Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter

In the totality of Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter, he exhibits himself to his audience as a genuine authority, describes and illustrates the struggles and experiences the African American community have encountered, defends his argument, and fights for the need of instantaneous change. By adding religious examples, which appeal directly to his audience, he strives to acquire their support and condone his way of action. All in all, the need and demand for change in the letter is emphasized by his powerful appeals to pathos. His appeals to ethos and logos and his use of imagery and personal experiences throughout his letter make a powerful, persuasive argument. He efficiently displays the affect of the struggles that the African American community

have experienced and validates that they have a legitimate reason for why they are fighting. By provoking sympathy through forceful emotional appeals, Martin Luther King Jr. creates hope for a beneficial change; hope that the people reading his letter will start to comprehend the problems and help to achieve change. That is the optimum goal – to result in a more suitable world for those under oppression and establish an equal, unprejudiced future for America as an entirety.