Letter from a Birmingham Jail Analysis

Martin Luther King provided evidence by establishing common backgrounds by enforcing historical and biblical allusions. He mainly used allusions in his response to the letter by using the Bible. He uses biblical statements without directly mentioning the Bible. He used this strategy to strengthen his argument and show reasonable examples

The purpose for Martin Luther king to write “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was to respond to white Alabama clergymen who before this had criticized his action saying they were “unwise and untimely.” These clergymen had published a criticism directed towards King’s organization and participation in his protest march against segregation in Birmingham. This letter is not intended to persuade these men towards supporting civil rights, but rather to demonstrate that there is an immediate need towards direct action, and also that they need to open their eyes and see the African American community’s suffering. King withal expounds the need for tension, though only through nonviolent means, a tension that will coerce society to confront the present convivial iniquity head on. King disapproves being called an outsider because of his belief that humanity is part an "inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny."

In his "Letter," Martin Luther King Jr.'s ability to effectively use pathos, or to appeal to the emotions of his audiences, is evident in a variety of places. More particularly in paragraph fourteen, King demonstrates his ability to inspire his fellow civil rights activists, invoke empathy in the hearts of white moderates, and create compassion in the minds of the eight clergyman to which the "Letter" is directed.

Civil rights activist Dr.Martin Luther King Jr, imprisoned in Birmingham, Alabama, wrote his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. In this letter, King addresses the eight white clergymen who had previously written to King regarding his demonstrations. Dr. King adopts a disapproving tone in order to justify his actions in Alabama. Through the use of specific examples and pathos, King justifies the actions revealing the danger of segregation and appeals to his audience's emotions.

King appeals to the emotions of all audiences multiple times throughout the letter. One instance in particular is a perfect example of pathos, in that it strikes fear into the heart of God-fearing church goers. “But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. . . If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century” (“A Letter from Birmingham Jail” 7). Dr. King is trying to elicit a sense of urgency and fear from the audience. If they do not change their ways now, the sanctity of the church could be lost forever and would inevitably face the judgment of God. Another effective use of pathos is the use of the 2nd person throughout the letter. Through this, he is able to challenge the beliefs and values help by audience by writing phrases like, “if you were to see..”, “I doubt you…”, “If, then…”. The entire tone of the last three paragraphs are an urgent plea to “commended the Negro sit-inners and demonstrators of Birmingham for their sublime courage”, as they will be the ones “standing up for what is best in the American dream and for the most sacred values in our Judaeo-Christian

Some varieties of inspiration come as passionate love while others appeal as injustice as did Martin Luther King in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Martin Luther King Jr. effectively crafted his counter argument by first directly addressing his audience, the clergymen, and then using logos, pathos, and ethos to refute his opponent's statements and present his own perspective. After stating the general purpose of his letter, Martin Luther King Jr. specifically addressed the clergymen to set up for his logical counterargument.

Martin Luther King Jr. had written the Letter from the Birmingham Jail in 1963. King was a well-known minister-- particularly throughout the southern region, and a great advocate who fought non-violently for justice and equality for the Negro. The use of the word “Negro” sets the timeline. King used every approach from the Aristotelian appeal in order to seize the moment while writing this letter. Immediately, the use of the rhetorical tools of logos, ethos, pathos, and kairos carried the words in his letter and credibly formed a discourse of morality, knowledge, and purpose. A valid, and credible argument was designed by using ethos-- for the most part in maintaining an assertive and persuasive tone, while simultaneously refuting the ideals of the opposing views and criticisms from the authority and his fellow white clergymen who also supposedly shared religious ideologies as Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King lived in a time where Negro people were faced with a multitude of social injustices. King was actively participating in passive protests opposing the laws which upheld these injustices. In his “Letter From Birmingham Jail” King replies to the criticism of eight clergymen, who called him and his companions extremists and law breakers (King 187). In his letter of response, King both shows his disappointment with these men, as well as plead with them to see his side. King wants his letter to make the clergymen to look past his skin color and simply see him as a brother in the church.

Martin Luther said in his letter that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice anywhere and

Martin Luther King Jr.’s essay “Letter From Birmingham Jail” is a response and explanation to clergymen who challenged King’s methods of protest. The letter is laid out in a criticism-counter structure and was written while King was imprisoned for protesting without a permit. By appealing to the audience’s emotions, showing his credibility and persuading through reason, King successfully clarifies his stance on civil disobedience and the necessity of nonviolent campaigns.

