Essay 2 Final Draft Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was a particularly important letter of its time. The letter was written while King was in jail and was written in response to the eight white clergymen in Birmingham who wrote to Dr. King condemning him for the actions that got him arrested. Martin Luther King lead a Southern Christian group called the SCLC which acted in many nonviolent and civil demonstrations. The southern politicians did not appreciate these demonstrations and had King arrested. King uses many examples of ethos, pathos, and logos in his letter as a way to persuade the audience he is writing to. In the letter, King reveals his point of view, explains his actions, and must prove to the clergymen that …show more content…
Dr. King uses descriptive words and metaphors to convey the emotions and things he is feeling. King is condemning the clergymen saying other religious leaders have come and joined us, then why will you not help us? He speaks of the other religious leaders helping his cause as a way to convince and urge the clergymen to join his side. King wants freedom breaking out of the metaphorical “chains” and not conforming and is thankful to everyone that has decided to join in and help him do so. “Too long has our beloved Southland been bogged down in the tragic attempt to live in monologue rather than dialogue” (King 354). Being an appeal to pathos, King uses descriptors to show the emotions he is having. King is saying enough is enough the South has been a state nothing getting done and it should change. He says he loves the South, but certain people have come in and “bogged down” the area with agendas that do not flesh well with the rest of the South. He is tired of speakers and talkers that do not follow up their speeches with action or even conversations. King just wants Southerners to start having conversations and working together to resolve issues instead of being told and forced to