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ANALYSIS OF dR. kING'S lETTER FORM bIRMINGHAM JAIL
Martin Luther King, Jr Letter from Birmingham Jail analysis
ANALYSIS OF dR. kING'S lETTER FORM bIRMINGHAM JAIL
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What are rhetorical devices? How can they be used? Martin Luther King Jr. numerous rhetorical devices in the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” writing to clergymen who wrote a public letter calling King’s actions “unwise and untimely” and telling him to “wait.” Despite Martin Luther King Jr. using many rhetorical devices in his letter, ethos and anaphora are the most powerful, for they increase credibility and create rhythm and urgency. MLK uses ethos by letting the readers (clergymen) understand his educational status and his role as a religious leader.
King’s letter was structured in such a way, to address all the concerns of the clergymen. Since it was such a long letter, King wanted the clergymen’s major points to be refuted towards the end, effectively showing his audience the racial injustice that occurs with the Birmingham police. In the public statement addressed to King, the Birmingham police were mentioned towards the end. With the way the letter was structured, there is a possibility that King addressed their arguments in a chronological order. King easily refuted this point with an appeal to emotion, showing the appaling image of the Birmingham police force.
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
In the letter "Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr. King is questioned about being involved and his reason for being in Birmingham. He argues that his actions were not "unwise and untimely" by justifying his actions. To develop this argument, King uses rhetorical devices and appeals. Firstly, Dr. King establishes his credibility through his organizational ties, Biblical duty, and the interrelatedness of America.
In paragraphs 33 to 44 of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s response to “A Call for Unity,” a declaration by eight clergymen, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (1963), he expresses that despite his love for the church, he is disappointed with its lack of action regarding the Civil Rights Movement. Through powerful, emotionally-loaded diction, syntax, and figurative language, King adopts a disheartened tone later shifts into a determined tone in order to express and reflect on his disappointment with the church’s inaction and his goals for the future. King begins this section by bluntly stating that he is “greatly disappointed” (33) with the church, though he “will remain true to it as long as the cord of life shall lengthen” (33). By appealing to ethos and informing the audience of his history with the church, he indicates that he is not criticizing the church for his own sake, but for the good of the church.
Throughout the essay “ Letter From Birmingham Jail. ''King gives the message to the people to have a moral obligation to violate unfair laws and to take immediate action as opposed to perhaps waiting an eternity for justice and racism to be served. King is telling his fellow black community to stand up and face these unfair actions that are being set for his people and to address the racism that is taking place. King uses two rhetorical strategies to convey his message to his audience. The first strategy king uses is the mode of argument to convey his message to his audience, he also uses the second strategy he uses repetition and parallelism.
Dr. King was one of the greatest public protesters to ever live by for his unique perspective on peaceful protest. In the letter "Letter from Birmingham Jail" by MLK (Martin Luther King Jr.) While writing his letter, King uses rhetorical devices and appeals to develop his argument that there is racial injustice in Birmingham. Dr. King establishes credibility by arguing and making the claim that he is not an outsider. One way that he does this is through establishing his organizational ties and he gives specific locations as well.
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).
The blacks were being punished just for sitting in spot that says “White only” or drinking from a water fountain that is not for blacks, which is something that nobody should be getting punished for. It is not fair for policemen to treat blacks’ badly just because of their color. Policemen are supposed to set a good example for other citizens since they work for the government. King uses pathos by telling others about what happens to the blacks every single day. After reading “The letter from Birmingham Jail,” the audience gets to feel what King feels by placing themselves in King’s shoes to get a better understanding of why they need their rights as soon as possible.
Martin Luther King’s Letter From Birmingham Jail In April 1963, Martin Luther King Jr., a prominent African-American activist who used nonviolent strategies for the advancement of equality through civil rights, was criticized by an association of white and Jewish religious leaders for his disruptive behavior caused by his mission for better treatment towards people of color. Dr. King wrote Letter From Birmingham Jail to address his peers’ concerns about his human rights endeavor being immoderate and reckless. In paragraphs thirty-one and thirty-two of his epistle addressed to his fellow clergymen, King uses allusions, anaphora, and parallel structure to justify his extremism and convey why extremism is crucial for the success of his pursuit towards human equality.
April 16, 1963, while confined in the Birmingham city jail, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. writes a letter. He first wants to justify his actions and thoughts, that injustice is unwise and untimely. He recalls how he believes people must abide by laws but have the right to break unjust laws. While writing his letter, King uses rhetorical devices and appeals to develop his argument that people have responsibility and can take direct action for justice. Dr. King begins to establish many things that make him credible to prove he is not an outsider, such as Organizational ties, Biblical duty, and American citizenship.
Martin Luther King Jr. Addresses his Critics In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. responded to “eight local clergymen who questioned his methods” regarding a protest in Birmingham, Alabama (King 800). King was arrested for the protest, and while in jail he penned the response known as the Letter from Birmingham Jail. The clergymen claimed his protests were “unwise and timely” (King 800). King confronts their criticism by demonstrating what justice and injustice is.
The right to protest is a basic human right guaranteed straight out of the U.S Constitution. However, this right was infringed upon when the Birmingham police force used excessive force to quell a peaceful civil rights protest. Not only did they throw Martin Luther King Jr. in jail for protesting peacefully, but also his fellow clergymen applauded the actions of the Birmingham police force. Persuasive and Hopeful, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” letter urges the clergymen to change their opinion on the way the police acted, and also what he hopes the future will be like for African Americans in America. Through his use of tone, rhetorical appeals, and rhetorical tools, King Jr. attempts to sway the opinions of
In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” and “I Have a Dream” speech he uses many different rhetorical devices. He uses rhetorical devices such as repetition, analogy, and rhetorical questions. In each writing, he uses the devices for many different purposes. These purposes can be similar, or different. In short, Martin Luther King Jr. includes rhetorical devices in his writing.
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.
