Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

401 Words2 Pages

After a peaceful debate against segregation, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote an open letter as he spent some time in a jail cell. His target audience was directed towards eight clergymen. King uses a mixture of three rhetorical appeals: logos, pathos, and ethos to state his argument. The use of three persuasive appeals in the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, are clear and perceptible. In particular, King appeals to logos through ought his whole letter. However, King’s argument is strong in passion and emotion just as it is filled with logic. Throughout the passage King appeals to logos and refers the laws to either be “just” or “unjust”. In his letter, King writes “You express a great deal of anxiety over our willingness to break laws. This

Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
676 Words | 3 Pages
A "Letter from the Birmingham Jail" (1963), by Martin Luther King Jr. was written in response to a letter published by Alabama clerics. This time he will respond with all his heart to this cynical oppression. In the course of the letter King makes extensive allusions to multiple philosophers, including Aquinas and Socrates. King's work has only one objective: the protection of civil disobedience as a form of protest that the Civil Rights Movement could continue in an unencumbered way despite this singularity of purpose, the complexity of the situation meant that it was "A Call for Unity" published by the eight clergymen. Immoral and immoral mentions drew the attention of the Minister through the letter, and were expressed by different points
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Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
499 Words | 2 Pages
In 1963, eight Alabama clergymen issued a seemingly hypocritical public statement accusing outsiders of leading extreme demonstrations of protest in Birmingham, Alabama, and urging local citizens to allow racial issues to be resolved by the courts. In response, civil rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr., wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” which outlined the reasoning and timing of the demonstrative actions. While King’s letter exhibits an effective use of all three Aristotelian rhetorical appeals, the following analysis focuses primarily on his use of logos. His inclusion of analogies along with descriptive diction assists in emphasizing his reasoning in an attempt to logically convince his readers that waiting for the courts to settle racial injustices had proved inefficient.
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Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
177 Words | 1 Pages
Martin Luther King uses Logos and repetition to enhance his argument for civil disobedience. On the first page of Letter from Birmingham Jail King uses the logical method for nonviolent campaigns for the format of his letter saying, “1) collection of the facts to determine whether injustices are alive. 2) Negotiation. 3) Self-purification and 4) direct action.” King bases his entire letter on these four steps. In order to show that they are the steps of any nonviolent campaign. This is very logical because it is purely fact that these are the steps.
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Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
154 Words | 1 Pages
Martin Luther King Jr. was able to transmit the oppression of African American from a jail cell through the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. With more than 6500 words, Martin Luther King Jr. touched the subject of segregation and injustice of the African American. One cluster that stood out the most was cluster 30, where King was able to explain why the African American was forced to express their birth given right of freedom after endless promises of justice during the Civil Rights Movement. Through the use of Logos, Martin Luther King Jr. was able to connect with the reader by using logic to convince his audience and quoting passages from Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Prophet Amos. Furthermore, by the use of pathos Dr. King was
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Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
516 Words | 3 Pages
The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” written by Martin Luther King Jr. addresses the criticisms of his fellow clergymen and makes them feel ashamed toward their viewpoints and actions of African Americans and racial segregation. By using various rhetorical strategies, primarily the appeal to unity and various allusions, to influence the clergymen to join his fight against racial injustice. King uses “Fellow Clergymen” as his greeting in order to create a sense of unity and create a comradery based pathway to express his message. Being a clergyman himself he uses it specifically in order target the white clergyman audience, but also opens it for the rest of America to express his message of anti-segregation. This allows a respectful greeting of
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Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
190 Words | 1 Pages
Throughout the essay “ Letter From Birmingham Jail. ''King gives the message to the people to have a moral obligation to violate unfair laws and to take immediate action as opposed to perhaps waiting an eternity for justice and racism to be served. King is telling his fellow black community to stand up and face these unfair actions that are being set for his people and to address the racism that is taking place. King uses two rhetorical strategies to convey his message to his audience. The first strategy king uses is the mode of argument to convey his message to his audience, he also uses the second strategy he uses repetition and parallelism.
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Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
528 Words | 3 Pages
