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Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham

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On April 12, 1963 the Alabamian clergymen sent out a public letter discussing the violations that Martin Luther King Jr. was causing in Birmingham. Once King saw the letter , in jail after being imprisoned for peaceful marching in the civil rights movement, he responded explaining that the clergy weren’t doing anything to help out the African American racial injustices. Martin Luther King not only responded to the Alabamian clergymen’s criticism in his letter, he also addressed the local African American community in order to successfully convince them that they need to continue fighting for their equal rights. Martin Luther King strategically uses biblical allusions, knowing that his immediate audience is the clergy, and the reference to …show more content…

To make the clergymen feel sympathetic he states, “... and see the tears welling up in her little eyes when she is told Funtown is closed to colored children… depressing clouds of inferiority form in her little mental sky…”(10). By Martin Luther King talking about children he knows that the use of children is a strategic thing to do in order to to achieve sympathy. He emphasizes on future generations to communicate that discrimination will follow throughout the years if they don’t try to change it now. This will push people to protest in the Civil Rights Movement because the African Americans know what it feels like to be discriminated against and they wouldn’t want their children to go through what they have their whole life. Although children aren’t the only ones that cause people to feel emotional but family members can also cause people to get sentimental. This is the reason why Martin Luther King says, “ But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your brothers and sisters at whim”(10). The African American community gets riled up and they are willing to fight for justice. He also says this to refute when the clergymen said that they knew their community, the clergy don’t know their community, though, because they haven’t been through what

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Martin Luther king wrote the letter from Birmingham jail and discuss the biggest issues in the black community of Birmingham. In order to justify his desire for racial justice and equality, martin Luther king uses knowledge and potential thoughts given toward to his letter transcending to his people and the churches and he made very important valid statement that gave his audience and open mind and to encourage American society desegregation and having equality among all Americans with no stratification according to racial differences. His letter addresses the American society, political and religious community of America. King uses metaphors saying “ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning

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In Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, he uses pathos and rhetorical questions to appeal towards the readers. Pathos is showed in King’s letter when he says, “Too long has out beloved southland been bogged down in the tragic attempt to live in monologue rather than dialogue.” (7) This quote supports pathos because King is saying we should be living in a world of dialogue not monologue, also he talks about his beloved southland. This makes the readers have sympathy for the tragic issue. Rhetorical is used to appeal towards the readers in Kings letter when he states the question, “But can this assertion be logically made?”

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King appeals to their emotions by describing the violence, not done by the protestors, but by the police. “I doubt that you would have so warmly commended the police force if you had seen it’s dogs sinking their teeth into unarmed, nonviolent Negros . . . if you were to watch them push and curse old Negro women and young Negros girls . . . .” By appealing to their emotions as religious leaders, King hopes to sway the leader’s thoughts from the violent police to an understanding of the nonviolent protestors and their hopes of equality. He stated to the clergy to appeal to their religious background, possibly in an attempt to make reference to Jesus and his persecution, “I wish you had commended the Negro sit inners and demonstrators of Birmingham for their sublime courage, their willingness to suffer and their amazing discipline in midst of great

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