Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

The Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, is a response that King uses to address the critiques about nonviolent demonstrations against segregation. He backs up each critique with reasoning of emotions which he uses to explain why each action is taking place. King doesn’t challenge the critiques being made, but instead points out the views felt by his community. In Kings essay, the rhetorical strategy of appeal to the emotions is the strongest. This can be seen when he discusses the physical and mental disrespect from the white community. Portraying to the emotions is important to his overall argument because it relates the reader with the black community by providing situations of struggle and hardship, triggering the typical

In Kings letter, he explains the physical disrespect that was experienced, “When you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick, brutalize, and even kill your black brothers and sister with impunity”. King goes into great detail with his words to put a clear picture into the readers mind. He wants the picture to create an image so strong that the thought will spark emotions, creating guilt. Guilt because the police of our nation that are supposed to provide safety, are doing the exact opposite, instead causing harm to citizen’s. Morally at this time, segregation was seen as the correct way for society. Emotionally, how could someone stand and watch, whether they believe in segregation or not, another human get beat. These innocent people are getting hurt for supporting a belief they believe is correct. Emotions is what allows the reader to create an image in their head and cringe during the harsh, descriptive words. Without emotions, the ability to see the blacks perspective would be boggled by laws and what is only told to be morally

While these laws are to be followed, some laws may seem unjust. Unjust laws is where what feels emotionally correct overrides what may be morally or logically correct. An example that King referenced was, “It was “illegal” to aid and comfort a jew in Hitler’s Germany. But I am sure that if I had lived in Germany during that time, I would have aided and comforted by Jewish brother even though it was illegal”. The white, clergyman and the Black community can all agree that the “illegal” laws created by Hitler were unjust. Just because one person, such as Hitler, believes a certain idea, it does not make it correct. Emotionally Hitler has a different background of emotions than the rest of us which caused his hate towards the Jew’s. Without us being informed on Hitlers background information, we are not able to see eye-to-eye with his reasoning and therefore do not agree with his reasoning. The same type of example of not being provided with another groups emotions and background is occurring with the black community. By using emotions, King is allowed to share his background of suffering to provide a better understanding for the