ipl-logo

Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

1010 Words5 Pages

Letter from a Birmingham Jail
Introduction
My group chose to use the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr as our rhetorical situation because it was an essential document for progress of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Dr. King wrote the letter in response to the eight, white clergymen who publicly called his actions to improve the lives of African-Americans in Birmingham, Alabama “unwise and untimely” (King, 2000, pge.263). Considering that Dr. King was dealing with an ambiguous audience, white moderates who were somewhat against segregation, but favored order rather than justice. Dr. King’s ultimate goal was to persuade the clergymen to actively support the civil rights movements, which in turn would open the …show more content…

The attack and the death of the little girls prompted Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to march in Birmingham to protest the treatments of African-Americans in the south. Dr. King was arrested and put in jail during the protest because he did not have the approval of the Supreme Court to march. While he was in jail, eight clergymen publicly called his actions “unwise and untimely” because they saw Dr. King as an outsider because he was not from Birmingham, and they thought Dr. King was too impatient. The attitude of the clergymen towards Dr. King and the situation in Birmingham triggered Dr. King’s letter, the rhetorical situation. Dr. King responded by saying that he was there because injustice was there, and that his people had “waited 300 years for justice, they could no longer wait” (King, 2000, pge.264). Martin Luther King’s response was very important because it showed the public that 300 years had already passed, and still all men were not equal. His response showed that it was the right, opportune moment to make a change. The letter helped Dr. King show to the public what exactly went on in the south because it was one of his material

Show More
Related

  • Letter From Birmingham Jail Analysis Essay

    866 Words  | 4 Pages

    Civil rights leader and social activist Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a world renown correspondence, Letter From Birmingham Jail, in April of 1963, during a time when segregation was at it’s peak in the South. When King was making his mark in American history, the United States was experiencing great social unrest due to the injustice towards their colored citizens, which would lead to social rights rallies and unnecessary violence. In response to King’s peaceful protesting, the white community viewed “[his] nonviolent efforts as those of an extremist,” and subsequently imprisoned the pastor (para 27). King specifically wrote to the white clergymen who had earlier addressed a letter to him as to why he was apprehended, in which they argued that his actions were untimely and unconstitutional. In response, King emphasized that justice is never timely, and the refusal to acknowledge equal rights was inhumane and regressive.

    Read More

  • How Does King Use Direct Action In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    337 Words  | 2 Pages

    In response to the "Letter From Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. it is an example of how King has been such an influence on the people of this country. Through his powerful words, the reader can see what a difference he has made in history. He wrote this letter to other clergy men while sitting in a jail cell in Birmingham Al, being punished because of following his beliefs. In his letter, he expresses his concerns and explains his actions, because he felt they should be a unified front.

    Read More

  • Ethos Pathos Logos In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    1049 Words  | 5 Pages

    The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was released on April 16th 1963 in response to 8 prominent clergymen in Alabama. These clergymen had criticized Doctor Martin Luther Jr. about being a radical extremist for the civil rights movement. Also, the clergymen tried to leverage the black community to disassociate themselves with the protest MLK was having. They claimed his protest were untimely and meant to incite violence amongst the patrons of Alabama and further polarize whites and blacks. In response, Dr. King devises a writing masterpiece with this letter from the Birmingham Jail by utilizing ethos, logos, and pathos to express his frustration with the white moderates.

    Read More

  • Figurative Language In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    773 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 1963, Civil Rights leader Matin Luther King Jr. was arrested during a nonviolent protest on the grounds of parading without a permit (para 19). As a result five clergymen from the city of the protest, Birmingham, Alabama, condemned King’s demonstration as untimely, arousing unrest in the community, and precipitating violence (para mm). After receiving a copy of the clergymen’s statements, King spent his time in Birmingham Jail writing what is now referred to as “Letter from Birmingham Jail” to address the concerns and misconceptions the clergymen relayed. King effectively breaks down the clergymen’s concerns through appeals of logic such as detailing the process of the protests, and appeals to emotion such as the daily life experiences of african americans and descriptive language.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

    781 Words  | 4 Pages

    The “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, written by Martin Luther King, Jr. from a lonely imprisonment cell in Birmingham, Alabama; was Mainly addressed to numerous ministers and priests, who at that time had written an exposed letter negatively analyzing the things King Jr. among with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference were doing during their protests in Birmingham. In this letter he expresses to the clergymen how upset he was about their disapprovals and that he would like to understand and address their worries. The first disapproval they make, states that he is an “outsider” to Birmingham, and that he has only caused trouble to the city. King Jr. replies to this disapproval by defending his freedom rights, and saying in a sincere

