“Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from a jail cell in Alabama on April 16th, 1963. The reason he was in jail is he led a non-violent protest against Jim Crow laws that separated facilities between Blacks and Whites. This letter was written to response to a letter that was published in a local newspaper from eight clergymen who criticized King’s protests “unwise and untimely.” In letter, the author explained for his actions, and demonstrated his protest is necessary. "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is completely one of successful argument I have read. Today, I am going to analyze how much affected of three argument strategies Martin Luther King used in his letter: ethos, pathos, and logos. First, I am going to analyze ethos that King used in his letter. Ethos is a method making readers have to trust author in order for author to be persuasive; we appeal to ethos whenever we present ourselves as credible and trustworthy. One of the best ways to enhance our argument’s ethos is demonstrate that we are knowledgeable. In the third paragraph, King mentioned that, “Like Paul, I must constantly respond to Macedonian call for aid.” By mentioning that, he created the ethos by demonstrating his knowledge about Paul. He compared his situation to Paul’s makes the readers not only realize his knowledge of Paul’s early response to the Macedonian but also understand that he is doing a lofty mission. He further developed this ethos of his knowledge by using his familial history within the church to appeal to the higher authority and knowledge of both God, and the church. In the paragraph 39, Dr. King stated, “I am in the rather unique position of being the son, the grandson and great-grandson of preachers.” Aft... ... middle of paper ... ...ons is impossible in this moment, because his petitions had been ignored. Because of this ignoring is the reason led to his demonstrations “to create a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has consistently refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.” After supporting his decision with the fact that the community refuses to pay attention his petitions, the logic of why demonstrations are the better way than negations seems be clear and necessary. In conclusion, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” of Dr. Martin Luther King is one of the best arguments. King was successful to use three argument strategies ethos, pathos, and logos to help readers to gain an insight into his views and opinions through this letter. The readers were convinced that his demonstrations are reasonable, necessary; and the segregation must be rejected out of human life.
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.
... 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.
To establish ethos, arguments must attain three things: credibility, authority, and unselfish motives. Together, Martin Luther King has an excellent display of ethos in his letter, “Letter from the Birmingham Jail”. King “came to Birmingham with the hope that the white religious leadership of this community would see the justice of our cause … Struggle to rid our nation of racial and economic injustice” (1963) His dream of equality is not selfish at all. He goes on to explain his experience being black, being segregated and treated badly as if his people was an exile in their own land. Containing personal experiences and knowing this topic very well, King has an authority to speak. He affirms his credibility by showing he has done his homework by referencing to hard evidence like Jesus Christ, Thomas Jefferson, John Bunyan, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther to support his own cause. Once
In “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King, Jr. uses a catalogue of personal experiences in order to appeal to the emotions of the reader, also called pathos, by utilizing concrete language, semicolons, and lengthy sentences. He not only entices the emotions of the fellow clergymen he is addressing, but also society in general, attempting to reveal the true situation of the oppressed Negroes during this time in the Civil Rights Movement.
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.
In the "Letter from a Birmingham Jail", Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. responds to an article by eight clergymen, in which he explains the racial injustice in Birmingham, and reasons why King's organization is protesting for Civil Rights. He introduces himself and his actions at the beginning of his letter. He states that the purpose of his direct action protest is to open the door for negotiation on the Civil Rights. He tries to convince his audience by providing evidence in order to gain his audience to be involved in his movement and support him. He also highlights police actions against nonviolent Negros and crimes against humanity in Birmingham city jail.
His argument did a great job of convincing me why the clergymen had flaws in their first statement and how to refute them well with different sort of argumentative tactics. King did a great job incorporating appeal to emotion, ethical appeal, appeal to reason and even use of language through word choice and metaphors into a strong argument.
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; and his strategic use of pathos as a supporting effort for both ethos and logos arguments.
King had gained respect from some audience because of his soft tone. He established his ethos to readers, especially to the white, by saying, “I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state” (King, Martin Luther, Jr.). To connect his idea to the real world, he used the image of Apostle Paul left the village to carry the gospel of Jesus Christ as it’s his duty to carry the gospel of freedom beyond his hometown.
...King, Jr. also used allusions from credible sources, such as the philosophers Socrates, the reformer Martin Luther, and Abraham Lincoln to emphasize how his view point is widespread. He also included Jewish Rabbi Martin Buber and Catholic St. Thomas Aquinas to show how members of his audiences’ faiths have even supported his viewpoint.
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.
King’s letter was influenced by “Apology”, The Bible, and The Tanakh, some of the most important pieces of philosophical literature in history. Socrates in “Apology” is known to be one of the founders of Western philosophy because he was successful in challenging and persuading his audience. And it is because of Socrates, the art of philosophy is so successful today. King used this source to justify disobedience and defend his reason for his actions as an advocate of desegregation. The Bible and The Tanakh were used as Christian references to justify the moral justification of his actions.
The injustice of segregation laws is leading to a violent impact throughout the African American community, as they strive to have equal rights. In the essay, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr. describes many struggles the African American community is going through. Dr. King effectively uses rhetorical appeals to persuade the clergymen that segregation laws are unjust and must end.