Rhetorical Analysis Of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letters To Birmingham

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

To bring forth a new argument- one that white Christian clergymen would listen to. King decides to use his daughter- children being the key to get into heaven with their undying trust and faith- to garner pity for the African- American struggle. He uses an anecdote from when he had to tell his daughter she couldn’t go to the new amusement park and he sees the “tears welling up in her eyes” because the amusement park is “closed to colored people”. Instead of writing about the violent African- American struggle, King decides to focus on the psychological aspect of being black and how it affects children, so that they grow up with “ominous clouds of inferiority” brewing in their mind, developing an “unconscious bitterness towards white people”, diminishing their trust and faithfulness towards God. Mr. King also appeals to emotions through the repetition of words or phrases in various sentences. He explains the reason for creating this demonstration was to “open the door to negotiation”. It is clear MLK’s intentions are to hold peaceful protests in order to be seen, thus opening legislators’ ears and hearts to the African American