Letter From Birmingham Jail By: Austin Ignatovich 11/18/15 Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr. was one of the bravest protesters for the civil rights movement and was also very well educated. In his letter from a Birmingham Jail to his “fellow Clergymen” he answers some questions the Clergymen have on his actions and views about the civil rights movement. MLK’s contemplative tone shows that he knows what what he wants to do and exactly how to do it. He knows what time of year to do it, where to do it, and why it will appeal to the Clergymen. Also, he doesn’t want it to just appeal to the Clergymen, he wants it to appeal to black families who aren’t as well educated as he is therefore he uses references to the bible and Hitler. He is persuading …show more content…
the Clergymen that the actions he’s taking are necessary and reasonable. He was arrested and put in the Birmingham Jail because of his actions such as protesting and enforcing the civil rights movement to stop the segregation of blacks and whites. Ethos is one of the many important literary devices that MLK uses.
Ethos appeals to ethics such as credibility and what is right and wrong. In an example from the letter, he states that “...who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.” This statement is Ethos because he states that breaking a law is wrong but when one does it they have a very high respect for the law which appeals to right and wrong. MLK also says in this quote that if one breaks a law they know that they will take a punishment. One of the reasons why laws are broken is because they might be unfair or unjust laws which is stated in the first amendment that Americans can peacefully assemble. MLK knew he was going to break the law and go to jail, but he felt the law was unfair so he has the right to do so. Another use of Ethos in the letter is where MLK says that “...just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my home town.” He is saying that since Paul carried the word of Jesus Christ, he is carrying the word of freedom not just to his hometown but to the whole nation which he succedes in doing. MLK’s use of Ethos is very effective because he knows it will appeal to his audience, such as, examples from the Bible which appeal to all of …show more content…
his followers. Another well used literary device is Pathos which appeals to emotion. The first example of Pathos is when MLK says “Others have marched with us down nameless streets of the South. They have languished in filthy, roach infested jails, suffering the abuse and brutality of policemen who view them as ‘dirty nigger-lovers.’” He makes the jails sound very bad, so bad one could picture the horrible image. He states this quote in response to the statement “...perhaps I expected too much,” which is exactly right. He didn’t expect the infested jails, with the nameless streets and the police brutality. Another great example of Pathos is when MLK says “There have been more unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than in any other city in the nation.” MLK states that Negroes homes and churches are much more likely to get bombed than any other race. MLK believes that because of this he needs to step up and change the way Negroes are viewed and and so they won’t be disrespected so much that there houses get bombed. MLK uses Pathos very effectively in this letter by painting a picture in his audience's head which gives them an image of what it really feels and looks like in these certain situations. Another use of literary devices comes with Logos. Logos appeals to logic such as facts and statistics. Logos is used well by MLK when he writes “Paul Tillich has said that sin is separation.” This quotes means that he believes that separation of races is a sin. So since segregation is separation is segregation a sin? MLK makes his point when stating this because he proves that segregation is a sin and that what he’s protesting for shouldn’t exist. Another example of Logos in his letter is when MLK states “We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.” MLK means that there is always an opportunity out there to do something good but time needs to be used correctly. The Logos or logic used here is that MLK knows what time to do certain things and when they will have the most impact. MLK successfully uses Logos in his letter to say that he knows what he’s doing and that his actions are right. This appeals to his audience because it gives them reason to believe that he is right and therefore they are right. In MLK’s letter he shows Ethos, Pathos, and Logos very effectively by giving many examples of each throughout the letter.
MLK knows when to use certain examples that will appeal to his audience and make them believe the way he does. He uses Ethos effectively by using credible sources such as the Apostle Paul to say that he has the right to promote freedom for all races. He uses Pathos effectively by painting a great picture to show the harsh conditions of Birmingham jails. He also uses Logos effectively by proving that segregation is a sin, therefore his actions are completely necessary. The most effective literary device that MLK uses is Logos because he shows that separation is a sin and that using time wisely and correctly can result in a more positive outcome. MLK’s letter shows that he will continue protesting until the law is changed because he is passionate about his cause and believes that he is
right.
