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Letter From A Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis

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Nowadays, we live in such a multicultural society, that one would hardly believe that words such as discrimination and racism still exist. They are so deeply-rooted in our community that they often go unnoticed in our everyday lives. Martin Luther King Jr. was the leader of peaceful protests against the segregation of black people in America in the 1960s. Nonetheless, his nonviolent ideas failed to bring equality and he was compelled to take action. “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” was written 1963. It is in the form of an open letter, which means that its purpose was to be seen by the public and its readers were able to make their own judgments on the issues at hand. It was written as a response to the letter of eight clergymen who expressed their dissatisfaction of King’s protests in Birmingham. The main thesis of the Birmingham letter is that black people would no longer stand idly and watch as the white community denies them their rights given by God. …show more content…

The jail becomes a symbolic representation of the lives of black people. Everywhere they go, they are being discriminated and judged for their skin color. They are being forced to live as if they were in the filthy cells of a jail. Despite being confined in prison, Dr. King uses a calm and friendly tone of the voice. He stays rational in his thoughts and is being diplomatic in his criticism towards the white community (“men of genuine good will…”).
At that time, many people were influenced by religion. Martin Luther King took this under concern and used different techniques, such as ethos and logos to support his argument. He quoted famous phrases from the Bible to strengthen the emotional attachment of the

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