Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail

"Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear drenched communities and in some not too distant tomorrow the radian stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty." (King Jr., p. 812) Throughout "Letter from Birmingham Jail", Martin Luther King Jr. Exploits phrases and ideals similar to the quote above to address the eight clergymen who questioned his radical methods. In his letter, King utilizes his credibility as a minister and a Doctor of theology, the emotions of his audiences and the (LOGOS) in an attempt to convince the clergymen

In the letter, "Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., King wrote a letter in response to his clergymen and newspaper article on April 16, 1963. During this time, King was in jail for his "unwise and untimely" actions. However, King did not think that, instead, he thought that what he did was the right timing and the most reasonable thing to do. He believes that right now that they are living in a world full of injustice and he tries to persuade them that this should not be looked over. While writing his letter, King uses rhetorical devices and appeals to develop his argument that there is a need for change and that he is not an outsider.

This forces the clergymen to come to the conclusion that if they don’t like the disrespect MLK is throwing on the church, then they must take action to prevent such disrespect in the future. Another highly effective way that MLK appeals to pathos is by bringing his audience into the letter. In the letter King gives his opinion on the praises being given to the Birmingham police force by writing what he saw in the situation. King writes, ““I doubt that you would so quickly commended the policemen if you were to observe their ugly and inhumane treatment. . . if you were to watch them push old Negro women and young Negro girls. .

Martin Luther King Jr. was a man who genuinely knew how to capture his audiences with his words. In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” makes an appeal to his reader about the injustices that have been set in place by the oppressor. In the letter he talks about numerous things, mortal authority in Christian communities, American ideas, and the suffering of the African American community. Dr. King uses logos to persuade the reader why he s protesting in the first place because the oppressor has broken the negotiation between the whites and the African American. His logical argument to why the ideal way to proceed with non-violent protests is because of the political decisions that have been made. An example he brings up is the idea of there being just and unjust laws in America and as citizens those unjust should be deliberately disobeyed. Dr. King says, “Conversely, one has a mortal responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that “an unjust law is no law at all” he soon starts to define what both type of laws means…”A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law…An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the mortal law.” In order to persuade his reader about the idea he has do more than engage with the readers emotions. By Dr. King defining what the difference between the two laws sets a more conceiving idea of the treatment towards African American. Martin Luther King basic point is unjust laws do not just hurt the one being oppressed but also the one doing the oppressing. This is more of logos appeal for the reason he is not trying to connect with the reader emotionally but rather make sure the reader understands his cause for the protests.

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.

The use of these facts gave context to the situation while showing the measures that African Americans suffered through to seek change. Reverend King did not only use logos to justify why they protested, but also why they could not wait for the government.

What is King’s purpose in writing this letter from Birmingham jail? Why did Martin Luther King write this letter? Throughout King’s letter he utilizes the three corners of the Rhetorical Triangle. Rhetoric is the art of persuasion, the art of convincing a reader of your point of view. As we analyze the intricate concepts of the Triangles corners: Ethos the morals and justice, Logos the logic and Pathos his passion. It’s better to see a well done example of the three concepts accomplished. Rhetorical writing is basically how a writer and or speaker can persuade an audience using particular techniques, By using these tools, strategies and techniques the writer can win over there audience in an influential way. Martin Luther King wants them to

when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six year old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people; when you have to concoct an answer for a five year old son who is asking: "Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?" King demonstrates his ability to inspire his fellow civil rights activists, raise empathy in the hearts of white conservatives, and create compassion in the minds of the eight clergyman to which the "Letter" is directed.Ethos are present throughout the “Letter” but there was one specific example that caught my attention. “Let us consider a more concrete example of just and unjust laws. An unjust law is a code

The beginning of King’s speech starts with his address to “[his] fellow clergymen” (1). Throughout and with multiple examples, King attempts to back up his argument with the appeal of logos. One of King’s main arguments in his letter

Dr. Martin Luther King uses ethos, pathos and logos throughout his whole letter to clergy men. When Dr. King says “I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in ever Southern state with headquarters in Atlanta Georgia. We have some 85 affiliate organizations across the South… Several months ago our local affiliate here in Birmingham invited us to be on call to in a nonviolent direct action program if such were deemed necessary,” he is using ethos. He is saying that he is credible for his leadership and his authority. In this letter, he also uses the appeal of pathos. He is using pathos when he says “Daddy why do white people treat colored

During the 1960’s, racism was still a prominent problem in America. The Civil Rights Movement was under way. African Americans were fighting for their basic human rights. One of the most notable figures of the Civil Rights Movement was Martin Luther King Jr. He fought for African American’s rights using nonviolent resistance; however, during a protest in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. King was thrown into jail. While in his jail cell, Dr. King wrote a letter to clergymen from the Birmingham jail claiming his stance on peaceful confrontation on defending African American’s human rights. In his letter, Dr. King uses rhetorical devices to strengthen his argument in his letter to the clergymen. In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham

Once Dr. King arrived to Birmingham jail, he was faced with difficult conditions. An ally of his sneaked in a newspaper that was published on April 12th. There was a statement written by eight clergymen called “A Call for Unity,” which went against what King and his campaign were implementing on the streets of Birmingham, Alabama. The statement enraged Dr. King to write a response. Dr. King used logos in the letter to help support his counter argument against the clergymen. “In spite of my shattered dreams..” King wrote, “... I came to Birmingham with the hope that the religious leadership... Would see the justice.” By stating this, he showed pathos. King put into words that through the process to end segregation, there was hardship along the way, and dreams were destroyed by other people's actions who did not display care towards the black community.

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.

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” after an unjust proposal made by eight white clergymen. Their claims were to be that no Negro “outsider” should be allowed to establish or lead any protest and should leave them to their local neighborhoods. King replied directly to the clergymen, but used religious ties to also have his voice heard in the public. In his counter argument, King strategically used logical evidence, emotional aspects and good motives to present his perspective to the clergymen.

Dr. King was arrested in 1963 in the struggle for civil rights for African-Americans. “The Letter from Birmingham Jail”, written a few days after King’s arrest, defended Dr. King’s argument about the civil rights movement. He uses the pathos, ethos, and logos modes of persuasion and uses several rhetorical strategies such as metaphors, citing authority, parallelism, Rogerian strategy, and anaphora to defend his argument against racism and segregation.