Rhetorical Analysis Of Jackie Robinson's Letter To President Lyndon B. Johnson

Jackie Robinson wrote this letter to President Lyndon B. Johnson during the Vietnam War, employing rhetoric techniques to sway President Johnson. Robinson chooses the purpose, speaker, audience, and subject of this text with care. He also appeals to ethos, logos, and pathos to persuade the President and other readers to his view.

Robinson’s letter is quite compelling and effective in demonstrating its purpose. This piece features the then current Civil Rights Movement and the President’s dedication to said movement. The purpose, of Robinson’s letter is to assure President Johnson that despite Martin Luther King Jr.’s anti-war protests many in the black community still supported him. Robinson also wrote the letter persuade and make sure the President would continue to

work towards civil rights.

Then, the speaker of this letter is Jackie Robinson, the first black baseball player in America. However, without Robinson as the speaker this text wouldn’t be preserved as it is today, specifically if the speaker was a little known person of color or even a white person speaking on the behalf of the black community. The audience includes President Lyndon B. Johnson directly; then Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey and Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller of New York; and lastly the people of America, the black community, and those fighting for civil rights. This audience is important because if Robinson hadn’t written to the President, and indirectly to the others, then, similarly with the speaker, the text might not be as preserved or well-known nor carry the same influence it has. The subject, as mentioned before for the text’s purpose, is the Civil Rights Movement and the President’s involvement in it during the Vietnam War, which is affects the text as Robinson is a

member of the black community and advocate for civil rights and the President is leading a country in war while also fighting for civil rights and if this subject was different, the effect and weight of this text wouldn’t be as influential or well saved. Robinson wrote this letter with precise consideration to the speaker, audience, and subject.

Robinson touches upon ethos, pathos, and logos throughout the text. Robinson’s ethos is already established by his status: the first black American baseball player. He’s well-well known and is a member of the black community, which means that many would find him credible and trustworthy to speak on the behalf of the black community. Robinson then appeals to logos by presenting a counterargument of the riots in Tennessee and Cleveland, Ohio, as well as Dr. King’s anti-war protests. He refutes it by stating that “it would not be fair to the thousands of our Negro men who are giving their lives,” for the Vietnam War, which means that many support and believe the war just. With the riots, Robinson also states that if the President were to assure the rioters that he is still fighting for civil rights even with the war. Robinson then appeals to pathos by calling the President honorable, playing on pride, and says that he thanks him “for pursuing a course towards civil rights that no President in our history has pursued.” He also uses religion to appeal to the President’s beliefs and values. During the entirety of this litter, Robinson appeals to his credibility, logic, and values.

Robinson’s letter is quite effective for its purpose. Robinson arranges his thoughts well with his appeals, such as using a counterargument and playing on the President’s pride and honor. He also always capitalizes “Civil Rights,” emphasizing the text’s purpose. Additionally, Robinson uses parallelism in his structuring of the rather long sentence “I do feel you must make it infinitely clear…” by repeating “that” to emphasize each point and keep the reader, President Johnson and others, alert and reading attentively. Throughout this letter, Robinson achieved his purpose using several means, effectively using persuasion to try and convince the President to continue fighting for equality.