On April 16, 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested for a peaceful protest against Jim Crow laws and racial injustice faced by the black community. While in jail, King responds to a newspaper written by clergymen to explain and justify his actions. In the letter, he argues that his actions were justified and reasonable. To develop his argument that his actions were not "unwise and untimely," King used various rhetorical devices and appeals. In the beginning of his letter, King uses ethos to establish his credibility. The clergyman's article claims MLK is an outsider; however, due to his presidency in the "Southern Christian Leadership Conference" he refutes, "I am here because I was invited here." I am here because I have organizational ties here." The community welcomed King into their organizations and even elected him to be the leader, emphasizing that they trusted …show more content…
King references the early Christians who faced, "hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks rather than submit to certain unjust laws of the Roman Empire." The mention of these Christians validates MLK's argument since their actions are praised, practiced and honored by all Christians, including the clergymen, so the similar actions of the black community cannot be unjustified. In King's earlier paragraph, he emphasizes that if you break an unjust law to bring attention to its injustice, you must be willing to accept the punishment for it. Similarly to how the early Christians accepted punishment for their crimes to highlight the injustices of the Roman Empire, the King and the black community accepted punishment for their protest to highlight the injustices of the white majority. It was necessary for the black community to accentuate the problems they face to bring awareness to their struggles to fix
Martin Luther King was arrested in Birmingham, Alabama, on April 16, 1963. He was arrested for protesting without a license. Martin Luther King wrote a letter while in jail in response to the clergymen stating that he no longer wanted and waited to be heard. While writing his letter, Martin Luther King uses his claims, rhetorical devices, and sources to develop his argument. The most well known civil rights activist and president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. King is not an
Rhetorical analysis of Martin Luther King’s “A letter from Birmingham jail” The United States of America as a nation suffered multiple racial and social forms of segregation even before its formation, but as the years passed and as each group fought for the right of freedom, they all united under one flag and fought for the values they all believed in such as freedom, dignity and democracy until they gained independence. After the British left and the end of slavery, Americans started to build
In the Birmingham Letter, written by Dr. King in a Birmingham jail, he addresses criticism from fellow priests and talks about the civil rights movement and how the community helps or doesn't help the cause. Dr. King explains that civil disobedience, manifested in civil rights protests, is legitimate and the only way to get what the black community deserves. He also talks about the injustice done to black protesters by the Birmingham police and the white community, and how black people can no longer
In Martin Luther King’s letter from Birmingham Jail, pathos, ethos, and logos are vividly expressed throughout it. All three rhetorical devices are vital to the meaning of the letter; the most influential being pathos. MLK takes advantage of the human body’s strong response to emotion. It is illustrated in his appeal to empathy, exercised mainly through gruesome depictions; his call for action to his peers, as shown when he expresses his disappointment in them as they preserve order over justice;
racial violence in Birmingham, Alabama. On April 16, 1964, Dr. King wrote a letter in jail to refute the clergyman's statement. While writing his letter, King uses various rhetorical devices and appeals to argue that his activities are not "unwise and untimely." In the beginning of his letter, Dr. King establishes credibility by making a claim that he is not an outsider. MLK defends that he is not an outsider when he says, "Several months ago the affiliate here in Birmingham asked us to be on call
African American community. In 1963, during his time spent in Birmingham Jail, he wrote a letter in response to criticizers. In order to help persuade
Rhetorical Analysis “Letter from Birmingham Jail” In 1963 on April 16th, Martin Luther King Jr, who was in the Birmingham jail for non-violent protesting wrote a letter in response to a statement from eight white Clergymen, in which they stated that his recent activities were “unwise and untimely.” In this letter King proceeds to state his purpose and reasons for his timing and his protests and powerfully he does so. He most obviously directs the letter to the Clergymen but there seems to be a many
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's speech, “I Have a Dream” and open letter,“Letter from Birmingham Jail” are both examples of an African American man’s non violent fight against civil inequality. King rebukes statements calling him “unwise and untimely”(374) in the letter, while in the speech, he describes the hope he has for his nation: for all to have equal opportunity to fulfill the American dream. Both text are known to be prime illustrations of historical literature, but much of the greatness can
Martin Luther King, Jr. Wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail” during 1963, in this time frame African Americans were fighting the rest of the population for civil rights. We can see this from the vocabulary MLK uses, like “Negro”, which was majority used when African Americans were not seen as equals. We can also see this through the context of the letter; that he wants freedom for African Americans. The purpose of the letter he wrote in jail, is to convince the clergyman that he and his "people"