Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr

Through out paragraph 27 to 31, Martin Luther King Jr. depicted numerous rhetorical strategies, in which all are effective in providing warrants to his claims and rebuttals against the Clergymen. One of his main logical fallacies in paragraph 27, his usage of logos is evident. This was represented through his two claims of two opposing forces in Birmingham, Alabama. He described “One is a force of complacency, made up in part of Negroes who…become insensitive to the problems of the masses” (King 27). So it means with the ignorance of the “White” population, African Americans have grown use to their predicament, and chose a path of indifference, or psychologically a path that does not lead them to any more “racial obstacles”. King, then contrast

King utilized antecedents to symbolize the “Negro” population. This is clearly seen here, “”The Negro has many pent-up resentments and latent frustrations, and he must release them” (King 30). This was a start for an “anaphorical” passage of “let him”. King also introduced parallelism, in this case, colors of race in “[W]ith his black brothers of Africa and his brown and yellow brothers of Asia, South America, and the Caribbean […]” (King 30). This was effective in a way that if people are now labeled as colors, so be it, he would lower his principles to yet be equivalent to his rivals. Logos are evident in “If his repressed emotions are not released in nonviolent ways, they will seek expression through violence […]” (King 30). This is all are based on his interpretation, but that of also records from history, the basic core of human nature. This in retrospect also builds his credibility (Ethos) as of an educated man, not only in the lore of the Bible, but yet of also history. A counter claim was also ensued at the last portion of the paragraph. He claimed, “I have tried to say that this normal and healthy discontent can be channeled into creative outlet of nonviolent direct action” (King 30). His rebuttal he used, was a direct reference from the Clergymen, “And now this approach is being termed extremist” (King 30). This created an expression of preposterous and outrageous, which is an effective blow to

His fluency of rhetorical questions and symbolic ethical figures were the potent elements to succeed in his case. He first stated that he “was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist” (King 31). Was this not the claim that the Clergymen fervently laid upon the reason behind Martin Luther King Jr. imprisonment? King threw back a rhetorical question of relation to Jesus, a holy man in any religion of Christianity, and definitely a sanction of the followers of the bible. “Was not Jesus an extremist for love: ‘Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you’” (King 31). This was valuable gain, for it really, closely depicts the current predicament of the African Americans. The pattern, claim and warrant, was used throughout his examples, like in “Was not Martin Luther an extremist: ‘Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God’” (King 31) and in “[T]homas Jefferson: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal….’”(King 31). The readers will immediately realize why Martin Luther King chose the very quote of Jefferson as his last, “[T]hat all men are created equal”? Martin Luther King lastly, reminded the Clergymen of the memorable incident of Calvary’s Hill, in which all devout followers of the Bible are familiarized. His key imperative sentence was “We must