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Rhetorical Analysis Of Dr. King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was very well known for his rhetoric in his writings and speeches. In Dr. King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” he is responding to local Clergymen in Alabama. More Specifically their accusations of Dr. King peaceful demonstrations being untimely, extremist, and him being an outsider to the local issues. This powerful letter is extremely well written and Dr. King makes his reasoning very clear. Dr. King covers all the clergymen’s concerns and aims to throughly explain why desegregation needed to happened now. Dr. King’s letter is exceptionally successful because his influential positions exhibit sound ethos, his similes result in solid logos, his heart wrenching examples result in strong pathos. Dr. King’s letter …show more content…

King’s letter is exceptionally successful because his similes result in solid logos. He uses similes or comparisons to justify his is logic in being in Birmingham and leading desegregation movements. Dr. King uses numerous similes from the bible and other religious comparisons. On the first page he talks about Apostle Paul and how what he is doing in Birmingham is a similar situation. Apostle Paul was spreading the christian word the same way Dr. King was attempting to spread freedom. Dr. King compares the slow pace at which the south is desegregating to a “stiff creep at horse-and-buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter” (2). Dr. King uses a comparison between what Adolf Hitler did in Germany and how “It was “illegal” to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler’s Germany” to what he is making and effort to do in the south (5). He also compared arresting a Robber before he has committed the crime to arresting peaceful protestors “because they precipitate violence” (5). All of Dr. King’s similes venture to show how segregation is morally unjust and …show more content…

King’s letter is exceptionally successful because his heart wrenching examples result in strong pathos. Dr. King is attempting to get his audience to feel and be angered the same way colored people were. He tried to show how immoral law enforcement was by talking about seeing “ hate-filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters” (3). He was doing this to attempt to get onlookers to feel how blacks felt. He talks about seeing “unconscious bitterness toward white people” building in young black minds when he talks about colored girls and boys not having the same opportunities as white children. Dr. King’s greatest attempt at an emotional response is his devastating description of “when your first name becomes “nigger,” your middle name becomes “boy” (however old you are) and last name becomes “John”… forever fighting a degeneration sense of “nobodieness” (3). His pathos is well founded not only because his points are completely horrible things to have happen, but because they are absolute

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Martin Luther king wrote the letter from Birmingham jail and discuss the biggest issues in the black community of Birmingham. In order to justify his desire for racial justice and equality, martin Luther king uses knowledge and potential thoughts given toward to his letter transcending to his people and the churches and he made very important valid statement that gave his audience and open mind and to encourage American society desegregation and having equality among all Americans with no stratification according to racial differences. His letter addresses the American society, political and religious community of America. King uses metaphors saying “ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning

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This is critical because it gives a sense of urgency. The description of the “...quicksand of racial injustice” and the “...solid rock of human dignity...” paints a picture of the real-life issues of society. Moreover, King also uses pathos and emotional language to get the reader's attention. In addition, it pulls at the reader’s heartstrings. Dr. King uses words such as “destructively” and “appalling silence” to help us understand what King is trying to convey.

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Martin Luther King’s utilization of pathos and rhetorical questions in “Letter from Birmingham Jail” allows him to adequately advocate for civil rights for African Americans. MLK’s convincing use of pathos is shown in paragraph 23, where he wrote, “If the inexpressible cruelties of slavery could not stop us, the opposition we now face will surely fail.” This quote was intended to make the white bishops who he was responding to feel guilty, as slavery was perpetrated by some of their ancestors. Furthermore, this quote shows the general enthusiasm of African Americans and affiliates to push for the repealing of unfair laws of segregation. This is shown by African Americans being able to persevere through slavery and that segregationist laws

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Dr. King wrote the "Letter from Birmingham Jail" in response to a letter written by the Eight Alabama Clergymen who were protesting the progress of desegregation in Birmingham through peaceful acts by the Negro community. King responds to the eight clergymen in a respectful but yet stern and intelligent way. The clergymen expressed that they felt the Negro community 's actions were untimely, unwise, and disrespectful. The clergymen felt that these ethnic issues should be addressed in a court room and not on the corner. Although they understood where King was coming from, they felt like these actions would result in violence.

