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Letter From Birmingham Jail Pathos

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Two of the most famous writings by the late civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. are I Have a Dream and Letter from Birmingham Jail. King employed a variety of strategies in these two pieces to convey his message and argue for the equality and justice of African Americans. This essay will analyze the goals of each piece, King's use of pathos and logos as well as the parallels and contrasts between the two. On August 28, 1963 King gave a speech titled I Have a Dream while standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. The speech's goals were to increase public awareness of the civil rights movement and racial segregation in America while also rallying support for the cause. In his address, King combined logos and pathos …show more content…

By depicting a future in which everyone is treated equally regardless of race. He appeals to the emotions of his audience. In order to foster a sense of solidarity and shared suffering. He also discusses his own experiences as well as those of other African Americans. King made a strong speech and his rhyming passionate delivery helped make the gravity of his message clear. King responded to a group of eight local clergymen who had attacked the civil rights movement and King's involvement in the Letter From Birmingham Jail. The letter's objectives were to defend King's actions in the face of criticism and to outline the motivations for the civil rights struggle. King makes his point in the letter by combining logos and pathos just like he did in I Have a Dream. King uses legal and historical justifications to back up his views in the letter which demonstrates his use of logos. He makes the case that segregation is not only unfair but also against the law and he bases this claim on a number of legal precedents and statutes. In order to make the case that the civil rights movement is a moral requirement he also references the teachings of Jesus and the concepts of

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