ipl-logo

Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

749 Words3 Pages

The United States of America was not always as free as it claimed to be. For instance, black people were once subject to segregation and discrimination. As the leader of the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” to respond to his fellow clergymen and their statements that criticized the demonstrations that put him in the jail cell he was writing from. All in all, King’s letter sheds light on the struggles against racial inequality through the persuasive styles of ethos, pathos, and logos. Judging from his letter from Birmingham jail, it is obvious that Martin Luther King Jr. is living in a time of racial inequality and discrimination. This can initially be seen from the fact that he is writing …show more content…

By stating who he is, King lets the reader know that his voice matters when it comes to responding to the clergymen. And as a result, he has the ability to gain the trust of the reader which then allows them to be persuaded by what he has to say. Now as for pathos, King uses this appeal throughout his letter by giving examples of what it is like to be black. The example that stood out the most to me was when King writes, “when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your 6-year-old daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park that has been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children” (79). King’s use of pathos in this quote targets the emotions of the reader by revealing how children face the injustices of segregation. This is an effective use of persuasion since children appeal to nearly everyone no matter the color of their skin. In all, King’s use of pathos allows the reader to sympathize and come to an understanding on why racial injustices need to be addressed. Finally, King relies on logos throughout his letter to explain why he

Show More
Related

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

    401 Words  | 2 Pages

    After a peaceful debate against segregation, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote an open letter as he spent some time in a jail cell. His target audience was directed towards eight clergymen. King uses a mixture of three rhetorical appeals: logos, pathos, and ethos to state his argument. The use of three persuasive appeals in the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, are clear and perceptible. In particular, King appeals to logos through ought his whole letter.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

    249 Words  | 1 Pages

    Letter From Birmingham Jail – A Rhetorical Analysis In April of 1963, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in Birmingham, Alabama for protesting the mistreatment of blacks in the American South. During his time in jail, King produced a letter intended for his fellow clergymen, a response to the criticism he received for his work and ideas. One of King’s main arguments in this rhetorical work is that people have a moral responsibility to peacefully reject unjust laws. King’s position is that laws that are out of harmony with the moral law or the law of God are unjust and should be rejected.

    Read More

  • What Is Mlk Thesis In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    428 Words  | 2 Pages

    The article “Letter from Birmingham Jail” written by Martin Luther King Jr, was the great example of hope for equality in the future. He believed in nonviolent protests and civil negotiations. As he spent eight days in jail, he wrote the letter for a national audience in order to express his vision. Dr. King wanted both white and black individuals to stop criticizing one another and become united. But his view of the future also consisted of replacing injustice and oppression, to rebuilding freedom and justice.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

    611 Words  | 3 Pages

    An orator from Atlanta, Georgia, Martin Luther King – coincidentally achieving similar standards as his predecessor, Martin Luther, in the Civil Rights World – once wrote a letter, which is at times presented as a masterpiece of rhetoric and development. “Letter from a Birmingham City Jail’ was recognized as a genius retort to Alabama Clergymen, who wished for Martin Luther to leave Birmingham due to his “outsider” title and the “hatred and violence” his peaceful conventions have caused. Throughout his letter, Martin Luther develops a tone that redefines his argument, stabilizing it even, for his purpose – to challenge the ideas of the Clergymen who found his being in Birmingham nonbeneficial to the city’s already stretched-out line of racial tension – of refuting the Clergymen.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

    672 Words  | 3 Pages

    Analysis of “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Civil rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr., in his text, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is fighting against racial injustice. King is writing from a jail in Birmingham, where he is being held for fighting civil rights in a nonviolent way. King sends his letter to the eight white clergy men defending himself against all of the false accusations he has been accused of. Ultimately, his letter maintains a passionate yet hopeful tone, as it defends his strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism and oppression.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

    1086 Words  | 5 Pages

    "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was written in answer to eight white clergy men who denounced his actions regarding protest activities. In this letter, King Jr. defends both his right and his moral grounds for organizing nonviolent demonstrations against segregation and racism. He argued that breaking laws can be justified, especially when those laws are prejudiced. King Jr.’s sole purpose for this letter was to convince the clergymen that the uprising created by his followers and him in the demonstrations were an essential force needed for progressive action. Martin Luther King uses powerful and persuasive tones and often mentions how unethical and unjust the system is.

