrested, the clergymen of the church wrote an open letter discussing Martin Luther King Jr.’s offense. The letter was quickly brought to the attention of King himself; after reading the letter, Martin Luther King Jr. responded back to the clergymen with “A Letter From Birmingham Jail”. This letter was an attempt to rid the clergymen’s unnecessary statements targeted toward him; he writes this letter in defense of the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism and citizens moral responsibility to break unjust laws. Martin Luther King Jr.’s use of relation of current events to the past and use of figurative language strengthen the effect felt upon the audience.

“Letter from a Birmingham Jail” discusses the life of Martin Luther King Jr. He became a leader in the civil rights movement to end racial segregation and discrimination in America during 1950s and 1960s. According to the letter, “I think I should indicate why I am here in Birmingham, … So, I, along with several members of my staff, am here because I was invited here. I am here because I have organizational ties here. But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here.” Also, he became a leading spokesperson for nonviolent methods of achieving social change. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” after he was arrested for peacefully protesting segregation and racial terror in Birmingham.

In Letter From Birmingham Jail (April 12, 1963), Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. responds to criticism over his leadership over peaceful demonstrations in Alabama that claim his efforts are not timely or lawful. King supports his arguments with repeated use of logic, figurative language and rhetorical devices to assert his authority and explicit personal knowledge on the subject. His purpose is to point out to his audience injustices that are clearly happening around the Segregated South of 1963 and to clearly explain why it is imperative that action be taken immediately, as opposed to waiting for a correct time to do so. By utilizing rhetorical devices, figurative language as well as powerful universal motifs, King executes an authoritative, yet

In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King uses pathos, logos, and ethos to really convey his message. Though he uses all three very effectively, King most effectively uses pathos and logos by giving illustrations of what African Americans faced every day, examples in history in which the law was not right, and the make-up of a just or unjust law.

In 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. was thrown into jail due to participating in non-violent protests against racism and segregation in the city of Birmingham. There, he wrote the famous “Letter from the Birmingham Jail,” which became one of the most important letters in history of the American civil rights movement (Colaiaco 1). The open letter covered many points to King’s arguments for why the marches, protests, and other non-violent actions were necessary and justifiable. James Colaiaco analyzes the key components to the letter and the different ways Martin Luther King, Jr. used literary devices to form a well written argument.

Dr. King uses pathos heavily throughout the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” as a way to provide an emotional experience through stories to his audience by using multiple loaded words. King explains to the clergymen that they have never seen “vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim.” By using this story, he allows the audience to imagine their parents and siblings go through such terror as they watch. He describes the mobs as “vicious” which usually has a negative connotation and can be associated with the word “attack”. It is then followed up with the word “mobs” and “lynch”. When the audience hears the word “mobs”, they will imagine a large group of individuals acting without thought. “Lynch” also has a negative connotation and can be