Martin Luther King Ethos Pathos Logos

In his “Letter to Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King employs the use of logos and allusions to strengthen his point and get others to see his stance on advocating for civil disobedience. King uses logos in the quote, “So the purpose of the distraction is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitable open the door to negotiation (King, page 7). The logos in this text is persuasive because his logic follows a clear path and makes sense to the vast majority of people. Most can understand the reasoning behind what King is saying and how it relates to the matter at hand. The logic also gives the impression that King knows what he’s talking about when he makes this sensible and rational statement.

He used a combination of logos and pathos to make it resonate on a deeper level with his audience. Another time Martin Luther King uses logos is after his arrest for peaceful protest against unconstitutional bans in 1963; his audience at the time were the clergymen, he states in his letter that African Americans “have waited for more than 340 years for their god given rights” he’s referencing the historical struggles of African Americans not being given their rights after so long of being lynched, bought and sold, brutally murdered or assaulted, and finally being promised rights they never saw go into action, to show the unjust nature of segregation. He also taps into pathos to connect with his readers'

Firstly, in response to the comment that his present activities are unwise and untimely, Martin Luther King, Jr. explains why he chose to lead the non-violent protest in Birmingham and why they chose the specific time.

Compare “I Have a Dream” and “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. effectively uses logos and pathos in his “I Have a Dream” speech and “Letter from Birmingham Jail” to persuade the specific audience for each occasion. Dr. King appeals to the civil rights activists during the March on Washington in his “I Have a Dream” speech by using logos in the beginning and pathos towards the end. An example of the logos in Dr. King’s speech “I Have a Dream” is when he’s telling the audience what must happen in order to acquire justice: “But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful

Logos means reason. Martin Luther King Jr. uses logos to show why he is delivering this speech and why he wants things to change. He is delivering this speech to show how many blacks and other races, that weren’t being treated equally, really didn’t have freedom like they should. “It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro.” (King, M. L. Jr. (1963, Aug.28) Para 6) “Instead of honoring the sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds.’” (King, M. L. Jr. (1963, Aug.28) Para 5) These quotes are just a couple of the logos quotes Martin Luther King said in his speech.

The quote appeals to the ethical obligation that any righteous activist should take while pursuing change. As an activist King was required to be open to every channel of

Martin Luther king uses ethos in many cases in his remarkable speech “I Have a Dream”. He uses ethos in his speech to connect with his audience and persuade them that they are fighting with other famous Americans. Such as famous fathers and Abraham Lincoln. Martin Luther king’s approach is very smart because he knows the American people trust famous people so using them as examples they will be on Martin Luther King’s side.

On August 28, 1963, people around the nation tuned into hear several civil rights speeches going on in Washington. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of those civil rights speakers, and that day he gave his famous “I have a dream” speech. In Dr. Martin Luther King Juniors speech, he spoke about unifying the nation, to create a place where Americans “will not be judged by the color of your skin but by the content of your character.”(2) He shocked the nation into actions advising that they’re will be a “rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual.”(1) Thankfully, many people in America were changed, and wanted to make a difference after

Ethos is defined in our textbook as, “showing that you know what you are talking about exerts an ethical appeal, as does emphasizing that you share values with and respect your audience” (Lunsford and Ruskiewic, Page 26). Martin Luther King, Jr., is a man that can be described as an typical American, we know this due to his “I Have A Dream” speech centered around equality. “My Dear Fellow Clergymen” ("Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]").

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Dr. King

During this speech Logos, Pathos, and Ethos was given. Pathos and Ethos is one when King explains the way he think things should be and shouldn’t be. King agree that segregation is not the way things should have been. We should all be equal. King references the beliefs of the Founding fathers, who declared that America would be a land of freedom where all men are created equal.

Martin Luther King Jr. has had many sensational speeches. The successes presented in the two excerpts can be used as examples for success towards other speeches. In speeches ethos is used to reach out to the audience like Martin Luther King Jr. does. Professor Brown defines ethos as voice of credibility. Martin Luther King Jr. during his two excerpts uses pathos. Professor Brown defines pathos as passion, and narrative. In most speeches Martin Luther King Jr. uses logic, logos to addresses the audience into understanding the meanings. Professor Brown defines logos as logic. Logic is supported by science, induction and deduction.

Throughout his speech, Martin Luther King Jr. gave many examples of ethos, logos, and pathos. In literature, ethos is defined as, “An appeal to ethics, and a means of convincing someone of the character or credibility of the persuader,” and I believe that the term was applied into his speech. Near the beginning of the speech, in order to make his audience feel like they are fighting along with other well-known Americans, like Abe Lincoln, Martin says, “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation” (1). This shows that a great president, who was well known by many, fought for black equality, just like King is, and will make his audience feel as if they are fighting for the same reason as well.

King used numerous examples of pathos, ethos, and logos throughout his speech. Pathos appeals to audience’s emotions and feelings, whereas ethos relies on the author's credibility. Logos are used in heated discussions to help get a message across. Pathos often rely on the use of logos and ethos to be effective. An example of pathos used in his speech is how he could guide the emotion of the crowd to make them feel sympathetic towards African Americans. He could make the crowd understand how segregation was tearing the country apart and made people have feelings toward the subject. He stated, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”. (King) He talked as a parent wanting the best for his children which emotionally touches people because many people want their children to have a better life than they did growing up. He used ethos in the beginning of the speech when he stated” Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. In this example, he refers to President Lincoln and the great work he had done to abolish slavery. This example provides credibility to his speech because he referenced president Abraham Lincoln who played a major role in the ending of slavery. He also referenced the Declaration of Independence, the most important piece of literature ever written for this

This use of Logos in Martin Luther's Speech shows the folks a truth of what has not truly took impact to each African yankee person, or each Negroid within the us.