What Is Aristotle's Appeals In Letter From Birmingham Jail

Analysis of Argument Aristotle’s "ingredients for persuasion" – otherwise known as "appeals" – are known by the names of ethos, pathos, and logos. These three appeals were used by Aristotle to help explain how rhetoric functions. In ancient Greece, these terms corresponded with basic components that all rhetorical situations have. They are all means of persuading others to take a particular point of view. In order for an author to create a convincing argument the author must use all three of these appeals. “Letter from Birmingham jail is an open letter written on April 16, 1963, by Martin Luther Jr. The letter defends the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism. In Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham jail King convinces the audience

He establishes to the audience several times that he is writing this letter in jail. This shows that he is courageous, resilient, and brave because did not let being thrown in jail stop him from fighting injustice. He uses the teachings and stories of Paul, Jesus, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Socrates to convey to the audience that he is a spiritual, wise, and caring man who is very passionate about stopping unfair inequalities. In the beginning he compares himself to the apostle Paul stating, “Just as the apostle Paul left his village of Tarus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ the far corners of the Geo-Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom by own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid (King 499). He compares his mission of fighting injustice to Socrates’s beliefs when he states, “Socrates felt it was necessary to create tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, so we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that help men rise from prejudice and racism (King

(King 501).” This use of pathos is very effective because young children are often seen as innocent and vulnerable. Many racist people of the time period may not have had empathy for older African Americans, but they may have been more likely to see young children as victims of unfair treatment. He then states examples of rights that were not given to him because he was black, and he also shares the shame and humiliation he has faced everyday. He states, “When you are humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs that read “white” and “colored” ;when your first names becomes nigger and your middle name becomes “boy” and your wife or mother are never given the respected title “Mrs.” :When you are harried day in and day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a negro:living constantly at tiptoe substance, never knowing what to expect next, and are plagued with inner fears and outer resentments (King 502).” This quote does an effective job at sharing with the audience the constant state of fear and shame black people had to live with in society. This quote resonated with African Americans reading this, in addition this quote was written to help white people understand what it felt like to be