In Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail", he presents a notable and exceptional argument. Martin Luther King, Jr. was arguably the most influential activist in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. He had dedicated his life to bringing liberty to people of color and making the United States a truly 'free' nation. The purpose of this letter was to effectively respond to the eight clergymen attempting to suppress his activism. The issues in which he responds to are not only the criticism of the clergymen but also to the problem of racism itself. Dr. King was placed in Birmingham Jail because he held a protest against racial inequalities, which at the time was unlawful. The intended reader of this letter is the religious leaders …show more content…
Dr. King states, "So we had no alternative except that of preparing for direct action, whereby we would present our very bodies as a means of laying our case before the conscience of the local and national community." In this specific instance, he uses 'direct action' to argue that it was the only way to get his point across. Pathos is used in this instance by King stating that they had no other alternative but to present their bodies as to display their case. Refutation appears in this use as he is using 'direct action' to illustrate why there are no other options for protest. This instance is part of a minor claim because it shows part of the reason why they cannot suppress their protesting. The people that could be affected by the argument using 'direct action' are those opposing the protests. This advances the argument by giving reason to the direct action and creating some empathy for the …show more content…
Dr. King states, "So, the purpose of direct action is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation." In this he is arguing that 'direct action' is the only thing that will start the negotiation of civil rights. It is part of a minor claim as it is proving once again that 'direct action' is the only choice for his community to be heard or listened to. Similarly, it uses pathos to make the reader emotional that they must "create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation." Lastly, it shows diction as King uses 'direct action' to convey the injustice of the situation and the overall chaos. Those who would be impacted by this argument are those of the black community in America. This advances King's argument by exposing the ridiculousness of having to use 'direct action' to prompt negotiation and by rationalizing his and his community's participation in the 'direct
Civil rights leader and social activist Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a world renown correspondence, Letter From Birmingham Jail, in April of 1963, during a time when segregation was at it’s peak in the South. When King was making his mark in American history, the United States was experiencing great social unrest due to the injustice towards their colored citizens, which would lead to social rights rallies and unnecessary violence. In response to King’s peaceful protesting, the white community viewed “[his] nonviolent efforts as those of an extremist,” and subsequently imprisoned the pastor (para 27). King specifically wrote to the white clergymen who had earlier addressed a letter to him as to why he was apprehended, in which they argued that his actions were untimely and unconstitutional. In response, King emphasized that justice is never timely, and the refusal to acknowledge equal rights was inhumane and regressive.
In "Letter From a Birmingham Jail", an extremely powerful letter to Alabama clergymen, Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. uses cause and effect, process and analysis and exemplification to respond to the claim that his non violent protests are extreme. Aiming to show what would have happened if his ideas had not been supported, King uses cause and effect. In paragraph 29, King writes "if this philosophy had not emerged, by now many streets of the south would, I am convinced, be flowing with blood." He uses this inferred cause and effect to present how different circumstances would be if he had not promoted nonviolent philosophy. Continually, King uses cause and effect to explain what will most likely happen if conditions are not improved.
These literary devices allowed King to perform comparisons, create imagery, and reinforce his points. From these paragraphs, King continues onward to establish more arguments and bring more of the negroes’ situations to the attention to the critics. Within these two paragraphs, King’s use of literary devices created a strong argument that drove forward the meaning of time to the negroes. As a result, King was able to successfully defend his nonviolent campaign, which would go on to create a better united world we live in
In A letter from Birmingham jail, Martin Luther King Jr writes to the clergy men and his supporters as “A Call for Unity”. King had been put under arrest from partaking in a peaceful march against segregation on property that he did not have permission to be marching on. In the 1960’s segregation laws and policies were under the Jim Crow regulations; separate racial schools, colored-only bathrooms, separate places for the colored to eat and they would have to sit in the back of the bus. The letter King wrote was critical because he reaches out to the Clergymen from Birmingham Prison and uses the rhetorical appeal of his own character to establish his credibility on the subject of racial discrimination and injustice.
