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Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail

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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 …show more content…

uses biblical allusions to make analogies between him and figures in the Bible. Using this type of rhetoric appeals to his religious audience by showing his reasoning for his unlawful resistance and by proving that he is only following god's will. Using allusion justifies King’s actions and gives him a credibility that is based upon religion. King references a biblical situation saying, “It was evidenced sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar” (266). He uses this to show a connection in faith with his audience. In the book of Daniel they, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, defy the Laws of the King Nebuchadnezzar. They defied his laws because of religious beliefs. Dr. King using this reference gives the clergymen a reason to accept Kings’ civil disobedience. Another biblical reference King makes is in the 31st paragraph where he states, “Was not Jesus an extremist for love: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." Was not Amos an extremist for justice: "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness” (369). King first builds up these analogies to gain the attention of his religious followers. He’s using Jesus to compare their ideas and convince his audience that they are extremists. Referencing Jesus connects a majority of the nation because a lot of them worshipped Jesus Christ and a lot

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The clergymen doubted the ideas of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. but in his candid letter, he explained that what the clergymen have heard is only a facet of this argument and that there is a legitimate reason which caused Dr. King and his people to begin protesting and boycotting. In the letter, “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Dr. King explains the reasons that led him to support the peaceful, nonviolent protests. To be able to accomplish his goal of telling the clergymen the true story that had happened, Dr. King used three main methods. Out the three main methods, ethos, pathos, and logos, only one had truly succeeded, logos. Logos was the only technique which was not subtle; this strategy told the cause of the problem in a straightforward

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In the story he states that many places like "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar" and soon people there started to rise up for themselves and not care about these "laws" in the text King says that stake. It was practiced superbly by the early Christians, who were willing to face hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks rather than submit to certain unjust laws of the Roman Empire." The specific piece from his letter shows us not only his argument but his purpose as well, his purpose in paragraph 21 was to show not just black people, but people all over the world that even though there are laws that are not right, if you truly wanted to change them you can, now there may be problems while doing that but if you wanted to make a change you can. His argument, one would say, is that no matter what your going up against, whether it be the Supreme Court or Nebuchadnezzar, you can always take a stand. This type of claim that King uses is just another type of appeal that can support his claim that people can break unjust laws and take action instead of waiting for the justice system to do

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Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail

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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a civil rights leader who advocated for nonviolent confrontation of segregation, wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail” as a response to the clergymen who interrogated his techniques of protest in “Public Statement by Eight Alabama Clergymen”. The eight Alabama clergymen, who wanted to humiliate King in his efforts to peacefully demonstrate against discrimination, describe their concerns and cautions for the demonstrations controlled by an outsider, King, in the city of Birmingham. Although the clergymen state that they support King’s ultimate aims, they cannot accept the imprudent demonstrations. King, hoping to publicize and persuade the public to take action against segregation, cunningly refutes the clergymen’s concerns with the use of rhetorical strategies and devices to support his argument.

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Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

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In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr., he writes to defend himselfagainst the clergymen’s accusations in which he explains his motive on his civil rightsdemonstrations and strives to justify the desperate needs for nonviolent action in the CivilRights Movement. His primary audience throughout the letter was to the religious leaders as hewas responding to an open letter for criticism, whereas the secondary audiences are whitemoderates and the religious population. Dr King’s letter addresses that the white attitudestowards African Americans and the Civil Rights Movements in the 1960s were hostile as theywere unable to accept the movement, especially in the South. Throughout the letter, he usesvarious literary and rhetorical

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The most noticeable form of persuasion Dr.King uses is Logos. In the beginning of the letter Dr.King gives his reasoning for being in Birmingham to protest and why he is in jail. He states: “Just as the eight–century prophets left their little villages and carried their ‘thus saith the Lord’ far beyond the boundaries of their hometowns; and just as the Apostle Paul left his little village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to practically every hamlet and city of the Greco-Roman world, I too am compelled to carry the gospel of the freedom beyond my particular hometown.” (14-17) Stated by Dr.King. He is trying to say that his goal isn't to cause chaos rather to spread the idea of freedom.