Is it not ironic that Martin Luther King Jr. s, “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, which testifies to his struggle for Civil Rights; not only contradicts the time Martin Luther King wrote it in, but also echoes the same sentiments of today’s moral causes and laws? . Dr. King (&*) then known as Baptist minister Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the Letter to Birmingham in response to his fellow clergymen’s criticisms of him being locked up for his actions in Birmingham’s Civil Rights protest. The letter’s emotional appeal of pathos and uprightness are apparent as Dr. King likens his reasons for writing the letter to that of the eighth century prophets, who wanted to carry forth the righteous word of the lord. Just as these prophets, chose to

Martin Luther King Jr. was a renowned civil rights activist who worked tirelessly to gain equal rights for all African-Americans. He was known throughout the world and his speeches continue to gain attention because of their quality. King was a gifted speaker and knew how to build a proper argument. He built up his credibility and targeted the logic and emotions of his audience. Without Martin Luther King Jr. the civil rights movement may not have seen as much success, and segregation may still have affected us today. By studying King’s work, people can learn much about rhetoric and argument. One of his most persuasive pieces was his “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” This piece was written on just one of the occasions King was thrown in jail for protesting segregation and the Jim Crow Laws. It was written to eight clergymen who condemned his actions. However, King realized the letter was likely to get attention from more than just the clergymen, and he tailored the letter to include more than one audience. Paragraph 31 found on pages twelve and thirteen of the letter contains the most effective argument in regards to the eight clergymen. It provides emotional and logical arguments for justice and are fully credible because of the sourcing they use.

Martin Luther King’s inspiration for writing his, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was mainly to appeal to an undeniable injustice that occurred during his time. His letter was in response tos eight white clergymen, who objected to King protesting in Birmingham. Dr. King effectively crafted his counterargument after analyzing the clergymen’s unjust proposals and then he was able to present his rebuttal. Dr. King effectively formed his counterargument by first directly addressing his audience, the clergymen and then using logos, pathos and egos to present his own perspective on his opponent’s statements.

The primary goal of a sermon in church is to convince or persuade the congregation to turn to God and follow his ways and beliefs. A sermon is commonly broken up into several subsections beginning with “(1) an introduction ‘to establish a common ground of religious feeling’; (2) ‘a statement of the text’ which is often drawn directly from the Bible; (3) the ‘body of the sermon,’ which consists of repeated emotional climaxes; and (4) the ‘conclusion’ which resolves the emotional tension aroused by the sermon by drawing the sinners to God.” (Pipes 143). Based on these characteristics and King’s religious background and experience as a preacher, it is logical to argue that the structure of “A Letter from the Birmingham Jail” resembles that of a sermon which is aimed at an audience much larger than that of just eight clergymen. Through his brilliant use of persuasive methods and emotional appeal, Martin Luther King turns a simple response to a letter into a national cause for white support to combat segregation.

A multitude of his words possessed an ethical essence and he turned these words into one of his greatest weapons to persuade the clergymen. “Society must protect the robbed and punish the robber” (King 4). This may have been one of the more direct quotes that stuck in the minds of many, perhaps even the clergymen. King demonstrated how there was a problem in society; the blacks were being wrongly accused and punished for crimes that were made against them. To any human, this would have made sense. Connecting on a higher lever, in a rhetorical analysis, “Rhetorical Distance in ‘Letter From Birmingham Jail’”, the author, Michael Osborn, conveyed a quote by King saying, “It will triumph because of its vital identification both with America and with the will of god” (29). This quote established an ethical conclusion made by King; he stated that his efforts would succeed because they agreed with the identification of America and the will of God. King made the assertion here that his cause aligned with what would be best for his country, and he also ethically tied his cause to God. “One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty” (King 3). Here, King stated that everyone had a moral obligation to rebel against an unjust law, but everyone also needed to rebel peacefully and take on the punishment to come. By connecting these ideas together, King had a greater chance of pulling his audience in, especially since his audience were men and women of Christianity. Not only did King connect to his audience on a moral level, but he also connected with them on an emotional