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Rhetorical Language In Letter From Birmingham Jail

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In Dr. Martin Luther Kings Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” King justifies his use of achieving negotiations through direct action. He solidifies his arguments by alluding to the clergymen’s inability to address the daily injustices suffered by African Americans. King’s use of powerful imagery and word choice of the daily plights endured by African Americans invokes an emotional response that challenges the clergymen to see the topic from his perspective. King’s persuasive style of writing includes logical arguments and allusions to respected historical figures. His ability individualize stories of injustice and segregation present the larger issue of civil rights in a way that the clergymen can relate to. Keeping his audience in mind he …show more content…

He uses the power of rhetorical language in order to turn the title of an "extremist" into a positive attribute. He preaches, “Was not Jesus an extremist for love ?” (Cotton 100) In addition to Jesus, King references many historical and biblical characters from Abraham Lincoln to John Bunyan.who have been revered for their actions. King takes advantage of the power of ethos in order to support his beliefs. Further more, supports his stands when he reminds the clergymen that men like Jesus where crucified for their beliefs. The mention of Jesus’s crucifixion evokes sympathy by emphasizing that a figure once labeled as an extremist was subsequently persecuted, is now seen as admirable figure.King uses this message to highlight the positives of being an extremist when fighting for a shared belief and make his stance more relatable. His many references to biblical figure provide various view point which all stem from traditional church values. As a result by the end of the paragraph he is able to diminishes the negative connotations of the word extremist, in affect diminishes their claims

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Rhetorical Devices In Letter To Birmingham Jail

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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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Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail

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He reveals his hope that the church will make changes to its current attitude, while at the same time expressing his disappointment. Furthermore, King prefaces this section with a statement that he is a man “who loves the church,” (34) and “was nurtured in its bosom” (34) in order to establish his credibility and appeal to ethos. He suggests that he knows the church

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Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail

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Martin Luther King Junior was phenomenal at using rhetoric devices to prove his points. This is made extremely apparent in his letter titled, A Letter from Birmingham Jail. In this pice of writing he uses two different types of Ethos, along with definition, pathos, periodic sentences, and diction. Martin uses all of these to reply to the group of clergymen who sent him a letter while he was in prison. In their letter they said that Martin should stop causing public disturbances.

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Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail

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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a very important, persuasive, influential, historical figure during the 1960’s. There were two instances during the ‘60s where King persuaded many with a letter and a speech. The first was when King was put in Birmingham jail for “parading without a permit” and eight white clergymen wrote a newspaper article where they criticized him for “unwise and untimely” demonstrations. When King was in jail, he eventually found and read the article and proceeded to respond with a letter in the margins of the newspaper. This letter will then become the “Letter From Birmingham Jail.”

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Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail

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He was a minister so Biblical references are plentiful throughout his letter. Martin Luther King Jr. demonstrates, “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.’” He creates another anaphora with the words “was not” to emphasize that there are many people who have impacted this world for the better who were also classified as extremists during their times. Not only does he mention Biblical persons like Amos and Paul, he also refers to presidents like Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, professors like Martin Luther, and writers like John Bunyan. King begins to make his appeal to pathos by using Thomas Jefferson’s quote, “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal...”

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Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail

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He does this throughout the letter, but one strong example is when King addresses the issue of the Civil Rights movement being made of “extremists.” King uses the criticism to his advantage when he lists many Christian and American idols, like Jesus Christ, Apostle Paul, Abraham Lincoln, and Thomas Jefferson- and redefines them as extremists. This is incredibly effective, as it is very difficult for a clergyman to say no to, “Was not Jesus an extremist for love?”(7). This use of famous figures powerfully supports his purpose of moving his audience to action, as it distances the movement from stereotypically disdained extremism and realigns it with the widely respected values the audience agrees

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Ethos Pathos Logos In Letter From Birmingham Jail

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Its ugly record of brutality is widely known” (176). This was used to show how bad the situation of racial injustice was in certain areas and why change needed to occur. King builds credibility multiple times throughout the paper for example he says “I am compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town.” He states this after comparing himself to the Apostle Paul who spread the gospel of Jesus to the far corners of the world” (176). This shows that he is on a mission similar to Paul who is

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Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail

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Prompt: Select significant sections of King’s letter to analyze - areas you consider to be the most persuasive and emphatic. Then write an essay in which you analyze the rhetorical strategies of the selected text. Support your analysis with specific references to the text. Be sure to utilize the rubric in order to meet the essential criteria. Through the act of peaceful protest without a permit in 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in the city of Birmingham, Alabama.

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804 Words | 4 Pages

does use historical and biblical allusions through out his whole letter, there are two allusions that really stand out. On page 289 paragraph 31 Martin Luther King Jr. is referring to the clergymen letter of calling himself an “extremist” King proclaims “ But although I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist......... Was not Jesus an extremist for love: “your enemies, bless the, that cure you, do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use and persecute you”. In this biblical allusions Marting Luther King Jr. talks about God being an extremist he does this because does it not just create common ground for everyone who knows those are Gods words but is use effectively to his power. When Marting Luther King calls God an extremist he goes on saying “ the question is not whether we will be an extremist, but what kind of extremist” these two follow after one another because some not all people think it is insane to love your enemies, to bless them because they are bringing you down but people go by it because it is the right thing to do so with that being said Martin Luther King Jr. is claiming he might be considered an “extremist” now for doing something out of the ordinary

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Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

1022 Words | 5 Pages

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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Does Martin Luther King Jr Mean In Letter From Birmingham Jail

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Letter from Birmingham Jail Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has long been the symbol of racial equality, much impart from the message in this letter. In this letter Dr. King illustrates the methods he became famous for using and the reasons for these methods. He also addressed the concerns about his timing and methods. Dr. King described the process he and his fellow advocates took in addressing the racial injustices as beginning with first defining the injustice and having indisputable evidence of its existence. The next step was confronting law makers and officials about the changes that needed to be made to eradicate the injustice.

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Allusion In Letter From Birmingham Jail

143 Words | 1 Pages

King also uses allusion on page nine about God a few times. By using such a religious figure on what he is protesting this allows the reader to second guess his opinion on civil obedience. With this superior figure added to his

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From Discrimination to Diversity You would never guess that Birmingham, Alabama—the beautiful, vibrant, and culturally diverse city that we live in today—was once a city of brutality, hate, and discrimination. In 1963, the South was part of one of the largest movements in history—the Civil Rights Movement. Segregation between white and colored citizens was prevalent, from restaurants and amusement parks to restrooms and water fountains.

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740 Words | 3 Pages

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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Pathos In Letter From Birmingham Jail

858 Words | 4 Pages

King humbly accepts the criticism of the clergymen by acknowledging their comments with this statement, “I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth.” Once he set out his credentials for those that are opposing him, he makes many biblical references allowing those to remember the odds that prophets faced in the Bible. King also referenced many scholars and world leaders to reiterate his advocacy for human rights and equality. Defending himself from those that accused him of illegal activities in Birmingham, he says, “never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was "legal" and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was "illegal." ” King reminds those opposing the progress of citizens that much of the opposition all comes from the individual’s perspective.

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