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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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The use of the historical and biblical allusions/ references being used is to help build a standard ground for his audiences and the clergymen; it also helps make his letter more effective. King 's letter uses biblical allusions to create analogies between

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Knowing this King uses allusions all through the letter to constantly remind the clergymen that the idea of segregation is directly opposing what their religious texts are stating. He also compares the plight of the African Americans to that of the teachings of Jesus Christ and his journey through adversity. King alludes to the spread of Christianity when he says, “Just as the Apostle Paul left his little village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to practically every hamlet and city of the Greco-Roman world, I too am compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my particular hometown. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid.” (1) This gives King the advantage to make himself into a sort of martyr by comparing his journey to spread his belief of racial equality to that of the people who spread the Christian faith and made it into a nationally recognized religion.

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His use of ethos is shown when he compares his title as an extremist to historical and religious figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Paul Amos, and Socrates. In the beginning King gives credit to the clergymen, stating that they are good men of will who know the bible. King continues

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He utilizes this style to persuade the moderate clergy. He answers their prior criticism with respect and acknowledges that they are men of good will (King 800). When using his persuasive writing style, King utilizes analogies to push forward his agenda of equality. For example, the clergy assume that the actions of the peaceful protestors lead to future violence, so they ought to be condemned (King 806). King uses an analogy to demonstrate that this line of thinking is fallacious.

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King uses this to too compare himself with god which was also a so called “extremist” which might all too make the Clergymen rethink what they just did and questions themselves of who is the real extremist and if King is truly right. As a matter of fact, King also brings this piece of anology of the issue of what is legal and what is not legal here he states a piece of history that we should not forget “We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did was ‘Legal’ and everything the Hungarian Freedom Fighters did in Hungary was illegal”. He includes this because the statement shows something in history that is happening how everything

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Letter From Birmingham Jail, was written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the summer of 1963. Birmingham became a center of activity in the equal rights movement and was even referred to as “Bombingham” (find quote). Dr. King was arrested during a non-violent peaceful march because he didn’t have a parade permit. Segregation laws and Jim Crow policies kept the system of separate school, restaurants, restrooms, hotels, and drinking fountains alive in the South.

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In reaction to the chaos, eight Alabama clergymen published a public statement asking for the citizens of both races to remain peaceful and live together in an orderly manner. When Martin Luther King, Jr., an activist from Atlanta, Georgia who was currently in the Birmingham City Jail for parading without a permit, saw this letter from the clergymen, he sent a reply in which he addressed the flaws in their argument and explained his reasoning for being in Birmingham. The world we live in today would not be possible if it were not for the determination and passion of Civil Rights activists like him. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King, Jr. appeals to the emotions of multiple audiences of 1963, as well as current audiences of 2014, by using meticulous diction, repetition, and vivid imagery to demonstrate his passion for the movement

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While in solitary confinement for nearly 8 days, reverend and social justice activist, Martin Luther King Jr., wrote his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail in response to the criticism he received for his non-violent protests. Several clergy who negatively critiqued King’s approach of seeking justice, wrote A Call for Unity, arguing that his protests were senseless and improper. Within the article, the clergymen provide nine different critiques that asserted how King’s protest are invalid, uneffective, and simply unintelligent in the fight for obtaining justice and equity for individuals of color. His letter has become one of the most profound pieces of literature of the 20th century, as King uses vivid examples and eloquent rhetorical devices to counter all nine arguments.

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King never advocated breaking the laws that were just and fair to everyone. He only advocated breaking an unjust as long as they do it, as King says, “openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty.” (357) King talks about other ways that people broke unjust laws before him. He calls it civil disobedience. He gives the example of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refusing Nebuchadnezzar.

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