Rhetorical Analysis Of Dr. Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

Imagine being beaten, thrown in jail, and denied your basic human rights. This is the exact pain and suffering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. went through during his fight for African American rights. Dr. King was an educated African American preacher and civil rights leader. By writing this letter, he is able to show what life was like for an African American at this point in history. King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” is effective at convincing the audience that segregation is wrong and that colored people should have the same rights as all others.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is first able to make “Letter From Birmingham Jail” and effective piece because of the credibility, also known as ethos, he has and the references he uses throughout

the letter. The first big example of this is “Was Jesus not an extremist for love.” (King 5). He is comparing what he is doing for the African Americans, fighting for their rights, to what Jesus did for all of his followers. He references many other prominent figures in history for being extremists for different causes; such as Paul the apostle, Abraham Lincoln, John Bunyan, and Thomas Jefferson (King 5). Dr. King also puts himself in the same category as the other historical figures. This gives the reader the idea that he is on the same path as the others and therefore creates an image of trustworthiness towards what he is saying. He also used the teachings of Gandhi as a great inspiration for him. After Dr. Mordecai Johnson taught about his nonviolent protests, King “launched into an exhaustive study of Gandhi’s teachings” (Historic World Leaders 3). This also creates a form of credibility in the reader's eyes because Gandhi was completely nonviolent no matter what the others put him through. This made the readers believe that King would follow in his footsteps and react to anything with nonviolence.
Along with ethos, Dr.

King also uses pathos to effectively appeal to the reader’s emotions. The most effective usage of pathos is showing how segregation was hard on anyone no matter their age. He describes his interaction with his young daughter, “see tears well up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children” (King 2). This section is meant for you to see that even simple things are taken away just because of their skin color. The child is seen as innocent in all of this and they still are being punished for something they cannot control. King also uses another approach that focuses more on the horror that African Americans faced by white extremists, “vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers… drown your sisters and brothers… when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters” (King 2). No one in their right mind would want to endure any of this or have anyone they care about face what these people faced. This creates a sense of guilt and sympathy for the oppressed people. Although he shows many of the sad ways the African Americans were treated, he also uses pathos by creating inspiration for the people. His mother is quoted as saying, “You must never feel that you are less than anybody else. You must always feel that you are somebody.” (Historic World Leaders 3). This also can be attributed to emotions because it creates inspiration for the African Americans, but it also gives the reader some

pride that the African Americans will not give up and will continue to be proud of who they are.
Another obvious device that he uses to make an effective letter is logos, or the logic behind his research. The best example of this is, “He is there because he must be there.” (Osborn 28). This is not meaning that that he was forced to be there, but he is there because he is the biggest civil rights leader and it will take his action to resolve what is going on in Birmingham. He is also quoted as saying, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (King 1). This is a very logical statement because it takes a little bit of something to create something bigger. Once there is injustice in some part of anything then it has a snowball effect. Over time it continues to grow bigger and bigger.
Lastly, he uses the audience he is addressing as an effective way to communicate his views on what is happening in Birmingham.

He is addressing the clergymen directly with his letter, but he is also addressing the readers that will see it after the letter has been distributed to another person. He openly criticizes the clergymen and the other Christians that are supposed to be supporting the good cause and seeing that this isn’t what God would want. King says he is disappointed in the “white moderate, who is more devoted to order than to justice”(King 3). He is saying that is disappointed with the whites because they are more worried about following the laws that were set for them, than doing what is right. King also understands what history has said about African Americans, but he wants to show the readers that what the law has been is wrong (Osborn

28).
In conclusion, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was effective at using logos, ethos, pathos, and his audience to create a moving piece. He is able to establish credibility with the audience, show them that what he is arguing is logical and just, and he plucks at the heartstrings of his readers by telling the stories of the other African Americans and what they went through. Although this was a great piece, there were some places that King could use some help. He should have not depict the clergymen and other whites as pure evil (King 3). There were whites that were behind him. Many firefighters that sprayed him with a hose during a protest felt guilty and could not continue (Historic World Leaders 7). He had support from others in the community, but he did not believe they were doing enough for his cause. Even with this flaw, King was still able to create a compelling letter that made people see what they were doing as wrong and support him even more.