Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” it can easily be argued that King used many rhetorical devices such as anaphora and tone in order to further persuade his audience to take action on behalf of the Civil Rights movement. Through copious examples, the reader is presented with King’s effort to use repetition in order to drive his point as well as being presented with the changing tone of his writing which allows the reader to experience a shift in emotions and urgency throughout the

In his Letter from Birmingham Jail, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is responding to a few white religious leaders who stated that his nonviolent reveal against segregation was “unwise and untimely” (1). Dr. King had to be really upset at the clergymen because he rarely acknowledges criticism of his work. He states that since they brought up “outsiders coming in”, meaning that they went to the city of Birmingham to start a conflict. He argues his equality to be there like anyone else speaking on the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Atlanta, Georgia but run through every Southern state. Dr. King says “anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered outsiders” (4). He fought the issue against “injustice” because he believes every state is considered mutual.

In Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Dr. King addresses his fellow peers for calling his protest ending segregation “unwise & untimely”. King hopes to clarify their actions in this letter.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is known as a civil rights movement activist and he is recognized around the world as a symbol of freedom, liberty, and peace. He was the central figure for African –Americans and to speak up for people. He thrives to have a better future for his family and other Africans –Americans. He was the first to protest a boycott and in 1963 of April he was arrested in Birmingham, Alabama for participating in a non-permit march. In his time in jail he wrote a “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, which he uses all the rhetorical appeals. In the entire letter he has inspirational words to express his voice. In his “Letter” he uses pathos appeal more effectively than logos and ethos.

Dr. King’s way of speech in “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” starts off with, “My Dear fellow Clergymen,” which seems oddly reserved. He had learned that Birmingham clergymen had issued a declaration critiquing him and flattering the city’s narrow-minded police influence, when Dr. King had been in solitary quarantine. Due to this, anyone could agree that Dr. King had every right to write an enraged letter. However, his topic was not to go off on this matter, but to explain himself. Thus, Dr. King starts his letter with “fellow clergymen,” which depicts the main idea of his argument, which is “brotherhood.” Angered by this critique, he maintains a diplomatic tone throughout the letter.

Martin Luther King Jr., a pioneer for the Civil Rights movement, wrote an inspiring letter while imprisoned at the Birmingham jail, in Birmingham, Alabama. Martin Luther King Jr.’s main point of this letter is to show the effect of non violent protests to combat racism. He is doing that because he wants African-American people to be patient because nonviolence is the best answer, and in the end they will get what they want, eventually getting the equal rights they deserve. One time in the letter that King really exemplifies this is when he says, “We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God given rights.” My original thought after reading this was that King wrote an effective letter from inside the Birmingham jail that

King uses rhetoric in The Letter of Birmingham Jail to advance his purpose powerfully. King writes this letter as a response to the eight clergymen that indirectly target his actions and state false accusations. These eight clergymen do not understand the rationale King advocates throughout his non-violent protests, therefore King retaliates by writing a letter. This letter uses rational tone throughout to get these eight men and even more so the public to understand the purpose of his activist movements.

In American history, the period of the 1960s always was considered a decade of great social change. This is the era that the group of lower class or color skin became stronger and more confident to assert themselves even though white people still dominated every aspect of American society. During this period, American Civil Rights Movements emerged everywhere, such as Native-Americans Movement, Women’s Movement, Latino Movement, and especially African Americans Movement. By that time, there are many varieties of actions that civil rights activists waged to seek to end racial inequality and secure rights in political, social, and economic for African Americans. However, two major

The Civil Rights era was a time of great turmoil and injustice for African Americans, however, Martin Luther King brought forth a tremendous amount of change through his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and his “I Have a Dream Speech”. Both documents demanded that the unjust treatment of African Americans had to change, as well heavily urged African Americans to remain peaceful and not resort to violence.

In the piece “Letter from Birmingham,” Martin Luther King Jr. is writing a personal response to eight clergymen who were questioning the movement taking in place in Birmingham and how it was being handled. The clergymen believed it should have been handled in the courts and King simply disagrees. King generally would not respond to people writing him, but with him being in jail and the questions being pondered by many, he felt it was needed to write them back about the injustice being done.

was a black American that led the civil rights movement during the 1960’s. “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is a direct response to the criticism King as faced due to his actions in Birmingham and around the country for equal rights for all. The purpose of the letter is to persuade the white moderate to receive their support and active involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. The awareness of the audience affects the voice and tone King uses throughout the letter. King uses rhetoric strategies including Logos, pathos, and ethos to appeal to the specific audience and make an effective argument. “Letter from Birmingham jail” is classic argument that showcases strong appeals to logic, his credibility, and the audience’s emotion to effectively persuade readers to get involved and support King with his actions to receive

How does the letter deal with the subject of the race? The author used his strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism and oppression. He states that people have the manual responsibility to break the unjust law in a peaceful manner. Martin Luther King wrote the "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" in order to address the biggest issue in Birmingham and united states at the time. "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" discusses the great injustices happening toward the black community in Birmingham. In order to justify his desire for racial justice and equality. integrationist or civil rights leaders, but as a fellow clergyman and a Christian brother. for the cause of peace, equality and justice for the people.

Being able to embrace your talents. The ability to make decisions without external influence and having no discrimination between different ethnicity. All of this are results of freedom. Many dystopian works of fiction also describe the outcome of societies in which individuals who challenged the cruel traditions showed bravery and made changes to the society. Likewise, the American founding fathers believed that freedom would lead to a better future for America so they challenged the colonists to make positive changes. In order to attain freedom, one must take action and make changes in the present. Freedom can only occur by standing up to the opposition and sacrificing one’s life.

“I have a dream.” Almost every man, woman, and child knows those iconic four words. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I have a Dream” speech spoke to millions and is remembered as a pivotal point for African American’s civil rights. Perhaps his second most persuasive work is his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” Yet, what makes these works so memorable? Mark Twain, William Shakespeare, Martin Luther King Jr. -- all made their literary works well-known through the use of rhetorical devices and argumentative techniques. In his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” King argues for racial equality, not only by explaining the social situations of the time period, but also by imploring his readers to understand the truths concerning the racial tension. Through

Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is an exquisite testament of human civility. The fact that King was determined enough to write such a powerful letter from the confinement of a jail cell speaks volumes. He could have simply sat back and succumbed to the individuals trying to overshadow him, however, King choose to exalt his freedom of speech in an empowering fashion. At the start of the letter, King states that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.” The sentiments from this line alone evokes a subdued, yet powerful message. If one individual or group of individuals is singled out, harassed to the point where they no longer possess the will to live by a fellow American, what does that say about the country? Martin Luther King Jr. makes it clear that being shunned by fellow citizens should not even be an option, if we are all Americans, we should all stand tall together.