ipl-logo

Letter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis

925 Words4 Pages

During the mid-20th century, black individuals faced severe discrimination and injustice across America. However, the year 1954 proved to be a pivotal moment for the African-American community, as it marked the inception of the Civil Rights Movement. This peaceful movement, aimed at eliminating discriminatory segregation practices in the United States, was led by the distinguished civil rights advocate, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In the text “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, King utilizes metaphors, an appeal to pathos, faulty logic, loaded language, repetition, and antithesis to inspire the audience to support King’s effort of eradicating racial segregation. One way that King inspires his audience to support his …show more content…

Through this paragraph, King expresses his concerns regarding the prevalent racial discrimination in Birmingham, and highlights how the term "outsiders" is used by his fellow clergymen to refer to him and other black people. King quotes “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”. For years, King had been advocating against segregation, with the hope that people would eventually acknowledge their mistakes and bring about change. The use of faulty logic served to raise awareness of the problems in Birmingham and sway individuals to join King on a journey in ending racial segregation. King also states “Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states.” The effect of this technique is to influence the audience and further enhance King’s ideologies. This helps support’s King’s idea of overall unity. The idea of “whatever occurs to one person, affects everyone”, ties in with King’s claim on unity and will persuade the audience to support his cause further. The audience will feel obligated to take action after hearing that it may affect “everyone”. With the use of faulty reasoning and connotations, King is able to persuade the audience into believing in his ideas of ending segregation in the …show more content…

MLK Jr. discusses the oppression that has been occurring for years and how his fellow black people are attempting to fight this harmful practice. King states “So let him march; let him make prayer pilgrimages to the city hall; let him go on freedom rides—and try to understand why he must do so.” King employs the technique of repetition to convey the ongoing struggle to eliminate racial segregation in Birmingham. Through this device, he highlights the importance of the fight against racial discrimination. This approach helps inspire the audience to join King's cause and work towards the eradication of racial segregation. King also quotes “Something within has reminded him of his birthright of freedom, and something without has reminded him that it can be gained.” Through the use of antithesis, King conveys the perspectives of black and white individuals on the ideas of racial segregation. He is attempting to illustrate the idea that rights should be equal to every citizen and that white people are the root of this segregational problem. By reminding the audience that freedom is a birthright, the audience will be persuaded to fight for what is morally right and help end this ongoing conflict between black and white individuals. By using the rhetorical techniques of repetition and antithesis, King is able to convince his audience to fight

Show More
Related
697 Words | 3 Pages

“Letter from Birmingham Jail”, by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (King) is a powerful piece of writing that graces the injustices occurring in Birmingham, Alabama at that time. Part of the power lies in the use of rhetorical devices such as anaphora, ethos, pathos, as well as antithesis and how King used these devices and literary approaches to express his message, intention, and educate the clergymen to the realities of injustice occurring in Birmingham. XIn paragraph 24, King uses anaphora to counter a claim from the clergymen who referred to Xhim as an extremist. He asks the clergymen “Was not Abraham Lincoln an extremist?” In this Xparagraph King repeated the words “was not” six times to explain the concept that being an extremist is not always negative.

Read More
1059 Words | 5 Pages

In order to express why he is taking direct action in the fight against racial discrimination, King states: “we know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” (King, paragraph 13). The use of the words “oppressor” and “oppressed” create an antithesis which uses two opposite words to create a parallel sentence structure. In this case the “oppressor” can be viewed as the unfairness of the laws discriminating against African Americans and everyone who supports these laws, including the clergymen. The “oppressed” are the African Americans, who constantly have to face injustice. The use of the words “given” and “demanded” also creates an antithesis in which King explains how freedom will not be simply given by those who are taking the freedom away in the first place, but rather, that the ones being stripped of their rights have to demand to have them back.

Read More
737 Words | 3 Pages

It starts by convincing the reader that it is just to break an unjust law particularly when moral laws conflict. He says that he used to have high hopes that white moderates would help support African Americans in the name of Patriotism. This leads to the discussion of whether or not there actions have to be condemned because the “precipitate violence. Thirdly, King becomes frustrated at white moderates for saying that eventually we will all have equal rights so we don’t have to push for

Read More
624 Words | 3 Pages

Martin Luther King Jr is an incredible writer and speaker which did help him when he was in the civil rights act to end the segregation of African Americans and white people. In king’s famous works such as his “I Have A Dream” speech and his “Letter From Birmingham Jail” King discusses his want to the end of segregation through the means of persuasion. By doing this he uses two types of persuasive appeals, logos(using a clear line of reasoning supported by evidence, and pathos (using loaded or charged language and other devices to arouse emotions) in King’s coordination towards each texts targeted speech and audience. King uses both of these appeals excellently and is not exactly better at one than the other mainly because of the target audience and occasion these texts are represented by. Let the rest of essay explain to you as to why this is.

Read More
352 Words | 2 Pages

Riddled with racial tension and a lack of equal rights, the 1950-60s exposed the truth behind segregation. In a letter written by Doctor Martin Luther King, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” King attacks the idea of racial inequality, and exposes the plights met by black families and individuals. In this letter, King uses excellent examples of imagery to show the racial discrimination being experienced. During this time of discrimination, the struggle for racial equality was prevalent, and extremely brutal. Given the circumstances of this time, discrimination turned into violence due to racial motivation.

