As a peacemaker and an outspoken leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has done a lot to end segregation in the United States of America. His own imagination filled with millions of hopes that one day everyone can learn to accept one another put him in very difficult situations in which he was not afraid. In 1963, Dr. King wrote a letter from the Birmingham Jail to a clergymen that freedom has to be given to everyone no matter what race they were. Dr. King fought for the rights of African Americans because they were separated from doing all the things that the Whites were able to do. He decided to take a step and fight for everyone. As we all know, ending segregation wasn’t a task that could be resolved in just a matter of minutes because many …show more content…
King. He went all the way to Birmingham to make peace because there was injustice going on for everyone. When Dr. King talks about him going all the way to Birmingham to make peace, he mentions another time period. One of the rhetorical devices used allusion. Dr. King mentions, “Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their “thus saint the Lord” far beyond the boundaries of their home towns,” to emphasize on how much it meant for him to go all the way to another state to negotiate peace. He relates his own situation to another time period because it would make him seem as someone who cared about everyone. Dr. King did his best to convince the clergymen because he knew if he had convinced him, he would have a better opportunity to connect with the rest. One of his main motives was to let others know how much being a leader meant to …show more content…
King. Most people had an idealistic way of living and didn’t seem to care much about the injustice that was occurring. Dr. King used ethos, pathos, and logos in his letter to make his letter look appealing to those who didn’t care or to at least inform them about the consequences colored people had to face while they sat idly. He uses ethos when he’s explaining what it takes to fight for one’s owns rights. He wanted the clergymen to realize that no matter what it took, he would always support equality even if it meant cruel consequences at the end. Dr. King uses pathos when he says, “But when you have seen victims mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick, brutalize, and even kill your black brothers and sisters with impunity,” to describe how hurtful these things were. Dr. King had to take a step forward because brutalizing someone when they have done nothing at all is wrong. He uses logos when he talks about segregation as an unnecessary
Another piece of Dr’s speech that supports pathos rather than logos, is when he says “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning…”. This rhetorical device called repetition, supports Dr. King’s main idea that people of color like himself, should be treated equally and all blacks would
Social activist, Martin Luther King Jr, in his letter, Letter from Birmingham Jail, addresses the exigency of changing segregation laws. King’s purpose is to emphasize the damage the segregation laws have brought upon black people. He adopts an urgent tone in order to establish that he is tired of waiting for change to occur in his clergymen readers. King appeals to emotion in his letter to the clergymen from Birmingham by declaring that he is tired of hearing the world “wait” by the people who have never felt the effects of the segregation laws.
Martin Luther King Jr. has written many inspirational pieces during his lifetime while fighting for African American civil rights. Two of his most inspirational writings are his I Have A Dream speech and the Letter From Birmingham Jail. The only question that remains is “which one takes the cake,” meaning, which one conveys the deepest, most meaningful message about the fight for equal rights? It is clear, however, that the Letter From Birmingham Jail shows itself to be the true winner because of its powerful message and great detail involving the issues of segregation and the unequal rights that African Americans faced everyday, which stirred and appealed to the emotions of his audience.
He also wrote “Letter From Birmingham Jail” while being incarcerated. This letter was in response to his critics which were eight white clergymen. In both of these pieces of work from 1963 King uses pathos (emotional appeal)and logos (logical appeal) to show the harsh reality of the African American lives. In Dr.King's speech “I have a dream” he uses logos to show logical evidence to appeal to his audience In this quote you can see Dr.King’s use of logic “This note was a promise that all
Not all persuasions are ethical. For that reason the purpose for rhetorical speech may vary from person to person and because it is so ambiguous people have found it easier to simply rely on unethical methods into persuading other into believing that they are to be trusted. Which is why convincing others is considered unethical because the majority of people use rhetorical speech for personal gain; therefore people believe the ethics of rhetorical speech is mainly concerned with one’s moral compass. In most cases people chose to influence others not because they are altruistic but for personal gain; we live in a world where people are being influenced whether it may be on social media or at a store making it seem almost inescapable .So if
Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote a lengthy letter called "Letter from Birmingham Jail," to respond to a public statement of concern which was expressed by eight white clergymen from the South. In this letter, King defends his action and also describes how his nonviolent direct action is an effective way to resist against racism and segregation. In paragraph 14 and 15 of his letter, King uses parallelism and historical allusions to emphasize the blatant cruelties that colored people faced which create pathos and to express his thoughts for obeying and breaking “just or unjust” laws. In paragraph 14, King connects with Pathos, when he shows examples of painful experiences that the colored people, including himself, felt.
