Ethos Pathos Logos In Letter From Birmingham Jail

The year is 1963, the date April 16th. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr is sitting in his cell in Birmingham, Alabama writing what we know today as the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. In this 12 page letter, found in Writing Arguments a Rhetoric with Readings by John Ramage, John Bean, and June Johnson, Dr. King describes his outrage and disappointment with society and finally his want for society to recognize racial prejudice. In his letter, he uses Pathos, or emotional appeal, ethos, appeal to authority/reputation, and logos, appeal to logic, to help with his argument. Dr. King uses a lot of emotional appeal and diction when writing his argument so that he could appeal to his intended audience as best he could.

Martin Luther King Jr. uses pathos in order to gain an emotional appeal from whoever was reading it. One of the most famous ways he used pathos in his letter was in paragraph fourteen where he also used anaphora to give examples of their hardships. The use of pathos truly helped Martin Luther King Jr. gain sympathy for his community.

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

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.

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

Martin Luther King Jr. is a well-known icon of the civil rights movement. Throughout his time leading the movement, he wrote two of some of his best works, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and “I Have a Dream,” which was a speech he presented on August 28, 1963 in Washington D.C. The letter on the other hand addressed his wrongful jailing in Birmingham, Alabama and also the treatment of African Americans. His speech is one of the most important speeches in America and he is mainly identified by it alone. These two works contain Logos and Pathos that add life and understanding to his writing, and overall changes the way readers and listeners alike think about the civil rights movement as a whole.

“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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

To be able to counterattack, one must know where the attack is coming from, hence analyzing the audience. By doing so, King is able to address his audience appropriately. In the preface, the

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,