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

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Dr. King’s way of speech in “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” starts off with, “My Dear fellow Clergymen,” which seems oddly reserved. He had learned that Birmingham clergymen had issued a declaration critiquing him and flattering the city’s narrow-minded police influence, when Dr. King had been in solitary quarantine. Due to this, anyone could agree that Dr. King had every right to write an enraged letter. However, his topic was not to go off on this matter, but to explain himself. Thus, Dr. King starts his letter with “fellow clergymen,” which depicts the main idea of his argument, which is “brotherhood.” Angered by this critique, he maintains a diplomatic tone throughout the letter.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” (Dr. King, pg. 170). One of the most powerful wordings in his letter, depict the main reason why Dr. King and the SCLC decided to come to Birmingham; which was to stand by those who felt their same injustice. Dr. King talks about law-breaking when they are unfair, or any idea that is unethical. Going back to the quote shared above; if justice anywhere is having some threat to justice everywhere, then a man who believes this ideal should attempt to stop this for the good of …show more content…

Dr. King stresses the motion of the individual’s power, and how people have the potential to make the church’s power become “irrelevant.”
By the end of his letter, Dr. King shares how, as much as he would appreciate the encouragement of his audience, he will, no matter what, keep on moving forward with the help of whom he calls his “brothers and sisters,” and someday be victorious. He vows his success because he believes in rightness, and declares those who do not follow his movement to be cowards, who encourage wrong. His acts are selfless, as he promotes this motion, not for his own benefits, but for the

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