Compelling Craft The craft of using words to create a mood or an atmosphere takes great skill to make an audience understand and feel the cause a writer is fighting for. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a civil rights activist from the 1950’s to the 1960’s, wrote Letter from Birmingham Jail. In his letter he made a compelling argument to a group of clergymen, who questioned his quest. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made his compelling argument using pathos, ethos, and Kairos by utilizing personal experiences, expressing a moral obligation to help, and his timely involvement for direct action.
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”.
Dr. King makes his audience feel as if they should be doing more as they are intended to do. He uses the word “president” which shows his position which helps him be looked up to. Clergymen fall their pastors and in a certain way Dr.King is acting as a pastor and preaching to them that they should go out and help as he (Dr. King) is. Diction is very important as it makes the audience connect in the way the author intends them to do
Upon being imprisoned for marching Dr Martin Luther King wrote a letter to the fellow clergymen of Birmingham, addressing his reasons as to why he committed his “crime”, This letter was widely known as “The Letter of Birmingham”. This letter was very influential and paramount to the cause of civil rights as it spurred up future events that would play essential roles in ending racial segregation in America. Throughout his whole letter, King used Ethos, logos, and pathos to firmly get his message across while adding rhetorical devices such as repetition, metaphors, and biblical references.
Jake Edwards Professor Messersmith Comp II 3/3/13 Kings Keys to Success Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is known as the leader of the African-American civil rights movement, an activist, humanitarian, and one of the greatest speakers of all time. However, what makes him a good leader and good speaker? What makes his words so permanent and ingrained in so many people’s minds? In Kings writing “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, he uses many different rhetorical strategies that not only draw his viewers and listeners in, but also makes them feel powerful and useful.
Martin Luther King Jr. was both a black man and an advocate for racial equality. While in jail in 1963, he wrote “Letter to Birmingham Jail” in response to a statement made by eight White Alabama clergymen. He used a variety of words and emotions to try to persuade the racists and other Americans to change their treatments against black people, and does so effectively. He used logos in his letter very effectively.
Martin Luther King Jr. was an important figure in gaining civil rights throughout the 1960’s and he’s very deserving of that title as seen in both his “I Have a Dream” speech and his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” letter. In both of these writings Dr. King uses logos - logical persuasion - and pathos - emotional appeal - to change the opinions of people who were for segregation and against civil rights. Although King was arrested for a nonviolent protest, he still found a way to justify his actions with the use of logos and pathos. MLK uses both ways to gain the attention and agreement of the audience but, he uses pathos not just more, but in a more relatable way in order to appeal to his audience.
Dr. Martin Luther King called for action when he said, “There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into an abyss of injustice where they experience the bleakness of corroding despair.” Dr. Martin Luther King was simply pointing out that his people could no longer tolerate the injustices and discrimination that they were constantly facing. Also, Dr. Martin Luther King said, “We must use time creatively, and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.” Dr. Martin Luther King was addressing that his people had to take action to march and protest for what they perceived as fair and just. Dr. Martin Luther King use of stylistic elements such as figurative language along with connotative word choice and purposeful structure to persuade his audience to take a stand against discrimination.
King used many metaphors to compare the racial injustice to whether, landforms, and more . He used things like, “must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical forces with soul forces” (King 86). He used this quote to show that one can go far without using force, one does not have to be violent in order to accomplish something. Dr. King also used heat: “this sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality” (King 86). This quote also helps refer the southern states where segregation was the worst.