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Pathos In Letter From Birmingham Jail

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The 1950s was an era of great conflict. A group of Americans protested against inequality and injustice during this time. African Americans had been fighting against racial discrimination for years. When imprisoned for “parading without a permit,” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. writes a letter in response to eight clergymen using ethos, pathos, and logos to defend the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism. Dr. King starts by using ethos to reinforce his views in the letter. He mentions, “I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every Southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.” (King 1). With that being said, he established his credibility to a greater extent. In the first few paragraphs, he uses history to establish his credibility. By quoting bible verses he conveys to the clergymen that he is an ethical holy man. He demonstrates his wisdom by quoting many historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Socrates, etc. …show more content…

King uses pathos to persuade his readers. He uses a personal experience to get the readers to feel sadness and pity. “…when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she cannot go to the public amusement park […] Funtown is closed to colored children…” (King 2). A child is always going to be a child no matter what their color of skin is. Seeing a child cry is the worst, it’s a weakness. He also mentions the horrible behaviors of police towards blacks. “…hate-filled policemen curse, kick, brutalize, and even kill your black brothers and sisters with impunity; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty…” (King 2) With that being said, these cruel treatments of African Americans and dreadful events reinforce Dr. King’s immediate demand for

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