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Language In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    889 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Dr. Martin Luther Kings Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” King justifies his use of achieving negotiations through direct action. He solidifies his arguments by alluding to the clergymen’s inability to address the daily injustices suffered by African Americans. King’s use of powerful imagery and word choice of the daily plights endured by African Americans invokes an emotional response that challenges the clergymen to see the topic from his perspective. King’s persuasive style of writing includes logical arguments and allusions to respected historical figures. His ability individualize stories of injustice and segregation present the larger issue of civil rights in a way that the clergymen can relate to.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

    1740 Words  | 7 Pages

    A Letter from Birmingham Jail verbalizes King’s feelings toward the unjust events and criticisms of eight clergymen. The letter serves as an example of a well-written argument of injustice on African Americans. Most importantly, this letter explains current events in Birmingham in 1963, as well as in the rest of America. And lastly, the

    Read More

  • Rhetoric In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    741 Words  | 3 Pages

    For dozens of years, black people were treated like animals, even decades after they were “freed” from the shackles of slavery. It wasn’t until the mid-1950’s that one man took it into his own hands to make a change, and his name was Martin Luther King, Jr., a name with which virtually the entirety of America is familiar. King did a lot of monumental things, and almost all of his influence lay within his mastery of word manipulation and rhetoric. Perhaps one of the greatest examples of his use of rhetoric happens to be in his “Letter From a Birmingham Jail”, written to a group of white clergymen in 1963 after they criticized his campaign.

    Read More

  • What Is Mlk Thesis In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    1112 Words  | 5 Pages

    Martin Luther King Junior wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in 1963, when African Americans were fighting for their equality. The letter was written when Dr.King and hundreds of other protesters were under arrest for their non-violent demonstration in Birmingham, Alabama. He begins the letter by explaining to the white religious leaders why he is in Birmingham, one of his reasons was the prejudice that was being held in Birmingham. He also describes the torture African Americans go through in their everyday lives. The author argues that if the white people in Birmingham, Alabama don’t start treating the African Americans with proper respect, then it’s going to cause more problem and there will be other alternative actions.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    1138 Words  | 5 Pages

    Martin Luther King’s Letter From a Birmingham Jail: Rhetorical Analysis Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s. ‘'Letter from Birmingham Jail'’ is, a series of letters written by Dr. King from cell in Birmingham during the year 1963(History.com staff). Some portions of the letter were reportedly written and sequentially taken from prison by the lawyers of Dr. King on scraps of paper. Violent and persistent racial injustices against Blacks reached an all time high in Birmingham during the summer of 1963 causing the city of Birmingham was being referred to as “Bombingham,” in reference more than a dozen bombings of black churches and homes(History.com staff). Dr. King had been in arrested in 1963 while taking part in a peaceful anti-segregation protest on charges of not having a “parade permit.”

    Read More

  • 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.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King Jr Criticize In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    351 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” he is addressing the Clergymen, more specifically the white church and its leadership who criticized his efforts in the civil rights movement, by calling his demonstrations unwise and untimely. He is also simultaneously addressing the national audience as well in letting them know of the injustices of the time. It was 1963, and Martin Luther King Jr. wrote this letter from inside a jail cell. He had been arrested during an anti-segregation march for not having a valid parading permit in Birmingham, Alabama. In this letter he addresses the criticisms that were brought forth to him.

    Read More

  • What Is Mlk's Argument In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    333 Words  | 2 Pages

    In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King, Jr. is responding to criticism of the peaceful protests and sit-in’s that were taking place in Birmingham, which led to his being arrested and the reason that he was in jail. He first responds to the accusation of being an “outsider” by setting the stage for his being in Birmingham due to being invited because of his ties to the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights organization and due to the fact that he is president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Next, Martin Luther King expands on his moral beliefs that there is “injustice” in the way that Birmingham is “the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States”.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Martin Luther King Letter From Birmingham Jail

    1522 Words  | 7 Pages

    In his letter he is mainly reaching out to the entire country to try and get them to put a stop to racial injustice. The way that he addressed and refuted the clergymen's letter is one of the things that made this letter most effective. Another thing that made this letter so effective, is the way that he used the appeal to emotion, or pathos, to pull the readers in and make them think about if it were them that were being discriminated against. Martin Luther King Jr. is very successful in explaining how injustice anywhere is a threat to justice

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of The Letter From Birmingham Jail

    623 Words  | 3 Pages

    He was their voice. Throughout the “letter” Dr. King demonstrated pathos by engaging his readers of the struggle of being an African American descent. Dr. King starts off by letting his readers know that he was confined during the time of the letter was written and he was addressing the eight clergymen who called his action of a peaceful protest “untimely and unwise”. (King Jr., p. 645) However, he continues to explain his reason for being in Birmingham by saying that injustice was present and he could not just sit in another state and watch it;” Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

    Read More

More about Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

Open Document