Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

King’s salutation establishes his credibility by proving that he knows his audience and purpose, and it immediately reveals that his goal is to justify his position and not unleash a vicious attack on the clergymen. This simple salutation makes the audience more open to his thoughts, as they realize that the goal isn’t to vilify. His immediate audience is the Birmingham clergymen, and his broader audience is the group of white segregationists. In addition, one of his main points in the article is unity, and addressing the clergymen in this manner emphasizes that theme from the beginning.

In Letter from Birmingham Jail Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is writing a letter in response to eight white Southern religious leaders. King begins by giving his reasoning for addressing them. He mentions that he usually doesn’t address the criticism he receives. He says, “But since I feel you are men of genuine good will and your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I would like to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms.” (King 1) To me, it seems as if Dr. King had a bit of a sarcastic tone, and this is what intrigued me to read this letter.

In Dr. Martin Luther King’s essay, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” he refutes the statements made by the eight clergymen who denounce the demonstration taking place in Birmingham. His letter which he directs to middle class citizens, otherwise known as “white moderates,” is very compelling because King is very in tune to his audience, making them imagine themselves under specific circumstances. King explains that the intent of their “direct-action” is to cause a tension powerful enough to force a response, to direct change. Although the clergymen placed blame on timing of the demonstration, calling it “unwise and untimely,” King, declares they have waited long enough to be further delayed. Throughout his letter, King uses many biblical references to make his readers see the inequality of their society, and what it would continue to be like without change.

While imprisoned in Birmingham Jail, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. received a letter from the local clergymen that condemned his actions, calling them rash and extreme. In response, Dr. King wrote his own letter back defending his decisions. In his Letter from Birmingham Jail, Dr. King appeals to ethos and pathos as he attempts to convince the clergymen of the need for direct action in Birmingham, by showing the similarities in his own struggles and those faced by countless historical and biblical figures.

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.

During the 1960s, black people are terrorized, beaten, thrown in jail, and humiliated, all while religious leaders who preach “doing the right thing,” stand by and watch. Reverend and civil rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr., in his letter, Letter from Birmingham Jail, describes why he is being held in Birmingham Jail and how civil disobedience is used to bring light upon the social injustice of segregation. King’s purpose is to defend himself and his movement, address the problems of clergymen, and to call for a change. He adopts a righteous and direct tone and uses rhetorical appeals in order to express the problems that he, and other people involved in the civil rights movement, are facing to white, male, religious leaders.

On April 3, 1963, blacks began a campaign against discrimination in Birmingham with the help of Martin Luther King, Jr. the court ordered King not to hold a protest in Birmingham. The reason for the protest was the segregation of the races was absurd and it became hard for blacks to reside. Segregation in Birmingham included everything from churches to libraries to restaurants, and even schools. The constant discrimination turned into a rage of violence against the minority group. Through the Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr. the author appeals to the rhetorical devices such as logos, pathos, and ethos to argue his letter which addresses the contradiction in the community of the clergymen.

Martin Luther King Jr. marched the streets into Birmingham leading Fifty three fellow African Americans on Good Friday in 1963. King and his fellow African American’s were protesting about the already existing segregation laws: they were all arrested by clergymen and thrown into the Birmingham Jail. The clergymen of Birmingham wrote a letter, based on King’s and the other African American’s beliefs and protesting, asking the black community to stop the protesting of segregation laws. The letter king wrote in response to the clergymen is known as A Letter from a Birmingham Jail. This letter was a turning point for the Civil Rights Movement and provided inspiration to the racial equality ("Martin Luther King"). King’s letter strives to justify

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is considered one of the most utterly effective pieces of rhetoric in all written literature. Doctor King was an adept scholar fighting for civil rights. Martin Luther King, Jr. used the different rhetorical appeals to respond to eight white clergymen that had publicly criticized him for his actions. Reverend King was so persuasive with his letter that he influenced not only other African Americans to join his fight for equality, but also the White community. As Osborn tells us in his piece “Rhetorical Distance In ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail,’” that Mr. King’s “Letter” went on to cause problems for these eight men (32). He was very effective in portraying his undesirable situation from the point of view of someone that held authority. Along with portraying his circumstances, he provides logical arguments to contradict the white clergymen's statements. In addition to a logical approach, he uses his emotions and passion to make his readers feel sympathy for forsaken situation place upon the segregated community. Reverend King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” provides a vivid insight into the civil rights movement along with rhetorical appeals that persuade his audience to join his fight for justice by establishing authority, reasoning with logic, and engaging our emotions.

Martin Luther King Jr. led a nonviolent protest against segregation that led to equality for African-Americans; however, not everyone agreed that King conducted his actions in a “timely manner.” After eight Alabaman clergyman criticized King for making the situation in Alabama worse, King writes the “Letter from Birmingham Jail as a response to the clergyman and a justification for his actions. King uses pathos, ethos, and logos to prove his claim that his actions occurred in a timely manner.

Just imagine living your entire life as an outcast. Everything you do, everyone you meet, everywhere you go is like a living hell. However, one day you hear a name that will eventually change the world as you know it. Martin Luther King Jr. was a pastor who knew it was time to stand up for African American rights. Martin Luther King Jr. was attempted to convince his readers that his beliefs on racism are true. His main focus, and audience, is the eight white clergymen and the white moderate churchgoers. He is a credible source on the topic of segregation and his tone is smooth and gentle. He was not hateful in his tactics. He gets his point across rather calmly.

Writing from the heart, expressing feelings, having a strong emotional impact on ones audience, using an appeal to emotion and logic, using facts and presenting arguments in a professional way, to the enlightenment of one's viewers; Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail; consists of three Rhetorical Strategies throughout his letter that is known and taught around the world as ETHOS, PATHOS and LOGOS. An appeal to ethics, a means of convincing someone of the character or credibility of the persuader (ethos), an appeal to emotion, and a way of convincing an audience of an argument by creating an emotional response (Pathos), and finally, an appeal to logic, and is a way of persuading an audience by reason (Logos); these three Rhetorical Strategies are used countless times throughout Martin Luther King’s Letter for Birmingham Jail.

In the year of 1963, Martin Luther King was imprisoned for peacefully marching in a parade as a nonviolent campaign against segregation. In Martin Luther King’s essay “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” the paragraphs that have the most emotional appeal are, just as the critics say, paragraphs thirteen and fourteen. King tugs at the reader’s emotions in these specific paragraphs using very detailed examples about the difficult, heart-wrenching misfortunes that have happened to the African American society and what they had to endure on a daily basis in Birmingham by using metaphors, contrasts, alliteration, anaphora, and imagery. As taken from an excerpt of “MLK - Letter From A Birmingham Jail,” In paragraphs thirteen and fourteen of Letter

In King’s essay, “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, King brilliantly employs the use of several rhetorical strategies that are pivotal in successfully influencing critics of his philosophical views on civil disobedience. King’s eloquent appeal to the logical, emotional, and most notably, moral and spiritual side of his audience, serves to make “Letter From Birmingham Jail” one of the most moving and persuasive literary pieces of the 20th century.

Injustice is a big problem in today’s society. Martin Luther King wrote the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in which he addressed many forms of injustices that was present then and continue to be present in today’s world. Martin Luther King did a lot of things that still effect today. He got in trouble for some things as well; such as like protesting how blacks were treated. He was arrested and was sent to Birmingham City Jail. He wrote a letter to defend the strategies of nonviolent resistance to racism. He employs the use of pathos, ethos, and logos to support his argument that nonviolence resistance is definitive. Based on the pathos, ethos, and logos present in this letter, the article is overall effective to this argument.