Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

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A Letter from Birmingham Jail Analysis Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist that wrote an argumentative letter in response to an article written by the white moderate clergy of Birmingham Alabama. Dr. King’s letter was called “A letter from Birmingham Jail,” it was called this because he was in prison when he had wrote this. He was arrested for parading without a permit. In this letter Dr. King spoke on how the black society couldn't wait any longer to protest against the government because they would not give colored people equal rights. In the letter, King uses pathos, ethos, and pathos effectively to support his argument against the moderate white clergy. Dr. King uses pathos most effectively in his letter. For example King says “when you have to concoct an answer to your five year old son who is asking: “Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?”(12) King is using example with children …show more content…

For example he says " since we so diligently urge people to obey the Supreme Court's decision of 1954 outlawing segregation in the public schools, have first glance it may seem rather paradoxical for us consciously to break laws."(12) By saying this Dr. King means that its no logical follow everything the supreme court tells you to do. Dr. King feels as if all they want to do is control him and everyone else. Dr. King also uses logos when he says " Over and over I have found myself asking: "what kind of people worship here, who is their god?"(30) King asks himself this because he doesn't feel its logical to worship a god that believes we are all equal but to discriminate. King was trying to understand why whites do this to African Americans. Another time he uses logos is when he says "refuse to give us to because we wanted to seeing how our grace together." Dr. King was confused because they were treated so poorly. He didn't get why whites hated for colored people to express