Read More
495 Words | 2 Pages

King wants the audience to remember that segregation is not okay and that in order for things to be different something “ can and will be changed.” King uses repetition to make his audience comprehend and listen to what he has to say. King instructs the audience to “go back” to the states and “go back” to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, as an example to spark their memory of our history and encourage them to take action. King also uses phrases such as “we can never be satisfied” and “we refuse to believe '' to show how America has wronged its people and must keep its promises in order for trust to be established. King repeated the phrase “now is the time” to show what he thinks America should be built on.

Read More
969 Words | 4 Pages

Societal unrest in 1960’s United States revealed an alarming need for equality. In Martin Luther King’s letter from Birmingham Jail, King employs various rhetorical strategies such as anaphora, anecdotes, and the use of the appeals to demand the reader (the clergymen) the need for civil rights and the end of racial discrimination. King is able to convey these needs through a condemning but politeful tone that is admirable given the circumstance of being imprisoned for protesting against racial inequality. With the use of these strategies, King is able to provide a powerful letter that traverses the heart of the reader.

Read More
847 Words | 4 Pages

King was confident that his ethical reputation would enable him to persuade those in authority to end segregation, and he urged the clergy to examine their hearts before condemning him. Using a compare and contrast strategy, King (1963) demonstrates his disheartened view of the Church, despite the love and affection that he also had for it (p. 2). Further, he describes his connections with the early leaders of civil disobedience who were punished for transgressions against the moral law (p. 7). In his letter, King (1963) stated that "Justice too long delayed, is justice denied." (pp. 5-6).

Read More
496 Words | 2 Pages

He uses historical and biblical examples to support his main idea to end segregation. King’s audience is mostly Christian, so he uses gospel message to justify his acts when he defines Jesus as “Extremist of love, truth and justice,” and further explains that it is sometimes important to be extreme if it is for a good cause such as justice. King also uses his historical knowledge to clarify the meaning of some words such as “just” and “unjust”, “legal” and “illegal”, where he justifies that their meaning depends on the purpose of the user, for example according to Adolph Hitler, Jewish persecution was “legal”, and King declares he would not do the same as a

Read More
1427 Words | 6 Pages

is written in response to a letter written by clergymen that were dealing with racial problems in Alabama. The clergymen said King's approach to segregation incites the extreme measures of hatred and violence. King’s letter showed the clergymen that the steps to desegregate the South were the most effective, and beneficial ways to come about the situation. In the letter, Martin Luther King Jr. uses rhetorical devices to effectively appeal to his audience’s ethos, pathos, and logos. King uses allusions, imagery, and metaphors to effectively appeal to the clergyman.

Read More
550 Words | 3 Pages

Perhaps I must turn my faith to the inner spiritual church, the church within the church, as the true ekklesia18 and the hope of the world. " This solidifies King's stance towards violence. In addition to remaining determined, King also held onto hope and spread said hope to his community by reassuring them that they weren't alone in the battle of segregation by listing the names of various white people that supported the black community as shown in “Letter From Birmingham Jail” paragraph 32 where he states "I suppose I should have realized that few members of the oppressor race can understand the deep groans and passionate yearnings of the oppressed race, and still fewer have the vision to see that injustice must be rooted out by strong, persistent and determined action. " I am thankful, however, that some of our white brothers in the South have grasped the meaning of this social revolution and committed themselves to it. They are still all too few in quantity, but they are big in quality."

Read More
540 Words | 3 Pages

In response to the ill-informed and “unwise” “clergymen”, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote “Letters to Birmingham” and illustrated the cognizant and fitting demonstration -that was aimed to further dispel the hateful, horrific segregation of African- Americans and White persons- which ultimately led the police to violate the peaceful demonstration with “attack dogs” and “high-pressure fire hoses” and thus is confirmation for King’s just actions, fueled by alienation brought on by white power. King appeals to his readers’ emotions by highlighting the “340 years” African- Americans have waited for their “constitutional and God- given rights”. He goes on to illustrate the horrors of being black in White America, writing of watching his

Read More
511 Words | 3 Pages

Martin Luther King Jr. believes that the issue of segregation shouldn’t be settled with negotiation, but rather with direct nonviolent action. After all, how else would change occur if you don’t bring awareness to the people? Through the use of logos and diction, Martin Luther King Jr. effectively portrays his view on how the abolishment of segregation should occur. To start out, he introduces the whole purpose of the speech: A group of men criticized his method of bringing about the abolition of segregation.

Read More
1156 Words | 5 Pages

Furthermore, King emphasizes the value of love and nonviolence, appealing to the greatest ideals and beliefs of his readers. “I have tried to stand between these two forces, saying that we need not follow the do-nothingism of the complacent or the hatred and despair of the black nationalist. There is a more excellent way, of love and nonviolent protest.” (King 4). King is able to evoke an emotional response in his readers and motivate them to take action by portraying the civil rights issue in terms of justice and wrong.

Read More
521 Words | 3 Pages

Martin Luther King jr. is one of the most prominent civil rights leaders in history, and his legacy continues to impact the world today. Two of his most influential works are the “I have a dream” speech and “ letter birmingham jail.” these pieces were written during the same time period, but they differ in purpose and approach. This essay will compare and contrast these two works by analyzing their meaning, use of logos and pathos, similarities, and differences. The purpose of the king’s “ i have a dream” speech was to advocate for equal rights for african americans and to inspire people to take action to bring about change.

Read More

More about Letter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis

Open Document