How Does King Use Ethos Pathos Logos In Letter From Birmingham Jail

In Martin Luther King Junior’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, King effectively uses pathos and logos to justify his nonviolent action displayed while protesting for equal rights for black Americans.
In his letter, King recounts multiple examples of the tragic treatment of black Americans by policemen and white neighbors to spark empathy through pathos to illustrate a reason for King’s nonviolent action. Throughout his letter, King attempts to put the reader in his perspective by illustrating heart-breaking experiences of injustice suffered by black Americans. For example, King explains that black Americans can’t ignore inequality “when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers… when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse,

Through his use of anaphora in this paragraph, King emphasizes a need for social change after illustrating the brutality suffered by the black population in America. Moreover, the use of pathos helps the white clergymen relate to the black American’s desire for freedom by connecting similar drives for independence. King understands that both white and black people hold independence dearly, and both believe “Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what happened to the American Negro. Something within has reminded him of his birthright of freedom” (King 7.) King persuades the clergymen to accept the black American’s strive for independence by pulling on America’s heartstrings and its love for freedom. Using this idea of independence, he tells the clergymen that it is time for black Americans to attain freedom, similar to America’s path of sovereignty from Britain’s cruel control many years ago. Essentially, King expresses meaningful, yet tragic events and injustices along with common desires between black and white people to explain the circumstances as to why he advocates for

Throughout the letter, he dismantles the weak and immoral arguments made by the clergymen. For instance, the clergymen claimed that King had no business protesting in Birmingham. In response, King claims that “Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds” (King 1). During the Civil Rights Movement, protesters were viewed as dangerous, rebellious, and radical because they sparked change and threatened traditional views about black Americans’ status in society. However, King remarks that a citizen of America can travel anywhere they desire without being viewed as dangerous or looking to incite damage. By dismantling the clergymen’s claim, King proves the innocence and integrity of his actions. In another attempt at criticizing him, the clergymen claim that King must advocate for protesters to adhere to and comply with all laws, regardless of their opinions, because he constantly demands for peaceful protest. However, he refutes this statement by alluding to St. Augustine’s belief “that ‘an unjust law is no law at all’” (King 4). St. Augustine’s comment on the legitimacy of a law signifies that if a law is immoral or degrades the human character, then the law is deemed invalid and should never have been instituted in the first place. In this case, King believes that laws