Is Martin Luther King Jr Used In Letter From Birmingham Jail

As we just celebrated the forty months anniversary of the Black History Month, it is an important observance to commemorate the contributions and achievements of the African Americans in the American history. Historically, during the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans are the most vulnerable ethnic group who suffers from injustice in the social and political spheres of influence. However, social justice advocates such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X express their criticism in their pieces of writings for the unjust treatment that these African Americans endure. Martin Luther King, Jr’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is a response to the clergymen’s letter in which he talks about defending the nonviolent direct actions and showing

For example, after metaphorically comparing the progress of human rights issues between the United States and the nations of Asia and Africa, King depicts horrifying tortures for the clergymen, such as “vicious mobs [lynching] your mothers and fathers… and [drowning] your sisters and brothers” (3). King paints out a heartbreaking imagery for the clergymen to visualize, while concurrently uses the imagery to evoke their feelings of pity when picturing the sufferings in their minds. African Americans need to voice out their opinions so that they will not have to undergo these sufferings. Furthermore, King talks about the marchers who protest with him down the streets of the South “have languished in filthy, roach-infested jails, suffering the abuse and brutality of policemen who view them as “dirty nigger lovers” [but]… recognized the urgency of the moment and sensed the need for powerful "action" antidotes to combat the disease of segregation.” (7). King portrays a vivid image for the clergymen to feel pity for what the marchers have to go through and emphasizes the fact that these marchers see the purposes for the actions they take. Not only does King utilize emotional appeals to justify his argument of nonviolent direct action but also ethos

To demonstrate, Malcolm X identifies himself as “one of the 22 million black people who are the victims of Americanism… [and] democracy” (2). This quote is an example of the combination of logos and ethos. He uses statistics as a fact to support his claim that African Americans are suffering in the United States and demonstrates his expertise with his identity as an African American, respectively. In addition, while identifying himself as a Muslim who practices Islam, Malcolm X tells his audiences that he is “not here to argue or discuss anything that we differ about, because it’s time for us to submerge our differences and realize that it is best for us to see that we have the same problem, a common problem…” (1). This quote clearly shows that Malcolm X is devoted in helping his people achieve equality, despite the fact that he is already a well-known and influential black