    Read More

  • Letter From Birmingham Jail Rhetoric

    1589 Words  | 7 Pages

    Dr. Martin Luther King Junior in his piece, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” shows that refulgent writers transcend normal writing. King needed to convince a group of white town leaders that what they fundamentally believed and stood for was immoral. Throughout the letter, King evokes his passion through rhetoric, tone, and real-life experiences. Furthermore, King developed this passion from what he saw in Birmingham and other communities, as a result of racist leaders. In response, he writes with a style and structure to respond to these abhorrent front-runners.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

    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.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

    542 Words  | 3 Pages

    In his letter “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. writes in response, a public state of concern to his clergymen. The letter was written in April 1963 based on the racial segregation that took place in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. King was in jail because he was protesting segregation against blacks in Birmingham. He also uses logos when giving logical reasoning to better explain current events to catch the reader’s attention. He also uses ethos to gain credibility on the matter of racial inequality and negligence, to get the audience’s attention.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

    160 Words  | 1 Pages

    In Letter from Birmingham Jail, paragraph 13, King uses the metaphor “disease of segregation”. He writes, “Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was “well timed” in view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation” (13). He uses this metaphor in order to compare the treatment of African Americans in the 1960’s, to a disease. King’s diction is effective because the word “disease” carries numerous negative connotations. He manages to compare segregation to that of a disease; deadly, evil, and dysfunctional.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

    1059 Words  | 5 Pages

    Martin Luther King Jr. was a key leader in the civil rights movement, and is well known for his Alabama bus boycott as well as many other nonviolent forms of demonstration against segregation. He wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail” from his jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama after being arrested for peaceful protesting, in 1963. This letter is a response to “Statement by Alabama Clergymen,” in which various members of the clergy criticized King’s efforts to take a stand against discrimination. Throughout paragraphs 13 and 14, King uses metaphors, antitheses, as well as a somber tone in order to appeal to pathos, to argue for the priority needed to change segregation laws.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    895 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” Martin Luther King Jr. writes in his Letter from Birmingham Jail in August 1963. Injustice engulfs Birmingham and King demands change and equality. Martin Luther King is the backbone of the Civil Rights Movement. He was one of the many figures to set-forth a domino effect in the fight for equality for African Americans. The purpose of his letter was to get the point across that people have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws and to take direct action instead of waiting for justice to be served.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    1361 Words  | 6 Pages

    Martin Luther King Jr., born on January 15, 1929, fought for the injustices of his brothers and sisters throughout his life. While being an active activist, Martin Luther King was imprisoned in Birmingham jail due to his participation in a nonviolent demonstration against segregation and discrimination in Alabama. During his sentence, he wrote a letter, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” to counter the criticisms of his actions from the clergymen by claiming that “An unjust law is no law at all”(par. 12), “Injustice everywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (par. 4), and “‘Wait’ has almost always meant ‘Never’” (par. 11).

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Devices Used In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    1274 Words  | 6 Pages

    Path to racial harmony Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and sent to Birmingham jail because of nonviolent protesting against segregation without a permit in Birmingham. During that time the civil rights movement was going on where African Americans were being segregated because of the whites. They were not treated equally. During 1963, in jail, Dr. King wrote a letter in response to the clergymen in order to defend himself from the accusations that were made against him by the clergymen. He described in his letter that the demonstrations that were taking place in Birmingham were not in his hands because of the white power that had them being left with no other choice.

    Read More

  • I Have A Dream Speech Ethos Pathos Logos

    874 Words  | 4 Pages

    He also appeals to Pathos in his speech, where he includes his own family hopes that americans can relate to him. As a father he dreams “ that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character”. (King) He hopes his children will live in better world than he did. He appeals to pathos through a concerning father.

    Read More

More about Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

Open Document