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King’s efficient writing. Dark, visual metaphors were strewn across his letter such as, “Too long has our beloved Southland been bogged down in a tragic effort to live in monologue rather than dialogue,” and “There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair.” Descriptive visuals such as these, express Dr. King’s own perception of the horrendous despair the negroes experienced. Thus, in parts of his letter, King would allow his desperation to spiral out in long anaphoric sentences such as, “But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers […]; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse […]; when you see the vast majority […]; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted […]”

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For example, King left his hometown to travel to Birmingham, Alabama, because he wanted to fix the injustice there. He compared himself to the Apostle Paul who traveled and shared the word of God. King, like the Apostle Paul, carried the message of freedom throughout the southern United States. King says, “Like Paul, I must respond to the country’s call for help (para.3). King also explains how people white and black must create a force that will bring people together rather than stay segregated.

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In both the speech and the letter, Dr. King was very inspirational. His use of pathos helped push his point across to everyone. His use of pathos inspired people that weren't stuck in their ways or that weren't ready for change. The overall message Dr. King tried to spread was segregation needs to stop, and he tried to do this by arousing strong feelings and emotions in people through his use of charged language.

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"Letter from a Birmingham Jail" by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was written in answer to eight white clergy men who denounced his actions regarding protest activities. In this letter, King Jr. defends both his right and his moral grounds for organizing nonviolent demonstrations against segregation and racism. He argued that breaking laws can be justified, especially when those laws are prejudiced. King Jr.’s sole purpose for this letter was to convince the clergymen that the uprising created by his followers and him in the demonstrations were an essential force needed for progressive action. Martin Luther King uses powerful and persuasive tones and often mentions how unethical and unjust the system is.

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The United States of America was not always as free as it claimed to be. For instance, black people were once subject to segregation and discrimination. As the leader of the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” to respond to his fellow clergymen and their statements that criticized the demonstrations that put him in the jail cell he was writing from. All in all, King’s letter sheds light on the struggles against racial inequality through the persuasive styles of ethos, pathos, and logos. Judging from his letter from Birmingham jail, it is obvious that Martin Luther King Jr. is living in a time of racial inequality and discrimination.

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When King describes the acts of violence against his “black brothers and sisters” from law enforcement he is able to appeal to the emotions of many by making people try to sympathize with him and his cause. As King states, “but when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate filled policemen curse, kick and even kill,” (King 2) he shows how misguided the statement of the clergymen was. He does this by exhibiting real life examples of what he himself has seen occuring as a result of peaceful demonstrations furthering his arguments validity. Not only physical harm from law enforcement is affecting African Americans, but the way the law works is too. With Kings example of the segregation that the law causes he uses the scenario, “as you seek to explain to your six year old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park… and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children,” (King 2) to show how an innocent child understands the issue of racism.

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King uses pathos to tap into his audience’s mind to think about the importance of promoting action now rather than waiting for others to promote it first. He ends his letter by stating that he “hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation”. (King Jr., p. 658) Dr. King is a man of great integrity and love. He wanted to bring his fellow brother and sister together as a nation strong and not divided.

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Martin Luther King Jr. was a strong leader in the Civil Rights movement, the son and grandson of a minister, and one heck of a letter writer. As he sits in a cell of Birmingham Jail in 1963, he responds to criticism from eight white clergymen. Though this letter was intended for the judgemental and condescending men of high faith, his response touched the hearts and minds of the entire U.S. population, then, and for years to come. In his tear-jerking, mind-opening letter, King manages to completely discredit every claim made by the clergymen while keeping a polite and formal tone. Metaphors, allusions, and rhetorical questions are used in the most skillful way to support his argument and ultimately convince his audience of the credibility behind his emotional, yet factual, claims.

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King believed that if he could just go to Birmingham, and protest non-violently, that he could make a difference. On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was imprisoned, in Birmingham, for protesting the civil rights of Black Americans. While in jail, he began writing a letter addressing the clergymen. His main audience in writing this letter was to the eight clergymen who criticized his actions and also the majority of the population as well. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, argues that injustice

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He writes this letter to defend his organization and peaceful protesting, yet also identifies the racial injustices he, and many other citizens received. King’s writing was very effective in accomplishing his goal to get his point across that segregation is a very serious thing. King hopes that his powerful and emotional message in his letter will impact how the clergymen, the whites, and many others approach and take action towards segregation. He hopes that they will see how terrible inequality truly is and make the American Society have less hate and more

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Upon being imprisoned for marching Dr Martin Luther King wrote a letter to the fellow clergymen of Birmingham, addressing his reasons as to why he committed his “crime”, This letter was widely known as “The Letter of Birmingham”. This letter was very influential and paramount to the cause of civil rights as it spurred up future events that would play essential roles in ending racial segregation in America. Throughout his whole letter, King used Ethos, logos, and pathos to firmly get his message across while adding rhetorical devices such as repetition, metaphors, and biblical references.

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