In the book “Why We Can't Wait” by Martin Luther King, JR.. explains how the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights -A.C.H.R. was organized to end segregation in Birmingham. With the nonviolent protest of 1963 being led by Martin Luther King Jr., it would strike as a successful and revolutionary change in history. In “Why We Can't Wait”, it explains that Southern Christian Leadership Conference S.C.L.C. had a promise with the downtown white merchants to remove signs and allow blacks to eat at their counter tops.
He uses metaphorical imagery, powerful diction,and symbolism to create an impact on the audience. King’s dialect showed the audience civil right issues, involving many rhetorical strategies using ethos, logos, and pathos, to a racially tempered crowd whom he viewed as different, but not equal. From the very beginning of it , King brings his crowd back to the origin of America when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, that freed all slaves and gave hope to the former slaves. But immediately after Dr. King speaks out on how after 100 years Blacks still do not have the free will that is deserved. He points out the irony of America because Black Americans were still not truly free.
Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most iconic people of the 20th century. One of the reasons Martin Luther King Jr. was such a great and influential revolutionary in the context of civil rights is because of his mastery of ethos, pathos, and logos. Even today when mentioning King’s name in a conversation commands respect which shows just how great of a character he was, which demonstrates ethos. King also had the ability to connect emotionally with people of all different races and could easily be seen as an embodiment of the civil rights movement. Last, but not least King demonstrated logos through his words, he was a very well educated man who articulated himself well and could appeal to logic with ease.
“Letter from Birmingham Jail” is a very famous argument that was written by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963 after being arrested for protesting in the streets of Birmingham, Alabama. His letter is a direct response to criticism from southern white religious leaders about King’s actions. Martin Luther King Jr. was a black Minister and one of the most famous activists of the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Movement is defined as the major protest by blacks to fight unfair laws and promote equal rights for all. “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” was written during a time period of social change in America.
King played an extremely vital role in the civil rights movement. He conducted the movement, with the help of Bayard Rustin’s help, through the philosophy of civil disobedience, a message of nonviolence that King acquired from Mahatma Gandhi. Dr. King delivered numerous speeches and led several civil marches. On August 28, 1963 lead a march that consisted of about 250,000 marchers from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial. There, Martin Luther King deliver his I have a dream speech.
In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and imprisoned in Birmingham regarding his protest activities on segregation. While in jail, King wrote an open letter in response to eight white clergymen who were criticizing his actions. In the letter, King defends the use of nonviolent protests and demonstrations against segregation and racism through the use of allusions to religious figures and values. Throughout his letter, her makes various references to symbols of religious authority and uses the ideas of extremism and togetherness to show the clergymen the reasoning behind his passionate cause. King begins his letter showing his authority in the Christian denomination as he states that he serves as the president of the Southern Christian
King was the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which was located and enforced in every state in the South. This was an organization for African American civil rights. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” (Page 204) King establishes that when the world opens their eyes into reality and realizes the inequality, there will be a greater problem than before. An increase in protestors, means the greater retaliation will be against the law and when there’s retaliation against the law, then people with justice are afraid. The protestors created workshops in order to help them understand the concept of a nonviolent protest.
The audience felt empowered by the sentence alone. Another rhetorical device is the common ground he establishes in his last sentence where he writes, "This is the story of Why We Can't Wait" (King 98-99). He uses the word 'We', connecting with the audience and ensuring them that together they will bring change to social conditions and attitudes. The third section is King's call for change. In conclusion, Martin Luther King Jr helps Black Americans realize their reality, importance and roots and convinces them of changes to social conditions and attitudes.
Also, King fought for desegregation all over the world, he felt it was wrong and very distasteful of people to treat and make people use different vicinities based on their skin color. So he also marched and spoke on the segregation laws and how he wanted them for not only his people but all people no matter their race. During this time, it was also illegal for blacks and whites to date which King spoke briefly against. King believed that people should be able to love whomever they please no matter their race and that people also should not judge other people for dating outside their race. It was well known during that time that black men were beaten or even hung for just catcalling a white woman, let alone having a sexual relationship with white women.
Martin Luther King wrote in his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" in response to eight white clergymen who attempted to unite white society against the civil rights movement with their article “A Call for Unity”. King painstakingly wrote and released his letter. Within its contents, Dr. King argued that the civil rights movement was a human movement not a black person 's movement. Indicating that he wants everyone to prosper. This makes a complete difference as far as the reason behind the movement and the intentional effects that the person is intended for.