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Letter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis Essay

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In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” he was accused of being an extremist by his fellow Clergymen. Dr.King was disappointed at first because all of his protests were peaceful and nonviolent, but later on he accepts it and refers to biblical and historical figures, rhetorical appeals, specifically ethos and pathos, and rhetorical questions to establish his actions and position as valid. Dr.King also uses a lot of repetition to get his point across. In paragraphs 22-31, Dr.King responds to those accusations and embraces and justifies being an extremist. Martin Luther King Jr. uses the authority of biblical and historical figures to establish the concept of positive and creative extremism. He explains that extremism can either be positive or negative, but he was following the lead of the righteous people that set …show more content…

In paragraph 24, King repeats this phrase multiple times, “Was not ____ an extremist.” This is both a rhetorical question and anaphora. It can be seen as a rhetorical question because it was not intended to be answered, and it created a dramatic effect in the paragraph to make his point more transparent. This can also be viewed as anaphora because he repeats that phrase seven times when he refers to the seven extremists. It also intensifies emotion and the tone of the essay which can also be considered an appeal to pathos. He also uses this rhetorical question, “So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kinds of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice?” (King Jr., 1963, para. 24). This rhetorical question forces the white moderates to support King’s cause. His usage of rhetorical questions and anaphora puts an emphasis on his acceptance to the label that was given to

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