More handpicked essays just for you.
Short biography of Martin Luther King
Ethos logos and pathos example paper
Ethos logos and pathos example paper
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was released on April 16th of 1963 in response to eight prominent clergymen in Alabama. These clergymen had criticized Doctor Martin Luther, Jr. about being a radical extremist for the civil rights movement. Also, the clergymen tried to encourage the black community to disassociate themselves from the protests MLK was having. They claimed his protests were untimely and meant to incite violence amongst the patrons of Alabama and further polarize whites and blacks. In response, Dr. King devises a writing masterpiece with this letter from the Birmingham Jail by utilizing ethos, logos, and pathos to express his frustration with the white moderates. Nonetheless, he wrote this article with a stubby pencil and margins of mangled newspapers while sitting in a prison cell as a result of his rebellious actions in the eyes of the white moderates. The letter is abundant with syntax, analogies, and word choice to reinforce his argument …show more content…
against the white moderates. First, his linguistic style in the letter displays his frustrations with the white moderate by utilizing specific words that hold a larger than life meaning which really make the reader cringe. For example, word selections such as oppression, injustice, and appalling are found in the letter. These words scream the frustration that he holds with the white moderates, but this is nothing compared usage of Christian based words. For example, his use of the word crucifixion is influential. This word to any Christian holds holds a ton of weight in a biblical sense being that crucifixion was the way their savior was killed, but to compare the actions of a white moderate on an african american is robust. Also, He is saying the persecution of himself is a martyr for the common good of the United States. This is such a powerful word and combination with his specifically placed words throughout the piece can show the utter frustration Dr. King deals with by being wrongfully imprisoned. In addition, Doctor King uses logos to poke holes in the white moderates beliefs in the constitution. He calls them out for not following through with the “unalienable rights”, as quoted by Thomas Jefferson and is rooted in the very foundation of our country. In the letter Doctor King states, “We must come to see that, as the federal courts have consistently affirmed, it is wrong to urge an individual to cease his efforts to gain his basic constitutional rights because the quest may precipitate violence. Society must protect the robbed and punish the robber.” He is making a direct reference to the Brown Vs. Board of Education (1954) Supreme Court case. In this case the schools were integrated and segregation became illegal, but in the South many people refuted the rulings of this case and preceded with discriminations and segregations. The final sentence of the quote really shows his frustrations by saying that it is time to punish those who truly disobey the laws and protect those who were wrongly disenfranchised by it before. He is calling the white moderates the true criminals for breaking the precedent set by the Brown Vs. Board of Education (1954) and is upset that they cannot follow the racial laws the government they adore. Also, at one point claiming that the African American community has lost faith in America for siding with the devil, or white moderates. With this one sentence, Dr. King is associating the white moderates to the devil, which in this time period is a very serious allegation for the Christian white moderates . There is no stronger way for a pastor to exemplify his irritation with the white moderates but to make them a comparison to them and the devil. Not only does he write about his frustration with the white moderates but with the federal government as well. MLK is displeased with the selective use of the phrase “All men are created equal” that is only applies to the whites and states that this country cannot follow the same ideals this country was founded on. Thus leaving him to be frustrated with the country as well as the white moderates. In accordance with logos, he questions the white moderates’ beliefs by calling them hypocrites of their own Christian beliefs. Throughout history, the South has been made up of Anglican Christians and has always been a very religious area of the United States. Questioning the strength of the religious beliefs in a white moderate at this time is a good way to expose them and exemplify frustrations of MLK. He does this by using Hypophora. King wrote, ”Isn't this like condemning Jesus because his unique God-consciousness and never-ceasing devotion to God's will precipitated the evil act of crucifixion?” He uses repeated questions to show how absurd the white moderates argument is against him. He questions them to question their true faith in Christianity, because any rational Christian would side with his argument. Not only does he use hypophora as a way to question the white moderates in a religious sense but in a logical one as well. The repeated questions are meant to make the comparison to Dr. King’s wrongful imprisonment to situations he asks the reader. The readers can make a very logical decision based on the situations entailed that he has been wrongfully been imprisoned by the white moderates. This is also meant to question the clergymen reading it if they made the right decision because the comparisons made to Martin’s imprisonment seem irrational. Showing once again how he is frustrated with the white moderates for imprisoning for ludicrous reasons in his eyes. MLK uses pathos to rally the readers to back his argument with syntax.