“Letter from Birmingham Jail” is addressed to clergymen who had written an open letter criticizing the actions of Martin Luther King, Jr. during several protests
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.
In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” he is addressing the Clergymen, more specifically the white church and its leadership who criticized his efforts in the civil rights movement, by calling his demonstrations unwise and untimely. He is also simultaneously addressing the national audience as well in letting them know of the injustices of the time. It was 1963, and Martin Luther King Jr. wrote this letter from inside a jail cell. He had been arrested during an anti-segregation march for not having a valid parading permit in Birmingham, Alabama. In this letter he addresses the criticisms that were brought forth to him.
In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King, Jr. is responding to criticism of the peaceful protests and sit-in’s that were taking place in Birmingham, which led to his being arrested and the reason that he was in jail. He first responds to the accusation of being an “outsider” by setting the stage for his being in Birmingham due to being invited because of his ties to the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights organization and due to the fact that he is president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Next, Martin Luther King expands on his moral beliefs that there is “injustice” in the way that Birmingham is “the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States”.
In the letter “Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. writes to the Clergyman to express his idea on the racial discrimination and injustice going on in Birmingham Alabama. Martin Luther King Jr. writes his letter while being held in Birmingham Jail after being arrested for participating, in a non-violent anti segregation march. During this time violence against African Americans was so bad in Birmingham it needed to be addressed and taken care of. Martin Luther King Jr. uses rhetorical strategies in his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” in order to convince the religious leaders of Birmingham that they could wait no longer for justice and that the only course was direct action.
Essay #2: Argumentative Analysis Martin Luther King Jr. introduced a very controversial argument about why he believed that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”(264). In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” King stated that justice is never given by the oppressor and the reason why his protests were very relevant and wise was because the issues needed to be addressed right then and not later. Moving along throughout his entire letter his primary thesis seemed to be that if the people wanted to be free from racial injustice they needed to participate in nonviolent protests. Given his setting and atmosphere, MLK did an extremely impressive job of using kairos and other rhetorical techniques in his piece.
Response to “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. In Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, he responded to statements written in a Birmingham newspaper that criticized his actions in the city. He undermined these disapprovals by explaining his belief in nonviolent direct action. King also went on to give opinions on other topics, such as, the lack of support from white moderates and white churches. He used technique and structure to develop his ideas and justify his methods.
In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr. is responding to accusations made by eight Alabama clergymen. He asserts that his actions, and the actions of his followers were just and reasonable. He notes that the clergymen claimed he was acting too hastily but King explains that their actions were not hasty. He backs up his actions with persuasive argument and reasoning. He points out ways that others actions have been unjust and immoral.
Martin Luther King Jr. uses both logical and emotional appeals in order for all his listeners’ to be able to relate and contemplate his speeches. He does an exceptional job using both these appeals throughout his speeches by backing up his emotional appeals with logical ones. Using emotional appeals captures an audience's attention and makes them think about what the narrator is saying. Emotional appeal uses intense words and charged language to grab listeners to get them to keep listening. On the other hand, logical appeals helps to grasp the concept better and provides facts that prove it to be true.
With the help of these four steps, he justifies the need for the demonstration. King illustrates the city of Birmingham as “the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States,” (King 2). Here King is able to show that injustices are present in Birmingham, which further justifies his reason for a peaceful demonstration. King proceeds to speak about his method of protesting. He states that negotiation was not met, and that “[their] hopes had been blasted,” that like “victims of a broken promise,” their wishes had been disregarded, (King 2).
King believed that if he could just go to Birmingham, and protest non-violently, that he could make a difference. On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was imprisoned, in Birmingham, for protesting the civil rights of Black Americans. While in jail, he began writing a letter addressing the clergymen. His main audience in writing this letter was to the eight clergymen who criticized his actions and also the majority of the population as well. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, argues that injustice