Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

Faced with animosity and degradation, African Americans in the United States during the 1960’s had little to no rights. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted to right the wrongs and lack of equality him and many African Americans were facing. This ultimately led him to participate and lead peaceful civil rights protests and sit-ins in hopes of changing the status quo. These peaceful demonstrations ultimately led to his incarceration in the Birmingham, Alabama jail in 1963. Letter from Birmingham Jail written by King during his stint in jail acknowledges some of the motivations he had behind his protests and actions. In his letter, King utilizes pathos in order to appeal to the critiquing clergy men, he addresses their criticisms head on whilst

Throughout his letter King goes through a laundry list of complaints that the clergymen have made against him, and proves that though his methods may be unique they are for the greater good. He explains to the clergymen that Birmingham is different and more segregated than any city he’s gone to, and thus he must conduct things differently there. In the fifteenth paragraph Dr. King is having an imaginary conversation with a clergymen about him not abiding by the law. He uses ethos and poses himself the question the clergymen are no doubt wondering in regard to his illegal activities stating: “‘How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?’” (347). This is the main criticism the preachers have against him, and that he is fueling the fires between white and black citizens in Birmingham. He answers the question by saying “the answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust” (347). King is telling the reader- by using ethos- that he doesn’t care what the legal laws are if they infringe upon human rights and moral laws. By differentiating between the two types of laws, King is essentially saying that he will do everything he can to make all laws just. In using those two sentences, Dr. King sets up the credibility of his character making him seem more concerned about the people than the