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Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail

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In the ever changing world, the most drastic change of all is the time period of the civil rights movement. There’s many historical figures that emerged from this time period, and one of those figures being Martin Luther King Jr. MLK was known for being an incredible spokesperson, a kind, loving man, and was a strong leader for nonviolence to achieve equal rights for Black Americans. King was an incredible individual and helped many African Americans receive their equality they rightfully deserved. King achieved this through speeches, on being his famous “I have a dream” which he said in front of thousands on August 28th 1963 at the Lincoln memorial in Washington D.C. He also wrote the letter from Birmingham jail when he was arrested in Alabama on April 16th 1963, which put an end to fallacies said by eight Alabama clergymen. King’s letter is effective because it conveys emotion, helps the audience understand the difficulties the African American people have faced in hopes of changing how they view protesting in hopes of gaining more support to put an end to segregation, Jim Crow laws, discrimination, etc. King’s letter uses a strong tone, and extensive vocabulary which gives the audience a sense of insight to what King is trying to say in his letter. Also, King’s letter shows strong uses of …show more content…

An example he mentions in his letter is when he says “we have some eighty-five affiliated organizations across the South and one of them is the Alabama Christian movement for Human Rights” (King, 2). Another example is when King says “I have been arrested on a charge of parading without a permit” (King, 8). King uses these examples to help the audience understand how the civil rights movement needs protesting to change and put an end to these problems they’ve had to deal with for countless

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King uses many forms of rhetorical devices in his letter in order to effectively make impacts on his audience. In his counterargument against the praises towards the Birmingham police force, King brings new lights of the police force to the public eye. He uses parallelism to target his audience and change the public opinion on the police force “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 ... if you were to observe them, as they did on two occasions, refuse to give us food because we wanted to sing our grace together”(King 561-570). King counter the praises that states the police kept “order” for the public and prevented any violence to take place,

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a minister, spokesperson, activist, and civil rights leader, wrote “Letter From Birmingham Jail” specifically to the eight clergymen who addressed his unlawful acts, but the message is also intended for Christians and the people of the whole nation. Martin Luther King’s Letter From Birmingham Jail uses parallelism to emphasize the extent that discriminatory actions happened in Birmingham and in the U.S, allusion to justify his actions, and antithesis to contrast two ideas and eventually persuade the clergymen and all others that nonviolent protest will help end racial segregation. He also uses the rhetoric to defend his actions. Dr. King uses a list of rhetorical devices in his letter. One device that stood

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As a leader of civil rights activist, Martin Luther King wrote a letter in response to the Alabama clergymen called, “Letter to Birmingham Jail” to discuss and present different tactics to end racial discrimination. The clergymen respect King’s ideas, however they were hesitant about his tactics because they believe in the end it will turn out to be violent. King understands why they might be unsure about his tactics but does not approve in what the clergymen labeled his strategies is one of an “extremist”. In order to bring his explanations across he uses rhetorical strategies to help achieve what he is trying to convince the clergymen of the idea of being an extremist. Logos is one of the rhetorical devices King uses to support his opinion.

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The desire to change and inspire is a part of most people; sometimes it is because of our natural selfishness, and other times it is because we truly care for others and their ideas. The power of words is compelling; not because it forces you to do something, but because it forces you to think of something. Writing is the ultimate messenger, and it is a skill that some spend their lives perfecting. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written from a solitary cell in Birmingham, Alabama. He had been arrested while participating in a peaceful anti-segregation march in 1963.

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Using the examples of a family in this section allows anyone reading the letter to connect in personal ways, "...to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park..." (Letter 14). An example in King's speech is, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin..." (Speech 20). This quote shows that he, as a parent, yearns for a better world for his children to grow up in.

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As Martin Luther King Jr. served his prison sentence for participating in nonviolent demonstrations against segregation, he wrote an influential open letter titled "Letter from Birmingham Jail". In his letter, King urges the oppressed blacks to rise up to the challenge of overcoming racism and racial segregation. As an experienced orator and rhetorician, King uses many different methods in his writing to evoke a powerful affective response in the reader by creating a sense of urgency and responsibility. He uses techniques such as syntax, diction, parallelism, and Aristotle's three appeals as a call to arms; he argues that direct actions are necessary to break unjust laws, rather than waiting for justice to be served through the prejudiced

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Through the use of his letter, he is able to tell the general public of why the stakes justify the actions he takes, and why it is important for the acceptance of his plan as more turmoil could be caused otherwise. Dr. King’s letter is an example of him taking action while knowing the stakes that if he fails, the whole Civil Rights movement could fail. It gives a clear understanding of the need to fight unjust laws through his statement that, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (King). He continues by saying that everyone has a “legal…moral responsibility” to uphold just laws but that people also have the right to “disobey unjust laws” (King). This statement immediately gives pretense to his actions of fighting for freedom through protest.