Michael Leff and Ebony A. Utley's article "Instrumental and Constitutive Rhetoric in Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail"" details how Martin Luther King Jr. used ethos to create two distinct messages for two different audiences in a single letter. The authors explain how the letter is more than a list of refutations aimed at the clergy of Birmingham, Alabama, it is about creating a persona that is relatable to moderate whites while also giving his African American "eavesdropping" audience an example of how to act and take action during this time of civil injustice. We will examine how Martin Luther King Jr. becomes relatable to moderate whites in America and how he uses ethos as a persuasive tool to have African Americans act like him.
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Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
927 Words | 4 Pages
King also claims to initiate change individuals must break "unjust" laws. In support of his argument, King provides a sufficient amount of reasonable and credible evidence for his audience. First, King addresses the Clergymen's concerns against "outsiders" with cogent and adequate support. He explains his "organizational ties" in Birmingham, and how he was "invited" there.
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Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
1218 Words | 5 Pages
In “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr., stands up against the racial inequalities that plague not just the state of Alabama but the United States as a whole at the time. He claims the solution to racial inequality and the next step in furthing the civil rights movement is through nonviolent action. King’s passionate tone creates a sense of pride and confidence in his cause; as well as his use of ethos, logos, and pathos give the letter a sense of structure and unity. The purpose of Martin Luther King Jr. writing “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was to address the article published by eight local clergymen “A Call for Unity”.
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Letter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis
1268 Words | 6 Pages
King references many prominent figures in history and religion. Discussing how he was put in jail because he disobeyed an unjust law, King references three men who refused to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar, and “Christians, who were willing to face hungry lions” instead of following the unjust laws of the Roman Empire (King 266, par.21). Then, King reminds the audience that not all laws ever made were just laws. “Everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was legal” though it was wrong and those who sheltered Jews were doing the right thing, as we know now, even though it was illegal then. After being called an extremist for racial equality, King references people like Jesus, an extremist for love; Amos an extremist for justice and then Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson who were extremists for equality for all people.
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Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
939 Words | 4 Pages
King also takes great length t0 distinguish between just and unjust laws. He describes “ Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality ” (par. 16). He shares all this in hopes that the clergymen and others will understand that it is morally incorrect for segregation to be practiced because everyone should be treated equally. Finally, King tells them “I had also hoped that the white moderate would reject the myth concerning time in relation to the struggle for freedom” (par. 26).
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Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From A Birmingham Jail
1737 Words | 7 Pages
Amidst the intense Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and put in solitary confinement for peacefully protesting racial discrimination and injustice in Birmingham, Alabama. It was during this time that Dr. King, refusing to sit idly by, wrote his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” one of the most inspiring documents in history. With his respectful nature, humility, compassion, optimism, and determination, King responded to a group of white Alabama clergymen who had condemned the civil rights protests as extreme in their open letter, “A Call for Unity.” Although his letter was directed towards a small group of eight men, his words eventually reached the minds and hearts of the entire country. Throughout the letter, Dr. King does a tremendous job of supporting his argument with the three elements of Aristotle’s rhetorical appeal.
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Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
740 Words | 3 Pages
While in solitary confinement for nearly 8 days, reverend and social justice activist, Martin Luther King Jr., wrote his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail in response to the criticism he received for his non-violent protests. Several clergy who negatively critiqued King’s approach of seeking justice, wrote A Call for Unity, arguing that his protests were senseless and improper. Within the article, the clergymen provide nine different critiques that asserted how King’s protest are invalid, uneffective, and simply unintelligent in the fight for obtaining justice and equity for individuals of color. His letter has become one of the most profound pieces of literature of the 20th century, as King uses vivid examples and eloquent rhetorical devices to counter all nine arguments.
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Rhetorical Analysis Of A Letter From Birmingham Jail
709 Words | 3 Pages
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.
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Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
360 Words | 2 Pages
Martin Luther King Jr. was a master of rhetoric, and his "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is a prime example of his persuasive abilities. In this letter, he used three rhetorical appeals – ethos, pathos, and logos – to persuade the clergyman that injustice was present in Birmingham and that his actions were appropriate. Firstly, MLK Jr. used ethos, referring to his credibility and character, to convince the clergyman. He established his authority on the subject by stating that he had been invited by the Birmingham affiliate of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, of which he was the president.
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Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail