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Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail By Martin Luther King

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Not all persuasions are ethical. For that reason the purpose for rhetorical speech may vary from person to person and because it is so ambiguous people have found it easier to simply rely on unethical methods into persuading other into believing that they are to be trusted. Which is why convincing others is considered unethical because the majority of people use rhetorical speech for personal gain; therefore people believe the ethics of rhetorical speech is mainly concerned with one’s moral compass. In most cases people chose to influence others not because they are altruistic but for personal gain; we live in a world where people are being influenced whether it may be on social media or at a store making it seem almost inescapable .So if …show more content…

For instance Martin Luther king Jr. is a great example on how pathos is used to make an audience sympathize. In the "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Martin Luther King Jr. uses persuasive speech to address his concerns to the opponent. King structures his language that conflicts with the oppression against human rights. The use of ethos is apparent throughout King’s letter to convince the clergymen that he has enough credibility, this is a great technique because the intended audience were christian religious leaders; “ I have the honor of serving as president of the southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia”( King 254). King also uses anaphoras throughout his letter and he uses this to build emphasis on the grievances he and other african americans had to endure: “When you have seen vicious mobs lynch you mothers and fathers… When you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick, and even kill your black brothers and sisters… ”(King par.14). The reasons why King chose to write with this technique is to have an emotional pull and to make his letter more impactful for the opposing groups. Not only was King capable of making his letter memorable but he also made it extremely effective for the pathos appeal throughout the text by making the reader

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