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Letter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis

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Throughout American history, many African Americans did not have their proper rights. During the 1960s, many key individuals used their voices in favor of this, such as Martin Luther King Jr. In "Letter from Birmingham Jail" and "I Have a Dream" Dr. King uses multiple rhetorical devices to provoke people to fight for justice. Dr. King’s decision to use his personal experience throughout the “Letter from Birmingham” helped inspire the children and students to march and protest. As he is jailed in Birmingham, he wrote a letter addressing the eight clergymen as well as to bring words of inspiration to the people on the outside. Such words are, “When your wife and mother are never given the respected title “Mrs”; when you are harried by day and haunted …show more content…

This is where Dr. King comes in and uses this to make people realize that the power the whites have, is being used the wrong way and to do harm. Harm the black folk’s morality, and self-respect. Dr. King states that anyone should not be in fear just by the color of their skin and also adds that they need to eliminate the stereotypes and injustices that they have been dealing with for a long period of time. Before this, Dr. King was on his way to a new park advertised on television, along with his beloved daughter, only to find out that the park is closed to children. King talks deeply on this topic, stating that,”You seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she cannot go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and when you see tears welling up in her little eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children.’” This example emphasizes the wrong society is doing, but most hurtfully, the wrong that is being done to the children. Dr. King sparks inspiration and inspires the people of Birmingham to do better, to walk to a better

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. effectively used pathos and logos in both his “I Have a Dream” speech and the “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” using both to further his ideas and his push for racial equality. Dr. King uses logos to appeal to the clergymen’s sense of logic in his “Letter From Birmingham Jail”. First, Dr. King uses logos to define “just and unjust laws” (17), attempting to convince the clergymen of how the actions that placed him in jail were, in fact, moral. In paragraph sixteen, Dr. King defines his idea of just and unjust laws, ”Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust” (16).

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Martin Luther King Jr.’s primary purpose in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is to justify his presence and involvement in the peaceful protests taking place in Birmingham as well as to condemn the world of unjust segregation and racism. By employing logos continuously in his writing, King develops and contributes to his position in support of peaceful protests and direct action programs that are meant to bring to African Americans the “unalienable rights” that they are being denied. He writes the letter in 1936 from his prison cell in Birmingham jail, replying to a public letter written by several clergymen. His well-thought written logic appeals to the intended audience but also indirectly addresses the divided nation.

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Martin Luther King was a very powerful speech writer, as well as great at getting the point across through paper. In two of his most famous works of art, “I Have a Dream” and “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” he uses many different types of writing tools. Some of these writing tools include, analogies, rhetorical questions, and repetition. Some tools are only used in one or the other because it either wouldn’t make sense, or it would bring down the strength of the words within the work. The use of analogies is very common in his work.

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In King’s response to the clergymen’s claim he shows that segregation and racism do not only affect the adults but the kids also as his five-year-old son asks him “Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?”(6) The question ask by his five-year-old son is uncomfortable because it shows how the kids pay attention to the way they are treated at such a young age, In fact, King describes the questions asked by his five-year old son as “agonizing pathos”(6), that shows that waiting too long for justice can alter the minds of the young and cause them to develop a sense of bitterness toward white people. As Dr.King and his people fight for their rights they wonder how much mental distress and humiliation they would have to go through before justice is served, the discomfort that the colored people are experiencing comes from wondering how much more longer would they have to wait until their justice is served. Dr.King using his kids as a reference shows how the discomfort experienced at such a young age can change the mentality of the

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When speaking of the unjust happening, he expresses, “We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: ‘For Whites Only’”. (pg 2) King brings to light the extent of racism they experience and uses children to touch people in a different way. This treatment towards African Americans goes beyond what is shown. Additionally, when speaking of life as a black individual, King states, “We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highway.” (pg2)

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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.

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Have you ever read an article or book that express a lot of sympathy and it made you feel as if you can feel their pain. “The Letter From Birmingham Jail” displays the true meaning of pathos. After reading this” letter” emotions will overflow. Dr. King wrote with so much passion and courage, that it makes his readers feel as if they were part of the movement. He shows his concerns for the African American community by expressing their thoughts and feelings because they feel as if they have no voice.

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Martin King 's “A Letter From A Birmingham Jail” is a sophisticated argument that gets to the point, but also gets deep and emotional. Unlike Swift, King uses ethos, pathos, and logos to get into the personal level of his audience. While pointing out his valid ideas and arguments with reason. With getting on the personal level King explained to the peoples on his view of what was right and unjust. I believe King’s letter had a stronger argument than Swifts because King knew what his ultimate goal was.

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