In his Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. uses his personal experience to convince others of the importance of revising the segregation laws that were in place during the 1960’s. In paragraphs 13 and 14 in particular, there is a lot of language used to persuade the reader’s opinions and emotions toward King’s argument. He does this not only to convince his fellow clergymen, but to inform others of the reality that African Americans faced in the 60’s. Right away in paragraph 13, King uses irony to give his earlier statements about freedom the sense of urgency that it needs: “For years now, I have heard the word ‘Wait!’. It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote his famous “A Letter from the Birmingham Jail” on April 16, 1963 while he was imprisoned in the Birmingham Jail for being involved in nonviolent protests against segregation. The letter is directed at eight white clergymen from Alabama who were very cynical and critical towards African Americans in one of their statements. Throughout the letter, King maintains an understanding yet persistent tone by arguing the points of the clergymen and providing answers to any counterarguments they may have. In the letter, King outlines the goals of his movement and says that he will fight racial inequality wherever it may be. Dr. King uses the appeal three main rhetorical devices – ethos, logos, and pathos – in order to firmly, yet politely, argue the clergymen on the injustices spoken of in their statement.
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 different audiences he wishes to enlighten on his thoughts. From what I gather he wants public figures and everyday men to read his letter, and by doing so he hopes to raise awareness for the cruel acts that have been done to the blacks. King gets his point across, that segregation is unfair and morally not right and that man has a responsibility to act against unjust laws, by using many different strategies throughout the letter. He uses logos, pathos, and ethos to do so. While using these devices he shows emotion, gives logic to his reasoning’s and gives credibility as well.
In Martin Luther King Junior's Letter from Birmingham Jail, King responds to a public statement made by eight Alabama clergymen about African Americans being too extreme and their actions untimely. In this public statement, made on the twelfth of April, 1963, the clergymen also commended the police on their control of the situation. Four days later, King writes a letter showing his opinion on the statements while he sits in the Birmingham jail for parading without a permit. King carefully uses rhetorical devices to force the clergymen to realize that they are the ones responsible for teaching morals. King uses figurative language to create pathos in his audience of Alabama Clergymen
In his letter, Martin Luther King is trying to persuade his readers to understand his action and point of view of an African-American living in this era. He did so all while replying to the public published statement and criticisms written to him by the eight Alabama clergymen. This illuminating work of art that King had created was filled with heightened terminology which was gratified by his precise framework. By King writing this response letter with such high dialect, it reflects off of his determined and highly educated mentality immensely. In this letter King directly tries to build a connection
In accordance to the TRACE elements needed in a rhetorical situation, all five are present. The text includes a letter type written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. explaining why he is in a Birmingham city jail and the injustices he sees in the state of Alabama. The targeted audience is the eight fellow clergymen whom he is replying to after being presented a letter by those clergymen. The audience also includes the general public like the whites and the blacks in the community. The author of the letter is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. himself, a Baptist minister who preached nonviolence and was a pivotal leader in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Dr. King was the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a vital group that led many affiliations to peaceful marches and sit-ins throughout the civil rights movement. The main motivation for this letter is Dr. King’s own view of the injustices apparent in the Negro community and the intended actions the community is taking. Some constraints Dr. King faces...
The letter from Birmingham jail by Dr. Marin Luther King was written as a response of King to nine criticisms made against the Southern Christian leaders and King’s participation in demonstration in Birmingham. King handled many rhetorical devices to convince his opponents such as the white clergymen with his rights to protest, create tension for direct action and to achieve the racial justice. The devices fluctuate between Logos, Pathos and Ethos in a clever way to appeal to his audience and criticize them at the same time. King provided logical supports such as biblical figures, historical and philosophical references. In addition, he used verities of metaphors, allergy and poetic language. In my essay, I will point out some of the rhetorical devices and
Martin Luther King, Jr. is known to be a civil rights activist, humanitarian, a father, and a clergyman. He is well known for fighting for the equal rights of colored people and ending discrimination. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is an important part of history that showed King’s opinion of a letter that he happened to read in the newspaper written by a group of clergyman. In this letter, the group of clergyman report that colored people, also known as black people, are being violent towards Birmingham City. Also, the clergymen believed the time that will allow segregation to be diminished was not happening anytime soon because it is not convenient. King refuted the clergymen’s argument in a variety of ways using tactics of argumentation and persuasion like appeal to emotion through real life examples, appeal to logic, and even articulating certain phrases through metaphors and word choice. Many of these different tactics of argumentation and persuasion made his letter very effective and is now seen as a great piece that is looked upon highly today.
