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Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

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African Americans have been denied their constitutional rights for three centuries, or three hundred and forty years, prior to the implementation of segregation in the United States. This time period includes the Civil War, the Civil Rights Movement, and slavery. African American leaders soon began to speak out for social change and the advancement of civil rights in society as a result of the denial of their rights, but their efforts were frequently met with hostility and violence from those who wanted to keep things as they were. During his time in Birmingham Jail, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was forced to face these harsh realities and the terrible realization that his efforts to create change might be in vain. In his “Letter from Birmingham …show more content…

He specifically emphasizes his frustration with individuals who advocate for patience and slow change yet have never personally experienced the injustice of segregation. As he puts it, "I guess it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say ‘wait’" (King 2). This comment demonstrates King's frustration and sense of injustice toward those who have not experienced his situation. King expresses his wish for the audience to understand the pressing urgency of the civil rights movement and the requirement for bold action in this statement. Additionally, King's encounter with a prejudiced judicial system is a potent example of the discrimination African Americans encounter in the struggle of basic human rights. As he notes in his personal experience, "For instance, I was arrested Friday on a charge of parading without a permit. Now, there is nothing wrong with an ordinance which requires a permit for a parade, but when the ordinance is used to preserve segregation and to deny citizens the First Amendment privilege of peaceful assembly and peaceful protest, then it becomes unjust" (King 3). This statement emphasizes the injustice and unfairness of the situation and evokes a strong emotional response from the reader. While King acknowledges that obtaining a permit for a parade is not inherently unfair, he emphasizes that it …show more content…

effectively uses pathos in his writing to evoke powerful emotional reactions from his readers by addressing their sense of morality and righteousness.He argues that people have a moral duty to stand up against injustice, distinguishing between just and unjust laws, "An unjust law is no law at all" (King 3). King instills a strong sense of moral responsibility in his readers by appealing to their sense of fairness and justice. This emphasizes that they have a responsibility to speak out against injustice. This is a powerful method of evoking emotion because it appeals to deeply held beliefs and values that are essential to our sense of identity and as a means of creating change. Furthermore, King emphasizes the value of love and nonviolence, appealing to the greatest ideals and beliefs of his readers. “I have tried to stand between these two forces, saying that we need not follow the do-nothingism of the complacent or the hatred and despair of the black nationalist. There is a more excellent way, of love and nonviolent protest.” (King 4). King is able to evoke an emotional response in his readers and motivate them to take action by portraying the civil rights issue in terms of justice and wrong. He effectively uses emotion in the fight for social justice. In conclusion, King employs a moral and ethical connection to evoke a sense of pathos in his audience and inspire them to take action against

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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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King also uses the rhetorical device of pathos throughout his letter to effectively sway moderate whites and other members of the clergy to accept his non-violent movement. He says, “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” (King 414). This works to gain an emotional appeal from the audience by telling them that they are the only way that this movement is going to work. Additionally, this line creates emotion from the audience through King’s mention of the “painful experience,” which is referring to the constant degrading and violence that these people have had to endure. King means that if they do not continue fight for what is right, they will never achieve what they want to.

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In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. was held in prison for his actions to have the African American activist movement parade in the city of Birmingham even though he had no permit. The eight Clergymen wrote King a letter stating that what he did was wrong and why it was “unwise and untimely” (Alvarado 174). While being wrongly imprisoned King wrote back stating why he took the actions that he did to convince the town of Birmingham and the nation to stand up segregation. In the letter, King tries to persuade the Clergymen to see that what he did was right and needed while also defending his actions. King went to Birmingham on April 12, 1963 to protest against the cruel mistreatment of African Americans in the city of Birmingham.

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Dr. King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”: Just and Unjust Laws Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is a letter to eight white clergymen while he’s sitting in a jail cell, the result of a protest in Birmingham, Alabama that King, a Georgian, traveled to attend. Due to the criticisms of the clergymen, he commences his letter by explaining why he needed to come to Birmingham. King states that he was there for a multitude of reasons, the first being that he had organizational ties to Birmingham, the second being that he was there because there was injustice in Birmingham. He states that as a citizen of America, injustice in Birmingham is not removed from justice anywhere else because everything is interrelated, and that injustice

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It can also illustrate the rhetorical appeal pathos because it brings a somber mood onto the audience. It provided them with a sense of guilt and shame for their inability to speak up for equality. This paragraph describes how personification helps to portray King’s theme of equality and equal

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In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. led a peaceful movement in Birmingham, Alabama. The purpose of the demonstration was to bring awareness and end to racial disparity in Birmingham. Later that night, King and his followers were detained by city authorities. While in custody, King wrote the famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” This letter voiced out his disappointment in the criticisms, and oppositions that the general public and clergy peers obtained.

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Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. skillfully uses religious language and metaphor, rationality, and reason, and sentiment. A smart tactic to reach god-fearing and law-abiding individuals along with ordinary citizens. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. would tie into the listener's emotion by dramatically depicting the horrible things they had to endure in a flashy fashion through the use of his

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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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This quote shows King’s direct response to the clergymen telling him and his fellow protesters that they need to delay their civil rights movement because it just isn’t the best time. He warns the ministers that if this movement is put off for too long, there will be a time when violent protests and riots will break out because there is a drastic need for change in a broken society such as the one that was present at the

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Dr. King illustrates the illogical wrong doings of America towards black people in his two writings to represent the error and injustice in segregation. In “I Have a Dream” Dr. King explains that even though slavery ended “one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free.” In addition to this in “I Have a Dream”, the text also states that the constitution promised “unalienable Rights” to all American citizens but it has failed to give black people, american citizens, their rights. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, the black community sought to negotiate and talk with the people in power, whites, “But the latter consistently refused to engage in good faith negotiation.” Furthermore in “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Dr. King relates how

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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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King shows his message by recommending, “We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.” Additionally, he believed that one should not exhaust their efforts on violence. King also made clear that it may take some time to gain equality; however, they need to stay strong as stated in the his speech, “No, no we are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” King’s speech affected his audience greatly by showing off his ardor and ability to relate to others.

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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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King is able to provide his audience with a proper vision of the intensity involving racial segregation through the experiences of African-Americans nationwide. He goes on to use a testimony from a young child in order to impact his readers. Kings describes, “when you have to concoct an answer for a five-year-old son who is asking, ‘Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?’” (803). Through these depictions, King attempts to gain sympathy from his audience.

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“...when you are harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what to expect next, and are plagued with inner fears and outer resentments; when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of “nobodiness”- then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait. 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. I hope, sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience.” (MLK, 276). King uses this strong sense of appeal to emotion to engross his readers and let them know how hard it is for them.

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