Rhetorical Appeals In Letter From Birmingham Jail

“Letter from Birmingham Jail” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is known as a civil rights movement activist and he is recognized around the world as a symbol of freedom, liberty, and peace. He was the central figure for African –Americans and to speak up for people. He thrives to have a better future for his family and other Africans –Americans. He was the first to protest a boycott and in 1963 of April he was arrested in Birmingham, Alabama for participating in a non-permit march. In his time in jail he wrote a “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, which he uses all the rhetorical appeals. In the entire letter he has inspirational words to express his voice. In his “Letter” he uses pathos appeal more effectively than logos and ethos. In every part of MLK’s letter he uses all the rhetorical appeals. The first appeal is pathos; it is a way of convincing an audience of an argument by creating an

expresses his feelings, ideas and reasons for his actions during the protest. He opens it up by stating where he is to catch the readers’ attention and emotion then he states the opposing argument to support his pathos appeal. Throughout his letter he uses all the appeals to have a better understanding of his letter. For example, in paragraph 5 he explains, ”You deplore the demonstrations taking place in Birmingham. But your statement, I am sorry to say, fails to express a similar concern for the conditions …” He expresses logos then ethos to support his evidence in the paragraph. He uses logos to strengthen his arguments toward the clergymen and to have a good structure. In explanation,” A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law.” By giving an explanation he strengthens his argument and gives evidence of it later on in the paragraph. Even though he states the ethos and logos he has more pathos. Nevertheless, ethos and logos do not have enough