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Letter From Birmingham Jail Logos

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The Wait is Over Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential civil right activist, not only appeals to the logical side of his audience, but he is also reaching out to their emotional side. King wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail” after being arrested for leading a peaceful demonstration against segregation. King responded back to the eight Alabama clergymen who did not agree with his actions. He makes it clear to the clergymen that they cannot keep telling African-Americans to “wait.” While rereading, I had the time to admire King's use of logos and pathos. King wrote back to the clergymen in disappointment because of the actions that were taking place in Birmingham. He knew that trying to negotiate with the government was pointless …show more content…

I agree with him that unjust laws are giving a false idea of superiority and just laws as something that will uplift other personalities, he states, “any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality” (King 3). This is important because he wants to informs his brothers and sisters that the government shouldn’t just focus only on themselves but think of the communities around them. For instance, King states “all sorts of devious methods are used to prevent negroes from becoming registered voters,” which in some countries African-Americans make up most of the populations yet their rights are taken away. Through the use of logos; the appeal to logic, King mentions, “I have been arrested on a charge of parading without a permit..” (King 4), which in the first amendment to the constitution, states anyone in the U.S has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and protest. King is not trying to change the laws, he just wants the government to be reasonable. Even with all of that he is facing, King provides the audience with Three Ways of Meeting

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Logos In Letter From Birmingham Jail

491 Words | 2 Pages

King's fundamental argument in the Birmingham letter is that racial injustice toward the black community in America is a result of ongoing support from the white community, notably from influential communities in politics and church. Dr. King uses Ethos most effectively, through the use of this statement where he says “I have the honor of serving as president of the southern christian leadership conference.” (King, 1963, Letter from Birmingham Jail) this is significant because he is attempting to show that he has the capabilities to run as a president and stop all the discrimination. This quote is extremely effective in persuasion in “Letter from a Birmingham Jail." Not only do we see an example of this here, we also see it when he says “the political leaders consistently refused to engage in good faith negotiation.

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Letter From Birmingham Jail Summary

1128 Words | 5 Pages

What he wrote was very emotional , and in the letter you can read Dr.King telling the clergymen that he was very upset and devastated because of their criticizms , and he was very happy on the other side , because he could finally address directly to their concerns. Noting that , he is an “outsider” , who actually came in Birmingham , just to cause trouble . What he explains is the fact that SCLC is operating in different places , so he is rightfully there and he was telling that he was invited by his affiliates , and he directly explained the moral reasons that brought him in Birminghman , and the main reason being “injustice”. He also explained that all the communities are equal , and interrelated and that he feels morally in debt to fight injustice in behalf of all the population.

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Letter From Birmingham Jail Summary

190 Words | 1 Pages

In the letter, “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr refutes Eight Clergymen from Alabama’s article which condemned the nonviolent protests led by “outsiders” against the racial injustice directed towards African American’s in Birmingham and all of America. King supports his argument by utilizing historical, religious, and statistical facts to build a common ground with the clergymen and to elucidate that nonviolent protests are the only way African Americans can protest inequality, as well as using anecdotes of personal experiences he and other African American’s had to face in order to elicit sympathy and regret. King’s purpose is to persuade the white clergymen that he isn’t breaking the law and that he isn’t an

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Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

655 Words | 3 Pages

Martin Luther King Junior was a prominent social activist during the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the 1950s up until he was assassinated on April 4, 1968. MLK played a major role in ending segregation in the South and other areas of the nation, as well as the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. During his years as an activist, MLK was arrested numerous times and from one of these arrests, came the Letter from Birmingham Jail. In this letter, MLK Letter From Birmingham was addressed to several clergymen who criticised King’s actions during the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s protests in Birmingham. Dr. King starts the letter off by letting the clergymen know that he does

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467 Words | 2 Pages

He points out that he has always heard the word wait when talking about “their” freedoms, but he thinks that the wait means never. King uses emotional appeal again to persuade his readers, he uses pathos to touch the emotions of the audience as he reminds them of a personal event. He says, “hate-filled policemen curse, kick, brutalize, and even kill your black brothers and sisters” (6). King writes words that appeal to the reader’s emotions. In his words, he uses “brothers and sisters”, to help those men remember the principles of the