MLK depicted gruesome imagery throughout his letter in order to force the white clergymen to feel the Negros pain. For instance, he mentions how Negros have tried many times to negotiate, and were left with ‘Broken promises, blasted hopes.’(King) Whites had always told the Negros to wait, that their segregation will end eventually. MLK describes the word ‘wait’ as it “rings in the ear of every Negro with a piercing familiarity,” (King), “It’s easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say ‘wait’.”(King) MLK’s choice of poignant wording to describe the Negros pain and suffering is effectively what helps deliver those feelings onto the white clergymen. While gruesome imagery is placed throughout his letter, MLK also dedicates an entire section of his letter solely to gain their understanding. “When you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters with impunity; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro
Martin Luther King, Jr., born on January 15, 1929, was well known for his nonviolent movement to bring justice and to an end to the segregation of the people in the United States back in the 1950s. With King being the leader of a peaceful protest, it failed to bring equally to the colored people. Martin Luther King, Jr. was labeled as an “outsider” who was “hatred and violence” and that his actions were “unwise and untimely” from the Public Statement by Eight Alabama Clergymen (clergymen). In response, on the day of April 16, 1963, he wrote the Letter from Birmingham Jail to declare and defense his movement was not “unwise and untimely” at all. To analyze his points, King used the powerful literary devices of pathos- use of an emotional appeal.ethos-
Reverse Outline of “A Letter from Birmingham Jail ” I. Purpose: To argue the claim that his non-violent campaign is “unjust or untimely” II. Body: Contradiction I. Rejecting the claim that he is an outsider that doesn’t belong in Birmingham a) He was asked to participate in Birmingham. b) He has organizational affiliation in Birmingham II.
Martin Luther King Jr. wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in 1963, during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Before the civil rights movement, the nation had the civil war, from 1861 to 1865. Then, following the war the country added the 13th amendment to the constitution, which made slavery illegal on December 6, 1865. Consequently, after the civil war the south went under “reconstruction”, a period in time where the federal government aided in rebuilding the southern states. Once President Hayes became president, federal troops left the south. Nevertheless, supremacists began to enforce segregation and limited African Americans from voting. However, Dr. King, a leader in the Civil Rights Movement advocated against segregation across
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a pastor, activist, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. Mr. King was a man of honor and respect, even in the troubling situations of serving jail time. People who were supposed to support him questioned his actions, but Dr. King still stood by what he believed in. In Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. King hoped that the white religious leaders would come to his aid but instead found reluctance and opposition. In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King, Jr. refutes his critics claims through the use of passionate tones, metaphors, and allusions.
In 1963, Birmingham was one of the most segregated cities in the South, so civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. brought his campaign of nonviolent resistance to Birmingham. After leading a demonstration on April 12, 1963, King was arrested for violating demonstration ordinances. Shortly after, eight white clergymen in Birmingham sent out a public statement claiming that although they support desegregation, they advise against anymore protests advocated by King, stating that the “demonstrations are unwise and untimely” (Carpenter et al). While in jail, King took an opportunity to continue his campaign by responding to these eight white clergymen. In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” King uses religious and philosophical allusions to effectively convey his intellect and credibility to his audience: the clergymen and his followers.
In conclusion, Dr. King effectively uses rhetorical appeals to persuade the clergymen the cruelty of segregation laws must end. Likewise, he uses ethos by using Socrates’ philosophy to justify the unjustification of racism. Also, he uses pathos to convey guilt, so the clergymen can understand exactly what the African American community is going through. Using logos to justify his argument, Dr. King uses inductive reasoning through the word “wait” to show the African Americans have been waiting for many years. The purpose of Dr. King‘s letter is to persuade the clergymen that segregation laws are unjust.