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Rhetorical Analysis Of Injustice By Martin Luther King

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Martin Luther King Jr, a Baptist and church member, was arrested for protesting and fighting for civil rights peacefully, he saw that 8 white clergymen from Alabama had written a response about him and they criticized him and his followers' actions, he quickly wrote a letter in the spaces of whatever paper he could find. MLK used powerful words and phrases that carried a lot of emotion. He also employed parallel structures to emphasize his points and make them more memorable. He uses parallel structure by saying “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” practically saying that it's everyone's business, including his. This has the effect that it makes not only the audience but also the clergymen feel almost an urgency to act and that even a bit of injustice can jeopardize everything His intended effect was to have an extremely large impact on the reader and the clergymen and wants them to realize his point as well as sympathize with his actions. …show more content…

MLK uses pathos mixed with loaded language to show at heart how harsh and extreme the words of the clergymen were after they called him an "outside agitator", he gave the exact example and this can make his audience feel how he felt as well as motivate the audience. The effect MLK puts on the audience by showing them the clergymen's words is almost a type of moving and shock to see that they call him and his followers such a strong name. The loaded language makes the audience see how harsh the words are of the clergymen by calling him an “outside agitator” although he argues it was his business. All of these incredibly strong points were found just in paragraph 2, MLK uses emotion and his powerful words to convince and get the audience to side with

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Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote a lengthy letter called "Letter from Birmingham Jail," to respond to a public statement of concern which was expressed by eight white clergymen from the South. In this letter, King defends his action and also describes how his nonviolent direct action is an effective way to resist against racism and segregation. In paragraph 14 and 15 of his letter, King uses parallelism and historical allusions to emphasize the blatant cruelties that colored people faced which create pathos and to express his thoughts for obeying and breaking “just or unjust” laws. In paragraph 14, King connects with Pathos, when he shows examples of painful experiences that the colored people, including himself, felt.

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In his "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. uses vivid imagery to argue that due to racial inequality, King’s demonstrations are justified. King brings up the harsh truth of the violence experienced by African Americans by saying that daily, "vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will... drown your sisters and brothers at whim." and that "hate-filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters;" (King 14). King vividly describes racial inequality with terms such as "vicious mobs" and "hate-filled policemen. " King uses pathos to show that, due to the racial violence, African Americans are justified in the demonstrations and their fight for social justice.

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“ I have a dream”, said MLK in his argumentative speech. Why you ask? He is trying to fight for African American rights. The speech “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther king Junior, is one of the speeches, trying to change the future of African Americans. This speech was presented at the Washington Monument to the public.

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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.

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This statement allows the reader to understand that MLK is stating he will fight for any individual who is in need. This gives the reader the opportunity to have compassion for others and possibly allows the reader to ponder if they would do the same for others if they were in MLK’s place. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. also uses specific events to help appeal to his readers that action was needed on his part to help his fight for human

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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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Both the famous “I Have a Dream” speech—which demonstrates the nation’s failure in conserving democratic ideals for Black Americans—and the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” which refutes eight clergymen’s claims on the nonviolent civil rights movement, was written by activist Martin Luther King Jr. Though both pieces of work encourage the fight for social justice, there is heavy contrast of the style and content with regards to the form of medium, the audience, the rhetorical choices, and the purpose. With the form of medium, one literary piece is delivered to live spectators by MLK himself and one is read by clergymen and similar audiences. Essentially, a verbal form considers the short-term memory of observers to engrain main ideas and keywords,

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Johnson, Christopher Mr. Shipp English 1, Block 3 5/24/23 What It Means To Be King Martin Luther King Jr uses literary devices and figurative language throughout his speech to grab the audience and reach out to them through his words and inspire the people. Martin Luther King Jr uses Metaphors, which means “ A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.” He also uses repetition throughout his paragraphs, which means “when a word is repeated several times.” MLK uses Metaphors throughout his speech by using comparisons between the Negro people and a bad check coming back marked insufficient funds. “ America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has

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In the course of pursuing his dream, egalitarianism throughout the community, Martin Luther King created numerous varied political speeches which justified his arguments of the controversy. From the moment when he began verbalizing this particular deliverance, I Have a Dream , King used appeal to authority in his speech to create ethos. While mentioning the Emancipation Proclamation, he expressed his reverence to Abraham Lincoln as “ a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today” ( King 1). By doing so, King is denoting the jurisdiction of Abraham Lincoln, the man who signed the document to free the slaves, in order to approach his goal of having equality for everyone of different races.

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On April 4, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy gave his remarks on the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Robert’s goal was to inform people on Martin Luther King’s journey and to strengthen people’s attitudes on the whole situation. Robert’s main points throughout the speech were how the country as a whole should move forward, why the states should not resort to violence but unity instead, and he also addressed that the country needed unity, love, and compassion.

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Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential leaders of his time and played a crucial role in the African-American Civil Rights movement. Luther was a charismatic leader who took a firm stand against the oppressive and racist regime of the United States (US), devoting much of his life towards uniting the segregated African-American community of the US. His efforts to consolidate and harmonise the US into one country for all is reflected in many of his writings and speeches spanning his career. As a leader of his people, King took the stand to take radical measures to overcome the false promises of the sovereign government that had been addressing the issues of racial segregation through unimplemented transparent laws that did nothing to change the grim realities of the society. Hence, King’s works always had the recurring theme of the unity and strength of combined willpower.

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The first thing that stood out to me was how confident Dr Martin Luther king was as a speaker and how much he captured the audience attention. You could feel the energy of the crowd without even being there. His eye contact stood out to me as well, he wasn’t just reading from a paper he spoke from his heart making his speech even more powerful. A quotation that really inspired me is “I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment.

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Martin Luther King Jr. was an important figure in gaining civil rights throughout the 1960’s and he’s very deserving of that title as seen in both his “I Have a Dream” speech and his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” letter. In both of these writings Dr. King uses logos - logical persuasion - and pathos - emotional appeal - to change the opinions of people who were for segregation and against civil rights. Although King was arrested for a nonviolent protest, he still found a way to justify his actions with the use of logos and pathos. MLK uses both ways to gain the attention and agreement of the audience but, he uses pathos not just more, but in a more relatable way in order to appeal to his audience.

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