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Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

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Dog attacks, verbal abuse, and the kicking of the innocent, the blacks have been through it all. Martin Luther King Jr is sitting in a jail cell during the civil rights movement from protesting for his freedom. Informative and reflective, Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” explains that blacks and whites are equal and urges the clergymen to agree with him. King effectively explains that both blacks and whites are equal and stirs up the clergymen through his tone, rhetorical appeals, and rhetorical tools. King declares that someday the blacks will win their freedom. King uses an urgent tone to explain that the goal of America is freedom. He states that freedom will be reached: “We will reach the goal of freedom …show more content…

King exposes the fact that blacks were in America a long time before many of the whites even were. They were here for a long time: “Before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth we were here.” (1). “Before the pen of Jefferson etched across the pages of history the majestic words of the Declaration of Independence, we were here.” (1). This shows just how long the blacks have been in America and it reveals and that even after all of this time, they still do not have freedom. The blacks were working as slaves back then: “For more than two centuries our foreparents labored in this country without wages…” (1). They were working in the fields and building homes for their masters. The sad fact is that they did not make any money; they were just forced to do it against their will. After all of this passed time, the whites cannot see it in their hearts that these people are no different than they are. In addition, King hopes that everyone can reach brotherhood someday. He hopes that “the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away…” (7) “…and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted” (7). He hopes for brotherhood to reach the nation: “and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation.” (7). Someday he knows that brotherhood will come and everyone will be seen as equal individuals. Love will be established and people will stop their silly disputes over the color of somebody’s skin. King uses a rhetorical tool to provide the hope that radical prejudice will pass away

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