Examples Of Logos In Letter From Birmingham Jail

In Martin Luther King’s famed “I Have A Dream” address, and his “Letter From Birmingham Jail” King makes use of bothe logos and pathos in his writing. It is because of these that his writings have risen to such prominence and stirred so many to action. But while he used both logos, the use of reasoning, and pathos, the use of emotions and charged language, a careful analysis shows that they are not equal. For King has a talent for dramatic, poignant resounding language, one which he uses to full effect and is much more powerful than logos. To demonstrate, take this passage “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of it’s creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.

Rhetorical Analysis of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail In Dr. King's letter  from Birmingham jail he speaks of a social issue that is extremely relevant and important to today's society, this issue is institutional racism. In the letter to the clergymen, King uses the rhetorical appeals ethos, logos, and pathos. To me only two  are truly effective in provoking thought. The combination of logos and pathos in King’s letter is very compelling because it causes an examination of conscious for the clergymen, whereas the use of ethos was not as effective.

Dr. Kings “I Have a Dream” speech shows powerful examples of logos and pathos. His effectiveness relies heavily on his usage of these two ways to explain the pain and suffering of segregation. By him capturing his true life’s reality through pity and credible sources allows him to become successful in attempting to end the racism crisis. King states that, “when our republic was writing the Declaration of Independence, they were making a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the ‘unalienable rights’ of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Logos is the prime example of King using this event of writing the Declaration of Independence.

Essay 2 Final Draft Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was a particularly important letter of its time. The letter was written while King was in jail and was written in response to the eight white clergymen in Birmingham who wrote to Dr. King condemning him for the actions that got him arrested. Martin Luther King lead a Southern Christian group called the SCLC which acted in many nonviolent and civil demonstrations. The southern politicians did not appreciate these demonstrations and had King arrested.

Dr. King uses all sorts of figurative language in his writing. He uses a form of persuasion known as logos and pathos. Logos is the appeal to logic, and pathos is the appeal to emotion. Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream Speech” took place during the March on Washington

In the year of 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested on and placed in jail. While there, he wrote a six page letter to the clergymen of Birmingham on why he had a right to be there protesting. In order to persuade them, he used ethos, pathos, and logos in his writing. King’s letter not achieved his original goal in proving his right to protest, but the letter now provides an example to today’s generation on how to peacefully protest the problems that are faced today.

Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were both African American leaders of the Africa-American Civil Rights Movement during the 1960’s. Although slavery had been abolished after the Civil War, Africans were still treated unequally. Both Dr. King and Malcolm X fought to gain equality between Africans and the white Americans through the use of rhetorical techniques throughout their discourses. By examining “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. and “The Ballot or the Bullet” by Malcolm X, we observe their reliance on logos and appeal to logos in order to construct their arguments. Dr. King effectively uses analogies to depict his views and beliefs to the Clergymen.

In the two stories written by Martin Luther King Jr. “I Have A Dream”, and “Letter From Birmingham Jail” were two stories that truly impacted history. These two readings talk about one being about King Jr. tell his speech on the footsteps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., about him having a dream, where blacks and whites can unite. In both writings by King Jr., mostly in his “I Have A Dream” speech, King Jr. uses a lot of persuasive techniques, mostly pathos.

Martin Luther uses logos effectively throughout his speech. Dr. King says,“ But one hundred years later, the Negro is not free” ( Luther). The fact is that one hundred year has past still no improvement on the situation. Another example is the analogy “ America has given the Negro people a bad check a check which has not come back marked insufficient funds”( King).He reasons that most people are understanding lack of money. King’s speech was effectively because of how he formatted his speech.

To begin with Dr. King used logos in his speech to educate the people and give them evidence and logic. Dr. King used both logos and pathos in his speech here is an example of logos used in his speech. “ Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, Signed the Emancipation Proclamation. ”(King 261) is the quote that Dr. King wrote in his speech. He is telling them that the African Americans have been free for five hundred years and that was a great point in history but the African Americans aren’t treated equally or fairly.

The “I Have a Dream” speech is well known throughout history to be one of the most famous speeches to be on the subject of civil rights. Throughout the entirety of “I Have a Dream”, Dr. King uses pathos more than logos. “We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities.”

He wrote “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” and wrote his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. He was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the biggest visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement. This man was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In both of his writings, he used pathos and logos to appeal to the audience and fit the occasion.

On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr gave us one of one of the most rhetorically moving speeches ever given. Titled as the “I Have a Dream Speech,” he read this speech to the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom”. As a civil right mover he gave this great speech to all Americans (black and white) so that he could give off the idea of equality on the same level. Because of his crowd of mix races King made sure to make his speech imploring to all no matter what the race that they may be. He uses metaphorical imagery, powerful diction,and symbolism to create an impact on the audience.

Martin Luther King’s speech, “I Have a Dream” is vastly recognized as one of the best speeches ever given. His passionate demand for racial justice and an integrated society became popular throughout the Black community. His words proved to give the nation a new vocabulary to express what was happening to them. Martin was famously a pacifist, so in his speech, he advocated peaceful protesting and passively fighting against racial segregation.

“I Have A Dream” “I Have A Dream”, a quote that many Americans hold dear to their hearts and a quote that is remembered and is associated with an unforgettable movement in history of the Untied States of America. From 1954-1968 one of the most memorable movements in history took place and will not be forgotten is the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the many greats remembered and recognized in the movement for being an influential leader of his time. Having given over 2000 speeches, MLK(Martin Luther King) has one particular speech that stands out from the many and it is his “I Have A Dream” speech. MLK’s message being about peace, unity, fairness and freedom for and to all people shines through in this speech.