He uses analogies to compare the civil rights movement to the teachings of Jesus Christ and his disciples. Being in a very predominant Christian area makes his argument very powerful. He knows Christians will side with Jesus Christ and is hoping to show the clergymen how they are disobeying the teachings of Jesus and gain their repentance. By repeatedly making this connection between his peaceful protests and Jesus’ teachings he is able to expose the white moderates are not the clergymen they call themselves to be. Since the Christian readers will side with the side of with any side Jesus would back, this will lead to a large following for Martin Luther, who ironically shares the name of the priest who led the Protestant reformation, and a call for change in the world. He uses this to prove where the clergymen went wrong in their understanding of his teachings and shows his frustration in why they haven’t backed his cause from the
beginning. Lastly, He utilizes pathos effectively by using inclusive pronouns such as our, we, us, and brothers to describe his resentment but also rally the readers around his point. The inclusive pronouns are a humble addition to the letter by showing his disappointment with the white moderates, but still respects their opinions unlike what they did with him. He is frustrated in his “white brother from Texas” because there is a necessity to make a change now and cannot comprehend the troubles he and other African Americans deal with on a daily basis and why it is Also, the inclusive pronouns are used to rally pro-civil rights Americans around his crusade by saying that “our” actions reflect the beliefs of other African Americans, who will continue to join the fight against the white moderate.
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 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 convince his fellow clergymen, but to inform others of the reality that African Americans faced in the 60’s.
In 1963, Martin Luther King wrote a response to clergymen who criticized his actions while he was stuck in the Birmingham city jail. This letter, titled “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, was written on the side of a newspaper and secretly taken out of jail by King’s lawyer. The goal of this letter was to address and confront concerns that were brought up in the clergymen’s letter titled, “A Call for Unity”. In “A Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King asserts a strong emotional appeal on the clergymen who oppose his actions by placing guilt on them when he inserts Biblical references periodically throughout his letter.
While in jail, Martin Luther King wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” one of Dr. King’s longest letters. This letter talked about about why some laws should and be broken and why there was such a need for the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. King wrote “when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick, brutalize, and even kill your black brothers and sisters with impunity”. This quote is important to the Civil Rights Movement because it emphasizes how many black brothers and sisters were being drowned, beaten, and hated purely on the color of their skin. They were being segregated, one example being “Funtown”, an amusement park for the white children only, Dr. King demanded this to stop. Alongside writing about the Civil Rights Movement, Dr.
... and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter From Birmingham Jail" are very different in terms of literary technique and approach, the two works bear some uncanny similarities that yield some surprising likenesses in many aspects. The comparisons and contrasts drawn here highlight the most significant of those features with respect to the works of two men who are both revered for the virtues they espoused during their lifetimes.
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.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested on April 12, 1963, in Birmingham, for having a protest without a proper permit. On the exact day King was arrested, eight clergymen from Alabama wrote a letter called “A Call for Unity.” The letter called for termination of civil activities and demonstrations and designated King an “outsider” and saying that outsiders were the problems in Birmingham and not the blacks that are from there. On April 16 King wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, which was his responds to his fellow clergymen. He wrote the letter as a means to convince the clergymen and the white moderate that the nonviolent demonstrations that had got him arrested, were a necessity and to enlighten them on why the segregation laws in the southern states needed to be changed. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” King uses logos, pathos, and ethos to persuade the clergymen and convince them in assisting him in putting an end to segregation laws of blacks in Birmingham, Alabama.
Recently you have received a letter from Martin Luther King Jr. entitled “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” In Dr. King’s letter he illustrates the motives and reasoning for the extremist action of the Civil Rights movement throughout the 1960’s. In the course of Dr. King’s letter to you, he uses rhetorical questioning and logistical reasoning, imagery and metaphors, and many other rhetorical devices to broaden your perspectives. I am writing this analysis in hopes you might reconsider the current stance you have taken up regarding the issues at hand.
The “Letter From a Birmingham Jail” is a text directed to all of America in 1963, written by Martin Luther King Jr., during his stay in one of the of Birmingham’s prisons. His intention of writing an open letter was to tell the world the injustice “the white people” had done not only to him, but to all Afro-Americans. The main stimulus was a statement made by a Clergymen naming the actions and the activities of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference as unwise and untimely. However, the purpose of this letter is to show that those actions are totally wise and timely.
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.
“…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…” –Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from a Birmingham Jail. Over the years, many groups of people have been denied basic human rights just based on simple things such as gender or race. These acts go against the UDHR, or the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The UDHR is a document of the equal and inalienable rights/freedoms all people are born with. One statement from the UDHR that was disregarded is the right to an equal education. An example from not too long ago is the story of Malala Yousafzai who was shot for trying to get an education because she is a girl. Article 26 of the UDHR states: “Everyone has the right to an education…”
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.
"Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter from Birmingham Jail, which was written in April 16, 1963, is a passionate letter that addresses and responds to the issue and criticism that a group of white clergymen had thrown at him and his pro- black American organization about his and his organization's non- violent demonstrative actions against racial prejudice and injustice among black Americans in Birmingham.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the leader of a peaceful movement to end segregation in the United States this mission led him in 1963 to Birmingham, Alabama where officials and leaders in the community actively fought against desegregation. While performing sit-ins, marches and other nonviolent protests, King was imprisoned by authorities for violating the strict segregation laws. While imprisoned King wrote a letter entitled “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, in which he expresses his disappointment in the clergy, officials, and people of Birmingham. This letter employed pathos to argue that the leaders and ‘heroes’ in Birmingham during the struggle were at fault or went against their beliefs.