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Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

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When mainly anyone thinks of the word “extreme” you will probably have a negative image or thought. Extreme is thought to be daring or rebellious maybe, but extreme can mean many different things, some of which are a good thing. Extremism is a big point in Martin Luther King Junior’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” in some of his last few paragraphs. King uses different historical evidence and rhetorical strategies to appeal to his audience in different ways. It is good to use all these different strategies and devices because it gives King an advantage to appeal to his audience in different ways and persuade them in his writings. In paragraphs 27 through 31, King uses many different strategies that help him reflect his true image. He starts …show more content…

They will have a constant crave for freedom until eventually something snaps and it gets to the point that they will do anything to get what they deserve. This is an appeal to logos because it appeals to logic and persuades the audience that this is an actual possibility. King also uses a little repetition in this paragraph when he reuses the word “repetition” in the following sentences. When King says “The United States Negro is moving with a sense of great urgency toward the promised land of racial justice.”, he is referring to a biblical reference or analogy. As many know, especially churchgoers or my fellow Christian brothers and sisters, the Promised Land is a land of no more sorrow, pain, or sin. The promised land is a land given to us by God. Once again he is using a religious appeal to anyone who may believe in God or claim to be Christian that is reading this. It gives King a good image to reference the outcome he wants to. In one of the next lines, King mentions that if emotions are not released in nonviolent ways, it may result in violence. He then says that this isn’t a threat, but a fact of …show more content…

In this paragraph, King starts right off the bat about being called an extremist. He mentions that it upset him at first, but then he started to think about it and said that it wasn’t such a bad thing because it was true. This statement contains a little bit of concede to the other side and agreeing with them about how he was an extremist. What they didn’t see coming was, he starts to name other extremists too. I want to say this, I believe this was a hard blow to his target when he says this, because many of these people were just like him, but succeeded and ended up as legends and huge people in history, as did King. The first person King mentions was the biggest. King says that Jesus Christ was an extremist for love, and actually gave a biblical quote that was said by Jesus. This was a target for pretty much anyone who believed in the word of God or at least believed in Jesus. The next is Amos, another biblical reference, but not known by as many. Actually, you would have to be pretty educated in the Bible to really know and understand the struggles Amos faced. This shows off Kings religious background and really appeals to the religious community. He then mentions plenty of other references that all appeal to different groups in the world. Some people like: the apostle Paul (a man with a great biblical story if you do not know it. One of my personal favorites), Martin Luther, King’s father, John Bunyan, Abraham Lincoln, and even Thomas

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The author extends his gratitude toward them through the use of figurative language, particularly imagery. For instance, he claims that these religious leaders have “carved a tunnel of hope through the dark mountain of disappointment” (43). This image of light in the midst of darkness appeals to emotion. By creating this sense of hope, King inspires the audience to join him in his fight for desegregation. Though it is undoubtedly disappointing that there is a lack of support from the majority of clergymen, King conveys his faith in them through this image and shifts his focus from disappointment to

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When he is called an extremist in his views he says “We must never forget that all three were crucified for the same crime- the crime of extremism.” This is a use of irony on his behalf because he is comparing his extremist views to those who were crucified which is ironic because the clergymen have accused King of this crime even though this supposed crime was the result of crucifying on Calvary’s Hill. When he covers the order sustained by police he says “I doubt that you would have so warmly commended the police force if you had seen its dogs sinking their teeth into unarmed, nonviolent Negroes.” This is the use of a hyperbole because by saying the dogs were sinking their teeth it may not entirely mean every nonviolent negro was being harassed so viciously, but he stresses his point better this way. Extremism and violence add to King’s stressed point he is trying to make and he uses formal as well as cacophonous diction to create this

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He exemplifies both types of laws and relates his arrest to unjust laws that resulted from his civil disobedience but also stresses his willingness to face the consequences for any law that he breaks, just or unjust. In response to the accusations that characterize King to be an extremist, King lists the many “extremists” of biblical and historical significance who are now praised for their support of different causes. This reference is appropriate for Martin Luther King Jr. who has certainly joined the ranks of these

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“I must admit that I was initially disappointed in being so categorized” (Paragraph 23). King showed multiple times how disheartened he felt, which is something most people who have authority would say. He goes on and states several times how disappointed he was. “I have been disappointed with the church” (Paragraph 27). This indicates that the clergymen and white people with power, as well as the church, have failed him.

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We must never forget that all three were crucified for the same crime--the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for immorality, and thus fell below their environment. The other, Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth, and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment.” He closes paragraph 31 with the words, “Perhaps the South, the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.” What King means by this is that maybe the South, and the world, would greatly benefit from a leader who is an extremist for all things good, just as Jesus Christ was.

