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Ethos In Letter From Birmingham Jail

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Martin Luther King Jr. was born in 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. MLK obtained his bachelor’s degree in sociology from Morehouse College. MLK’s occupation was a Baptist minister and social activist. MLK was African American, a target for racial segregation in those times. MLK wrote his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” to be released April 16th, 1963. Through extensive use of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos MLK proves the main argument of his letter, that everyone has the moral obligation to disobey unjust laws, and his reasoning behind it. Ethos is the ethical appeal, showing the author, or work has credibility. MLK uses ethos near the beginning of his letter to convince readers of his credibility. In paragraph two MLK presents the fact that he is president of the organization, Southern Christian Leadership …show more content…

He also goes on to give some information on Southern Christian Leadership Conference, such as the organization has eighty five affiliated organizations across the south, including the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights. In the third paragraph MLK through the use of a simile compares himself to Paul from the Bible. This being especially effective in persuasion because his letter was written with the intended audience of his fellow Clergymen. MLK uses the very well-known Greek philosopher, Socrates, to provide a reference per say to his thoughts. Near the end of paragraph twelve MLK quotes St. Augustine, an early Christian theologian and philosopher, saying “an unjust law is no law at all.” This adds credibility to his main argument. In twenty fifth

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