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Rhetorical Analysis Of A Letter From Birmingham Jail

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In “A Letter From A Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King Jr defends his use of nonviolent protest in order to accomplish racial equality. In the letter, Dr. King uses ethos, diction, and allusions when defending nonviolent protest which makes his argument really strong. His goal is to make the clergymen help him fight racial equality. He uses ethos to build up credibility. First he shows his professionalism,”I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference” This shows how he knows what he is doing and that he is reliable. It shows his leadership skills and the trust his people have for him. Once he has established a professional background he goes on to show how he is a black man and knows how the black community suffers. He makes his connections by stating,”For years now I have heard the word "wait." It rings in the ear of every Negro with a …show more content…

In the first quote,”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.” He uses words “serving” and “ president.” The word “serving” is important because it shows how he is humble and it makes a connection to the clergymen. Clergymen serve in the Christian church and Dr. King is explaining to them that he too serves the church just in a different way. This is also a way for Dr. King to call them out for not helping their black brothers in Christ. Dr. King makes his audience feel as if they should be doing more as they are intended to do. He uses the word “president” which shows his position which helps him be looked up to. Clergymen fall their pastors and in a certain way Dr.King is acting as a pastor and preaching to them that they should go out and help as he (Dr. King) is. Diction is very important as it makes the audience connect in the way the author intends them to do

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