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At the end of his letter he addresses the clergymen " I also hope that circumstances will soon make it possible for me to meet each of you, not as an integrationist or a civil rights leader, but as a fellow clergymen and a Christian brother" (paragraph 7). This statement makes a claim the king wants to meet these seven clergymen in person and speak about the issues he wrote in this letter. Another rhetorical tool king uses in his letter are similes. This rhetorical tool helps king compare two things and address the point as he sees it. " Over the last few years I have consistently preached that nonviolence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek" (paragraph 3).

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1609 Words | 7 Pages

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is a piece of writing that has been influential in the civil rights movement ever since the time when it was written. In the letter, King defends his and his followers use of non-violent protests to ultimately gain civil and voting rights in America. King’s letter was written in response to another letter that was published by a group of Alabama clergymen telling him to give up his movement and let the government handle it. At first glance, a reader may be tempted to read and view King’s letter as effective essentially because of King’s known authority and allusions to his religion. However, a closer look reveals that what ultimately makes this speech rhetorically effective is

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Throughout King’s letter, he incorporated different rhetorical appeals, such as pathos, to make the audience understand the harsh treatment African Americans were subjected to each day. In his letter King emphasized, “But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate filled policemen curse, kick, and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society... (King 3).” This piece of evidence describes the brutality that was

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504 Words | 3 Pages

King uses strong, powerful language in his letter to analyze how protesting is right in the eyes of him and his fellow men because of the way they are being treated. King says, “All Christians know that the colored people will receive equal rights eventually” (paragraph 25). By using the word “Christians” it points out and focuses on the priests because they are Christians. Therefore, they will feel a personal connection between what King is writing and their lives. King explains what is happening to African Americans during this time and the struggles they are going through in their day-to-day life, unlike these fellow clergymen.

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603 Words | 3 Pages

These clergymen deemed his organized group activities as “unwise and untimely.” (King, 1963). These men, who at the time had higher power over King due to their race, were unwelcoming and racist, which caused King to need firm and calm but strongly expressed arguments. King’s speech, on the other hand, is positive and powerful with a direct audience to speak to instead of a letter. His speech has an optimistic tone towards his audience as he quickly claims his happiness towards the gathering and his certainty of the impact he would make with “…the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.”

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1427 Words | 6 Pages

Allusions are figures of speech that reference a famous person, piece of literature, or a popular event. Doctor King creatively used allusions to convey the injustices that the people of the South faced in the 1950s and 1960s, during his nonviolent Civil Rights Movement. His Civil Rights Movement consisted of peaceful protests including the Montgomery Bus Boycott of Alabama in 1955, founding the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to mount protests against the Jim Crow laws, and organizing sit-ins in public places. Dr. King wrote in the letter, “Just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town.” He uses this to appeal to the reader’s ethos because religion played a significant role in King’s life.

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1546 Words | 7 Pages

Martin Luther King Jr. was a strong leader in the Civil Rights movement, the son and grandson of a minister, and one heck of a letter writer. As he sits in a cell of Birmingham Jail in 1963, he responds to criticism from eight white clergymen. Though this letter was intended for the judgemental and condescending men of high faith, his response touched the hearts and minds of the entire U.S. population, then, and for years to come. In his tear-jerking, mind-opening letter, King manages to completely discredit every claim made by the clergymen while keeping a polite and formal tone. Metaphors, allusions, and rhetorical questions are used in the most skillful way to support his argument and ultimately convince his audience of the credibility behind his emotional, yet factual, claims.

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In “A Letter From A Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King Jr defends his use of nonviolent protest in order to accomplish racial equality. In the letter, Dr. King uses ethos, diction, and allusions when defending nonviolent protest which makes his argument really strong. His goal is to make the clergymen help him fight racial equality. He uses ethos to build up credibility.

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