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1050 Words | 5 Pages

In the very first line, King states “while confined here in the Birmingham city jail” (King 1) to set an emotional tone by showing that his imprisonment was not warranted. King later explains that the demonstration was justified with another emotional play by claiming the African Americans in the community “were victims of a broken promise” and that their “hopes had been blasted” (King 2). King explains this was because they previously met with the Birmingham economic community in September to negotiate certain conditions to help resolve the racial issues. King asserts the promises of those conditions were not kept. Though King’s use of emotional appeals are abundant, King’s most potent example may come at the end of his letter when

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The right to fight Martin Luther King Jr. faced many difficulties when he visited Birmingham, but one he did not expect to face was the discrimination of his fellow clergymen, who stated that his decision to travel was unwise. King responded to their comment with the “Letter from Birmingham jail”. A well written piece which was eloquently written and geared to effectively prove to his peers that he deserves and has the right to be in Birmingham, having a profound effect on his audience due to his expert use of pathos, ethos, and logos. This provides a myriad of references and reasons to address the inhumanity of segregation, as well as his personal struggle to dissolve

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King’s main idea was to respond to the clergymen who had recently - in that time – made article entailing that his movements and actions were “unwise and untimely”. He unwittingly portrayed his position in these movements and adding points in religious texts that his actions were done before. In Letter from a Birmingham Jail, King apologizes to those who see civil disobedience as an act of defiance towards the nation. He elaborates on his actions explaining that laws are meant to be broken if unjust actions are taken place. Kings responds to the remarks of those who oppose him by adding a statement of his daughter where he has to explain why she is not allow into the amusement park.

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Letter From Birmingham Jail Summary

1273 Words | 6 Pages

In response to the clergymen, King composed ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail.’ King used many techniques in his writing to boost his credibility and elicit emotion by showing respect, creating visual imagery, and relating his actions to something the clergymen were familiar with – the bible. In King’s efforts to respond to the clergymen, he prioritized respectful communication.

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One of the most important pieces of literature to exist in the Civil Rights era has helped future generations to come to understand the struggles of activists of the time period. This piece of history is “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” written by Martin Luther King, Jr., on April 16th 1963. He was jailed because he was protesting the treatments of Blacks. In the letter he uses different types of modes of persuasions. King uses authority, logic, and emotion in a “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” to convince white clergy during the Civil Rights Movement that his nonviolent actions are both timely and wise.

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Just and Unjust Laws in 'Letter from Birmingham Jail'

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He then refers to his earlier statement about the apathy of the clergymen regarding the reason for the demonstrations, alluding to their anxiety over the protesters willingness to break the law. However, he brings up a dichotomy: the laxness and rigidity in which different laws are enforced. Namely, he sarcastically refers to the apprehensive enforcement of the 1954 Supreme Court decision outlawing segregation. Well, why are only some laws enforced? King answers this question by stating that there are two kinds of laws: just and unjust.

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Upon being imprisoned for marching Dr Martin Luther King wrote a letter to the fellow clergymen of Birmingham, addressing his reasons as to why he committed his “crime”, This letter was widely known as “The Letter of Birmingham”. This letter was very influential and paramount to the cause of civil rights as it spurred up future events that would play essential roles in ending racial segregation in America. Throughout his whole letter, King used Ethos, logos, and pathos to firmly get his message across while adding rhetorical devices such as repetition, metaphors, and biblical references.

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726 Words | 3 Pages

Civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr, in his Letter from Birmingham City Jail, argues against criticism from eight Alabama clergymen, and addresses their concerns. He defends his position, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), against accusations of disturbing the peace in Birmingham, as well as explaining his values and opinions. Throughout the letter, King adopts a strong logical and credible tone, and reinforces his position through the use of strong emotional justifications, in order to appeal to the clergymen and defend his public image. Martin Luther King opens up his Letter from Birmingham City Jail by appealing to the clergymen's emotions, and assuring his peaceful response, which he describes in "patient and

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“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy” (King, Jr.). Martin Luther King Jr. exceeded this “measure of a man” during his civil rights acts as a strong soldier in a very volatile time. During this time of “challenge and controversy” King made himself heard in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. In some of his civil rights acts that occurred in Birmingham, resulted in him ending up in jail. During his time in jail, he wrote his also famous “Letter From Birmingham Jail.”

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623 Words | 3 Pages

He was their voice. Throughout the “letter” Dr. King demonstrated pathos by engaging his readers of the struggle of being an African American descent. Dr. King starts off by letting his readers know that he was confined during the time of the letter was written and he was addressing the eight clergymen who called his action of a peaceful protest “untimely and unwise”. (King Jr., p. 645) However, he continues to explain his reason for being in Birmingham by saying that injustice was present and he could not just sit in another state and watch it;” Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

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