Paraphrasing Activity - “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” During his incarceration in Birmingham, Alabama, in April 1963, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a response to a group of white southern clergymen after his arrest for a peaceful protest against segregation. King begins his statement, known as the "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," by appealing to the reader's sensibilities. However, the letter's purpose was to explain why segregation must end. To be effective, King needed a strategy. King, a fellow reverend and human rights activist with a distinguished reputation uses the rhetorical strategy of ethos in his letter to demonstrate his ethical concerns about social injustice. In addition, King used comparison and contrast with defending …show more content…
King, who served as a minister, had a deep understanding of Christianity, which he used in his letter to the white clergy. King sought to highlight the immorality of discrimination, especially against those in powerful or religious positions who could assist him in bringing about change. In their capacities as churchmen, these individuals should be aware of the unchristian nature of allowing such bigotry. Social change was necessary regardless of if one ignored inequities or actively condoned segregation. In the absence of other options, King became more visible and vocal in his protests in a non-violent manner (King, 1963, p.5, para. 3). ((p.2). ?) Even if he was jailed for his actions, his cause was not in vain. As a witness to cruel actions, King could no longer remain …show more content…
King was confident that his ethical reputation would enable him to persuade those in authority to end segregation, and he urged the clergy to examine their hearts before condemning him. Using a compare and contrast strategy, King (1963) demonstrates his disheartened view of the Church, despite the love and affection that he also had for it (p. 2). Further, he describes his connections with the early leaders of civil disobedience who were punished for transgressions against the moral law (p. 7). In his letter, King (1963) stated that "Justice too long delayed, is justice denied." (pp. 5-6). King pushed to moderate the white clergy who criticized his protests. As a result, his letter invokes religious notions of just and unjust law (Calfano & Umphres, 2022, para. 28). According to King (1963), human dignity affords him the moral clarity to call unjust laws "no laws at all." (p. 7). Strategy Applied in the Portfolio As part of my upcoming portfolio project, I intend to apply King's writing strategies. An ethos rhetorical strategy will establish how the EEOC creates ethical anti-discrimination laws. The federal employment laws protect applicants and employees, particularly women and minorities, from discriminatory practices. The portfolio will benefit from the use of ethos as well as a compare and contrast strategy for examples of pay inequity.