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Martin Luther King Jr Letter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis

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Racial segregation was a major issue that alarmed the black community in the 1960s. Martin Luther King could not just sit and watch his own race get discriminated any longer; he was a well-known peaceful leader who led the black community in nonviolent protests. He was the voice of the discriminated, and stood up for the injustice thrown to his race. Being a Baptist minister, he could only peacefully evoke the idea of equality and unity among the races by communicating and marching. With his influences, thousands of African Americans stood by his side to form a nonviolent resistance towards segregation. Although he was non-violent leader, others did not see his protests as peaceful but instead as an "extremist act." Dr. King writes …show more content…

Right from the beginning, King started with using ethos to let the clergymen know he is a religious leader as well. Throughout the letter, he uses the ethical appeal of ethos to convince others of his credibility of being a religious minister, therefore using his belief system as an explanation to his non-violent approaches. In paragraph 26, Dr. King Jr. firmly states his loyalty to the love of his church and religious beliefs therefore not being capable of leading a violent riot against his cause. In paragraph 24, Dr. King Jr. names of different people who were "extremists" of the right beliefs; he said "Was not Jesus an extremist for love... was not Paul an extremist for Christian gospel…was Martin Luther not an extremist..." The people listed were called “extremists” yet they fought for justice and to stop the spread of negativity. He also talks about how Lincoln and Jefferson both had similar ideas about equality among blacks and whites, if both races were not in union, then the nation would not prosper or grow; if the African American were always suffering and unhappy, they would never stop fighting for their civil rights, the nation would be in constant …show more content…

Dr. King simply states that African Americans protest because of the hatred and discrimination the white men have thrown at them; instead of fighting back with a violent approach, he wanted to end discrimination using love and communication. Whites knew what the black community was going through but they did nothing to stop it because they didn’t believe whites and blacks should be integrated with each other. Racism was a critical role that played in the whites’ reason for segregation; they didn’t believe blacks should have the same rights as them because they were not white. Dr. King notes that he is disappointed that the church has labeled him as an extremist but it doesn't concern him because no matter the label, he remains true to his Christian beliefs and will not go against

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