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Analyzing the letter from Birmingham jail
Analyzing the letter from Birmingham jail
Letter from birmingham jail meaning
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The Report of King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” a letter addressing eight Alabama Clergymen, depicts King’s response to their public. During the time King articulated his response, Birmingham Jail had imprisoned him for not following the court order to cease his protests against segregation. In his rebuttal against their public statement King masters the art of an argument. King’s mastery of argument shines through when looking at his capability of addressing every side of an argument, his ability to use analogies, and his easily understandable repetition.
King’s diction exemplifies his ability to include every side of an argument. When he argues, his first point remains to justify the point he is proving wrong to ensure full understanding. When king rephrases his opposes “in your statement” he refers back to original source of controversy that led him to write his argument. This helps the reader understand exactly were he bases his argument on leaving no room for misconceptions. He addresses first their argument then proves it wrong in his. By acknowledge first his opponents view “you express great deal of anxiety” he expresses his own opinion on theirs. By a showing both sides of the argument, King obliterates any opportunity for misunderstanding. Another aspect in pulling in all sides of his argument can be seen when instead of using his own opinion to deflect the argument; King uses the words of prestigious people. When King states, “I agree with St. Augustine” he shows that his point remains not only his, but also the belief of a very well renowned person. In using the words of St. Augustine, King demonstrates utmost reason. His rivals in this way cannot minimize his point for King shares the same view as more respect...
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...ome laws and obeying others?” Then using the same words to express his opinion “there are two types of laws,” King explains his point very clearly. By revealing words in two different forms, such as “privileged groups seldom give up their privileges” King demonstrates the extremity of his point. For not only are the groups “privileged” they also have “privileges” which extends and explains just how “privileged.” By using the same word to explain the word itself, King shows he has the explainable skill of writing figured out.
King demonstrates his mastery of an argument in his capability to see and use every side of an argument, depict analogies to further understanding, and create repetition to expand the understanding of his argument. King’s obvious skill in writing can be seen throughout all of his work, but shines most bright in his letter from Birmingham.
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.
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.
...hat had to be changed. If King had not written this letter he would not have had the opportunity to change the views of segregation. To change the minds of a reader is a hard thing to do. I felt that Martin Luther king was a master in the art of persuasion.
King's essay, overall, features more of the characteristics, as well as the accessibility to produce a higher level of comprehension and relevance for the reader.
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
After being jailed in the Birmingham city jail, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister who preached nonviolence, wrote this response to a published statement by eight fellow clergymen from Alabama. This letter was not only composed under somewhat constricting circumstances but was written in a way that can be analyzed to be considered as a classic argument. Not only does it contain the five elements needed in a rhetorical situation, but the letter includes the six parts of an argument, the five types of claims, and even the three types of proofs. Dr. King’s letter fully satisfies all requirements needed in order to be considered a classic argument.
King's Argument in A Letter from Birmingham Jail In Dr. King's essay Letter from Birmingham Jail, he addresses the claims made about his arrest by the eight clergymen. His responses are very long and detailed, giving a very compelling and moving point of view. His letter is directed to his audience, which consists of white middle class citizens who Dr. King refers to as the 'white moderates'. Dr. King's letter is very persuasive because his use of pathos makes the audience think or imagine themselves in the situation.
...church. With each claim the clergymen provided, King refuted their claim with evidence and more by describing what should be done with segregation laws. King’s tone in this piece was appropriate because he did not come off as someone who wanted to spread hate and prove the clergymen wrong. He genuinely wanted to change their views and show them the flaws of society regarding policemen and even the church. His tone was not threatening or spiteful, he made sure to address that he was trying to come off as respectful and concerned.
King makes good use of Aristotle's three argumentative appeals. Though, he does not use strong facts in his logical appeals. This is reasonable, as he was in jail. He did not have any way to get evidence, which would be necessary to provide proof. Nonetheless, this would have made King a much more reliable source. King's letter is mostly an ethical piece. And it has to be, because the letter is a reply to criticisms pointed to King. For whatever reasons, the cultural effects of the letter are great. King used the letter to explain what his logic, reasons, and purposes were.
In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King is able to effectively argue against criticisms through the use of passionate and calm tones, vivid metaphors, and biblical and historical allusions. King uses numerous biblical allusions to resonate with his clergymen audience and to make them realize that they were condemning a righteous movement. The vivid language in metaphors captures emotion and expands understanding. Mr. King was able to do anything to end the injustice in Birmingham and his commitment was shown in his tone.
by clarifying that there are just and unjust laws. He also goes on to explain the difference between the two, the effect of unjust laws on the people that they are aimed towards, as well as examples of such laws.
King's main thesis in writing the Birmingham letter is that, racial segregation, or injustice to the black American society, is due to the continuous encouragement of the white American society, particularly the powerful communities in politics and religions. King defends his primary thesis all throughout the length of his letter, and the arguments that he has made to prove that his thesis is true and valid will be the focus of this rhetorical analysis.
This essay is very influential from the start to the very end. He uses terms that make oppression seem to terrible, to make them feel bad about what they let happen. King seems very successful in capturing the audience that he intended to capture through stating scripture to draw in the Christians, words that are used to describe things that would be so much worse; like using evil to describe oppression or unjust, to writing it down in an obvious form that everyone could understand. He left them with very powerful messages that will linger in their minds until they cannot take it anymore, until they see that it is actually wrong and do something to fix the justice system to which they are governed under. By leaving with that thought of mind, he was very successful in getting his point through to all he intended it for.
King uses a question and solution expository mode to effectively set up claims about justice and differentiate between two ideas. He asks, “How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law” (16). He starts out with a question, which relates his purpose of exploring what makes a law just (and therefore obediently followed). This questioning shows that he has thought a lot about justice. His actions are well thought out, which tells the clergymen and other white readers that he is sincere and respectful. The solutions he presents are also well thought out, and his explanations seem fathomable. His claim that a law that is in line with moral or natural laws is just seems a given because of the way he set this up.