What Is The Rhetorical Situation In Letter From Birmingham Jail

Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written while he was “confined in the Birmingham city jail.” His letter was a direct response to the eight Alabama clergymen who insisted that King’s use of nonviolent direct action was unlawful. The clergymen questioned his method of protests even though they had similar goals as King. In his letter, King illustrates the hardships and injustices that African Americans in the United States were enduring during the mid-twentieth century; doing so allows King to justify the nonviolent actions of his fellow protestors. King uses the classical appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos, along with his rhetorical situation, to support his claims about the racial discrimination and segregation in the United States.

King uses his rhetorical situation effectively to get

across to his audience. The purpose of his letter is to convince his audience that African Americans are not inferior to white Americans; rather, they are equal and should be treated as such. The speaker of this letter is Martin Luther King Jr. Similarly to the clergymen, who viewed his actions as unlawful, King was a “minister of the gospel.” Throughout the letter, King maintains himself as a non-violent African American protestor who was unjustly arrested for defending his first amendment rights. The occasion for King’s letter is his arrest following his demonstrations against the segregation present in the city of Birmingham.

The letter was written during the 1960’s when people, white people in particular, believed that segregating African Americans was civil and humane. Furthermore, white people thought that African Americans were an inferior race. King includes the following in his letter: “I doubt that you would so quickly commend the policemen if you were to observe their ugly and inhumane treatment of Negroes here in the city jail; if you were to watch them push and curse old Negro women and young Negro girls…” (p.187) Martin Luther King’s purpose of writing is to address this occasion of racism and cruelty towards African Americans living in the United States of America. In the letter, King attempts to appeal to multiple audiences. His first major audience is the eight Alabama clergymen. King’s letter is a direct response to them and their belief that the non-violent protests occurring in the city create tension and are unlawful. Another audience is the white moderate who does not take a stance on the issue of African Americans having basic human rights. By

sitting around, and taking a supposed position of neutrality, they ultimately are seen as not wanting to join African Americans in their movement; however, this neutral position is a position of non-support for African Americans. Another audience is the white church members who believe that segregation and racism are “social issues, with which the gospel has no real concern.” (p. 185) These people “stand on the sidelines” not supporting African American Christians in their movement. The law enforcement of the city is another audience of King’s letter. He addresses this audience and criticizes them for mistreating African Americans. King’s use of the rhetorical situation effectively develops his argument and persuades people to step up and support the demonstrations. After listening to or reading King’s speech, the audience is motivated to go out onto the streets and protest alongside African Americans for equality.
Additionally, King uses the classical appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos to convey a response within his audience, one that encourages them to advance change. King’s use of ethos establishes his credibility and the validity of his argument. He says, “I say this as a minister of the gospel who loves the church.” (p. 184) Calling himself a minister, while criticizing the church’s lack of action, creates an ethical response in the reader. The reader views King as a credible source whose view of the church is valid since he belongs to it as well; this results in the reader believing that the Church’s lack of action is unethical and morally unacceptable. Additionally, Martin Luther King Jr. also commends Reverend Stallings and the Catholic leaders of the state for their progressive and supportive actions in bringing justice to African Americans. Mentioning these people that belong to the church also appeals to a reader’s ethics because people often trust the church and view it as an institution of morality. People are more likely to support the African Americans and their movement, knowing that respected people, such as Reverend Stallings, also support the movement. Pathos is used throughout King’s letter to evoke an emotional response from the readers. The most impactful words used by King were used when he described the cruelty and suffering that African Americans experienced from law enforcement. He condemns the clergymen for supporting the Birmingham police force even though the policemen “slam and kick old Negro men and boys; refuse to give us [prisoners] food because we wanted to sing our grace together.” (p. 187) If a reader were to read this, they would most likely feel great sadness for the African Americans who endured those atrocious violent acts. It would also cause them to support African Americans in bringing segregation and discrimination to an end. Finally, King appeals to the audience’s logos through logical reasoning. Martin Luther King Jr. says, “Rather, I have tried to say that this normal and healthy discount can be channeled into the creative outlet of nonviolent direct action. And now this approach is being termed extremist.” (p. 182) King presents a counterargument in his statement to acknowledge that he knows what the opposing side believes; doing so allows a reader to understand that King’s argument is logical instead of the clergymen’s argument. Appealing to the reader’s logos allowed King to convince his audience that change was necessary to bring justice to African Americans. Ultimately, King was aware that he needed to appeal to his readers’ sense of emotion, logic, and ethics to convince them to support the protests of the African Americans, instead of being grouped with racist white Americans who felt that they were superior to the black race.