Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

In Martin Luther King’s letter from Birmingham jail, the clergymen are reminded of his character and vision. He defends himself and his legacy as it involves the nonviolent demonstrations against segregation. King uses ethos, logos,and pathos to address religious leaders in the the south’s concerns involving his non-violent actions in Birmingham.
King establishes his character as a non-violent peace leader when he addresses the religious council in a persuasive manner. He opened the introduction of the letter with the quote, “ while confined here in Birmingham city jail (King1)”. He does this in order to remind the council of where his peace and goodwill had led him. He goes on to say “I feel that you are genuine goodwill (King1)”. This holds

He stated, “ I feel that you are men of genuine goodwill. Which persuasively captured his audience because of their religious affiliations. They could very well do the opposite by not listening to King’s response, but it might jeopardize the reputation they wish to uphold. King said, “ Apostle Paul left his little village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to practically every hamlet and city of the Greco-Roman world...I too carry the gospel of freedom beyond my particular town (King 3)”. He uses a biblical allusion to provoke emotion in his audience. He makes the clergymen feel bad by indirectly accusing them of not practicing what they preach. King stated “You may well ask, “why direct action , why sit-ins, marches, and so forth? ”....Isn’t negotiation a better path (King 10)?”” He used rhetorical question to persuade the audience side. This is why he answers the questions he stated. His response said, “You are exactly right (King 10)”. He allows the audience to feel as though they are right, and goes on to prove them wrong. This evokes emotion because he establishes a connection by directly calling them out. He goes on to express the reason of why he had to participate in direct action instead of allowing the new administration time to act. King boldly emphasizes his opinion that the new administration under the direction of Mr. Boutwell would not bring change. He supports his claim by labeling Mr. Boutwell and Mr.Conner as segregationist. This displays pathos because he appeals to the emotions of the audience that the direct action of non-violent protest was their only hope for change. He only hoped to capture the attention of someone in the white moderate, so