Imagery In Letter From Birmingham Jail
In letter to birmingham jail, despite the fact that ethos was utilized extremely well, we can trust pathos and logos are utilized most adequately with the representations of what African American confronted each day, cases in history in which the law was wrong, and the makeup of unfair laws. Dr. King depicts what they needed to look consistently and the psychological toll it took against African American families, which is a prime case of tenderness. Logos is demonstrated through recorded occasions were the law was not like it was in the Holocaust. Logos is additionally demonstrated when King depicts the contrasts between an equitable and vile law, for instance if a law benefits just a few society and damages the entire, it isn't a decent law.
In 1963, Civil Rights leader Matin Luther King Jr. was arrested during a nonviolent protest on the grounds of parading without a permit (para 19). As a result five clergymen from the city of the protest, Birmingham, Alabama, condemned King’s demonstration as untimely, arousing unrest in the community, and precipitating violence (para mm). After receiving a copy of the clergymen’s statements, King spent his time in Birmingham Jail writing what is now referred to as “Letter from Birmingham Jail” to address the concerns and misconceptions the clergymen relayed. King effectively breaks down the clergymen’s concerns through appeals of logic such as detailing the process of the protests, and appeals to emotion such as the daily life experiences of african americans and descriptive language.
Asking a questions to open a transition gave King the opportunity to make certain points from the clergymen’s statement sound absurdly wrong. “Isn’t negotiation a better path?” (King 11) opened King’s argument that negotiation, prefered by the clergymen and all, is indeed fostered through non-violent demonstrations like the ones put together by King and his followers. Asking the question of negotiation and then proceeding to answer the question created a stronger argument for King that allowed him to show his audience that he was in fact agreeing with them, only to some degree. “How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?”
Martin Luther King Jr. was both a black man and an advocate for racial equality. While in jail in 1963, he wrote “Letter to Birmingham Jail” in response to a statement made by eight White Alabama clergymen. He used a variety of words and emotions to try to persuade the racists and other Americans to change their treatments against black people, and does so effectively. He used logos in his letter very effectively.
Brian Ezenwugo Political Science Mr. Somma December 1st, 2014 Letter From Birmingham Jail The Letter from Birmingham Jail is a document written by Martin Luther King Jr. on April 16, 1963. This letter defended the approach of peaceful accommodations to racial discrimination, debating that citizens have a just responsibility to break biased laws. This letter stands alone as one of the most influential documents of the civil rights era. Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter was intended to “My Dear Fellow Clergymen.”
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,
“We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped and robbed of their dignity…”(King 263). The speech, “I have a dream” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was given on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to non-violent protesters for equal rights for African Americans. Counter to the speech, he also wrote the “Letter From Birmingham Jail” to respond to clergymen that had criticized him in the Newspaper.
The purpose of Martin Luther King Jr.’s (MLK) words were to gain support from the white clergymen by tugging at their heartstrings, while knowing that at heart they were righteous men who understood the word of God like no other. While held captive in Birmingham County Jail, MLK was criticized for his actions, which were deemed “untimely” and “unwise.” Dr.King was a patient man who knew that reacting with anger would only upset the clergy further. So he sat down and wrote a letter to any man who would listen and explained why he was standing up for the oppressed. In Letters from a Birmingham Jail, Dr.King explained the hardships a black person faces everyday to a white man who will never experience the prejudice and heartbreak of racial discrimination.
He is comparing what he is doing to that of the Bible, he is in Birmingham far from his home because it is what is important to him and what he must do like the prophets. This gives him credibility by comparing himself to an important religious figure while giving why he was compelled to come to Birmingham. King is in Birmingham to fight for what he believes is right. All of this would move the people of Birmingham to accept King as one of the leaders of the
King's fundamental argument in the Birmingham letter is that racial injustice toward the black community in America is a result of ongoing support from the white community, notably from influential communities in politics and church. Dr. King uses Ethos most effectively, through the use of this statement where he says “I have the honor of serving as president of the southern christian leadership conference.” (King, 1963, Letter from Birmingham Jail) this is significant because he is attempting to show that he has the capabilities to run as a president and stop all the discrimination. This quote is extremely effective in persuasion in “Letter from a Birmingham Jail." Not only do we see an example of this here, we also see it when he says “the political leaders consistently refused to engage in good faith negotiation.
Martin Luther King Jr' "Letter from Birmingham Jail" was written after he was arrested for exercising his constitutional rights while peacefully protesting in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. This Letter was written while Dr. King was in jail in one of the most segregated cities in America at the time. Birmingham was home to one of the most violent chapter of the KKK, their governor at the time, George Wallace, despised the idea of desegregation, and the law enforcement encourage the use of blunt force and brutality on African Americans protesters. In the letter Dr. King states that he was brought to Birmingham, along with other members of SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) to engage in a nonviolent direct action and take Murray 2 time to talk with leaders of Birmingham's economic community. He
Martin Luther King "Letter from Birmingham Jail" Martin Luther King "Letter from Birmingham Jail" was written in 1963 when African American people were fighting for the equality between white people and black people. In letter we can notice that King uses the word "Negro" and we don't use this word anymore nowadays. Through the context of the letter King shows that he is so sad and upset about the issue with inequality between people. His position in this letter shows that he is convincing the clergymen and he is trying to influence people to agree with him. King wants to change people's mind and he wants that people hear him and his view.
Patience, determination, demands, facts, hope, disappointment, and faith are all able to come as one to make a move for equality. Martin Luther King Junior wrote a letter from Birmingham Jail on April 16, 1963, which conveyed his stress on how little change is occurring in the peaceful fight for inequality. The letter was sent to clergymen to show how even if there is no physical aggression being done, people cannot just sit back and watch the injustices going on. This leads to the following question: how does a letter express specific emotions, without aggression? To develop this question, a dance was created to represent the letter’s emotions.
In terms of legacies, Martin Luther King Jr. is an example of someone whose legacy has left an impact on a great many fields. The first to come to mind for most would be civil rights activism, as he was an instrumental figure in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. However, Martin Luther King Jr is an extremely influential figure in the field of oration and rhetoric. His Letter from Birmingham Jail is a work that he wrote while incarcerated in the Birmingham City Jail in response to criticism from Alabama clergymen. This letter is a prime example of King’s expertise in constructing persuasive rhetoric that appealed to the masses at large.
In King’s letter, he states, “We must use time creatively, and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.” Funny thing is he had lots of time to think about and write this letter. He wanted this letter to encourage and bring up a people that will start a revolution. He needed something, that special something, that would ignite the fire that had somehow died out. His Letter from Birmingham Jail was the match.
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