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He makes it clear that the demonstrations are because the white have left them with no alternative but to take action. In saying all this, King's strategy is point out where the clergymen were mistaken and he even agrees with them that yes indeed it is too bad he must

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Dr. King uses descriptive words and metaphors to convey the emotions and things he is feeling. King is condemning the clergymen saying other religious leaders have come and joined us, then why will you not help us? He speaks of the other religious leaders helping his cause as a way to convince and urge the clergymen to join his side. King wants freedom breaking out of the metaphorical “chains” and not conforming and is thankful to everyone that has decided to join in and help him do so. “Too long has our beloved Southland been bogged down in the tragic attempt to live in monologue rather than dialogue” (King 354).

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Take for example when the clergy in paragraph nine asked “why sit ins, marches and so forth? Isn’t negotiation a better choice?” King then quoted Socrates in paragraph nine who said “It felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind,” King applied this to his cause by saying “I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth.” This shows how King can look back at history and see the teachings of an effective person and apply it; a very efficient way to gain trust. This pattern happens continues throughout the letter.

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He compares himself to the Greek philosopher Socrates who said, “There should be a tension in peoples’ minds that could help them break away from the bondage of myths and untruthful lies” (King, para.10). King calls himself an extremist because of his actions. He compares himself to Abraham Lincoln who was an extremist to end slavery who said, “This nation can’t survive half free and half slave.” He also compares himself to Thomas Jefferson who was an extremist for equally who said, “We hold these truths that men are created equal.” King asks his audience, the clergymen, “What kind of extremist are you?”

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He does this throughout the letter, but one strong example is when King addresses the issue of the Civil Rights movement being made of “extremists.” King uses the criticism to his advantage when he lists many Christian and American idols, like Jesus Christ, Apostle Paul, Abraham Lincoln, and Thomas Jefferson- and redefines them as extremists. This is incredibly effective, as it is very difficult for a clergyman to say no to, “Was not Jesus an extremist for love?”(7). This use of famous figures powerfully supports his purpose of moving his audience to action, as it distances the movement from stereotypically disdained extremism and realigns it with the widely respected values the audience agrees

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does use historical and biblical allusions through out his whole letter, there are two allusions that really stand out. On page 289 paragraph 31 Martin Luther King Jr. is referring to the clergymen letter of calling himself an “extremist” King proclaims “ But although I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist......... Was not Jesus an extremist for love: “your enemies, bless the, that cure you, do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use and persecute you”. In this biblical allusions Marting Luther King Jr. talks about God being an extremist he does this because does it not just create common ground for everyone who knows those are Gods words but is use effectively to his power. When Marting Luther King calls God an extremist he goes on saying “ the question is not whether we will be an extremist, but what kind of extremist” these two follow after one another because some not all people think it is insane to love your enemies, to bless them because they are bringing you down but people go by it because it is the right thing to do so with that being said Martin Luther King Jr. is claiming he might be considered an “extremist” now for doing something out of the ordinary

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In 1963, eight Alabama clergymen issued a seemingly hypocritical public statement accusing outsiders of leading extreme demonstrations of protest in Birmingham, Alabama, and urging local citizens to allow racial issues to be resolved by the courts. In response, civil rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr., wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” which outlined the reasoning and timing of the demonstrative actions. While King’s letter exhibits an effective use of all three Aristotelian rhetorical appeals, the following analysis focuses primarily on his use of logos. His inclusion of analogies along with descriptive diction assists in emphasizing his reasoning in an attempt to logically convince his readers that waiting for the courts to settle racial injustices had proved inefficient.

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He uses a biblical allusion to provoke emotion in his audience. He makes the clergymen feel bad by indirectly accusing them of not practicing what they preach. King stated “You may well ask, “why direct action , why sit-ins, marches, and so forth? ” .... Isn’t negotiation a better path (King 10)?””

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1963 could be considered the peak of the civil rights movement- with protests in Birmingham, the March on Washington, and the surfacing of Martin Luther King Jr.'s ground-breaking pieces "I Have A Dream" and "Letter from Birmingham Jail," the demand for civil rights had become a genuine American crisis. Dr. King wrote "Letter from Birmingham Jail" while he was in custody with the intention to share with fellow Americans his grievances and explain the absolute necessity for protests in Birmingham. Almost a century prior, in 1852, Frederick Douglass delivered his biting and passionate speech "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro" on behalf of all the enslaved. Somewhat similar to Dr. King's letter, Douglass shares his own grievances regarding

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King is emphasizing the non-violent of his protest by using “extremist” as an example. King questioned people about Jesus and contrasted love and extremity in order to convince the people of Alabama that his methods are effective and reasonable just like what Jesus did to spread

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