An Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter From Birmingham Jail

He stays rational in his thoughts and is being diplomatic in his criticism towards the white community (“men of genuine good will…”). At that time, many people were influenced by religion. Martin Luther King took this under concern and used different techniques, such as ethos and logos to support his argument. He quoted famous phrases from the Bible to strengthen the emotional attachment of the

First, the SCLC confirmed that Birmingham had been practicing institutionalized racism, and then attempted to negotiate with white business leaders there. When those negotiations broke down because of promises the white men broke, the SCLC planned to protest through “direct action.” Before beginning protests, however, they underwent a period of “self-purification,” to determine whether they were ready to work nonviolently, and suffer indignity and arrest. When they decided they could, they then prepared to protest. King was met with unusually harsh conditions in the Birmingham jail. An ally smuggled in a newspaper from April 12, which contained “A call for Unity” a statement made by eight white Alabama clergymen against King and his methods.

In his letter, Dr. King informed his readers about the protests in Birmingham. He explained why the protesters were civilly infringing racist laws and city ordinances; why the protesters had truth and justice; and how he was thwarted with the clergyman and white moderates in the South who said they supported his cause. In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Dr. King incorporates biblical and historical allusions to give him credibility with his target audience, the clergymen. Additionally, Dr. King subtly asks rhetorical questions and makes logical conclusions to force his audience to consider his strategy of nonviolent resistance to cease racism and oppression. Throughout his piece, Dr. King uses many strong connections to biblical theologians and philosophers that strengthen his appeal and credibility.

was sent to jail, following that he should express his feelings and he decided to write a letter. He used his opportunity to bring everyone up and fight writing about segregation, racism, law, truth and justice. He reminded us that we need to end segregation because everyone deserves the same happiness. In Martin Luther 's letter he uses logos to demonstrate his ability to inspire his fellow Civil Rights Activist, show empathy in the heart of white people and create compassion in the minds of the clergymen. Dr. King says “Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.” Dr King also says “All too many others have been more cautious than courageous and have remained silent behind the anesthetizing security of stained-glass

JoAnna Guzman AP English Period 4 Mrs. Solis 5 February 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. letter “ Letter from Birmingham Jail” was a response to eight Alabama clergymen of 1963. The clergymen had accused King of being an “outsider” and interfering with the racial issues of the community of Birmingham. When writing in response to the eight clergymen from Alabama Martin Luther King Jr. uses the rhetorical device of historical and biblical allusions.The use of the historical and biblical allusions/ references being used is to help build a standard ground for his audiences and the clergymen; it also helps make his letter more effective. King 's letter uses biblical allusions to create analogies between

The author extends his gratitude toward them through the use of figurative language, particularly imagery. For instance, he claims that these religious leaders have “carved a tunnel of hope through the dark mountain of disappointment” (43). This image of light in the midst of darkness appeals to emotion. By creating this sense of hope, King inspires the audience to join him in his fight for desegregation. Though it is undoubtedly disappointing that there is a lack of support from the majority of clergymen, King conveys his faith in them through this image and shifts his focus from disappointment to

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the letter from jail, after he got arrested during a peaceful protest. At the time segregation was still a part of the culture in the United States and Martin Luther King Jr. and his followers were working diligently and peacefully to try and make a change in people’s hearts about segregation. In this letter MLK Jr. is writing to defend his strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism, which he does effectively by using rhetoric. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference focused on Birmingham, Alabama to start a nonviolent direct action campaign with the goal to get the city to get rid of segregation laws. When a federal injunction was put into place to prevent the protest without permission of the city, Martin Luther King Jr. persevered and decided to go on with the campaign.

The letter was a response to a newspaper article that he read while in jail, where eight white clergymen were criticizing his recent actions that sent him to jail. Now we are going to look more in depth at M.L.K’s speech and the letter. One item that I realized is that Martin Luther King Jr. uses a ton of logical and emotional appeal. Throughout both the speech and the letter, Martin Luther King Jr. does a better job strengthening his logical appeal over emotional appeal. First off, we will start with examples from the “I Have a Dream” speech.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. uses different persuasive appeals to target a specific audience. The “I Have a Dream” speech was written to motivate and inspire listeners; to stir up emotions. The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written to persuade white clergy to support civil rights. In the “I have a Dream” speech, King uses an upbeat and hopeful tone along with strong, charged language to make his audience, a colossal crowd surrounding the Lincoln Monument, feel stirred into action. The “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, which was written by King in the quiet confines of his jail cell, was meant to change the opinions of well educated clergy members.

One example of ethos that Martin Luther used in his speech, “And every now and then we’d get in jail and we’d see the jailers looking through the windows being moved by our prayers, and being moved by our words and our songs.” This makes him credible because it is stating how he had been jailed previously, and he is also willing to go back, if it meant getting a change in civil rights. “But somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for right.”, is a quote from “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop”.