ipl-logo

Rhetorical Analysis Of Mlk's Letter From Birmingham Jail

579 Words3 Pages

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. To begin, MLK’s I Have A Dream speech was very powerful indeed. His use of rhetorical devices gave a strong emotional surge to his audience of all peoples. One particular use of a rhetoric that appeals to emotion is the statement “I have a dream (MLK, stanzas 17-24).” Repeated thoughtfully, it is a charged, expressive way to get a solid point …show more content…

One specific appeal states, “I can urge men to obey the 1954 decision of the Supreme Court, for it is morally right; and I can urge them to disobey segregation ordinances, for they are morally wrong (MLK, stanza 16).” This moving statement affects the mental being of MLK’s readers because of its use of “moral.” A moral is a strong word usually connected to how we react to choices emotionally. Also written in stanza 16, MLK asks a rhetorical question that is said: “Is not segregation an existential expression of man’s tragic separation, his awful estrangement, his terrible sinfulness?” This statement appeals to logic as well as emotion. Segregation, logically speaking, does separate humans from one another; separates us as people. Emotionally, though, its use of heavy or large words gives listeners a poignant

Show More
Related

  • Logos And Pathos In Mlk's Letter From Birmingham Jail

    511 Words  | 3 Pages

    Have you ever read or listened to The Letter From Birmingham and the speech I Have a Dream by MLK and if you have have you ever noticed that he used a lot of logos and pathos? I Have a Dream a speech by Martin Luther King Jr. talks to all the protesters at Lincoln Memorial about segregation. MLK also wrote the Letter From Birmingham Jail and he was responding to eight white clergymen about the criticism in the newspaper that they wrote. In MLK’s Letter From Birmingham and his I Have a Dream speech use the appeals logos and pathos. MLK used logos in his I Have a Dream speech and his Letter From Birmingham Jail.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Mlk Letter From Birmingham Jail

    578 Words  | 3 Pages

    Graphic Organizer "I Have a Dream" "Letter From Birmingham Jail" Point-by-Point Introduction Attention Grabber I Have A Dream written by MLK to help change the way that african americans were being treated to get better rights. Letter From Birmingham jail written to respond to criticism for segregation also.

    Read More

  • Did Martin Luther King Use Ethos In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    353 Words  | 2 Pages

    Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have A Dream” speech about Civil Rights was spoken out in front of a large group in Washington DC at the Lincoln Memorial. He also wrote a “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in response to eight clergymen criticizing his actions while he was in jail. In both he used pathos and logos to appeal to people with logic and feelings. In Martin Luther King's “I have a dream” speech he uses a logic to appeal.

    Read More

  • What Is Mlk Thesis In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    428 Words  | 2 Pages

    The article “Letter from Birmingham Jail” written by Martin Luther King Jr, was the great example of hope for equality in the future. He believed in nonviolent protests and civil negotiations. As he spent eight days in jail, he wrote the letter for a national audience in order to express his vision. Dr. King wanted both white and black individuals to stop criticizing one another and become united. But his view of the future also consisted of replacing injustice and oppression, to rebuilding freedom and justice.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

    814 Words  | 4 Pages

    Martin Luther King Jr., an activist and leader for the civil rights movement, wrote the Letter from Birmingham Jail and gave the famous “I Have A Dream” speech. While the letter is not as publicly acknowledged today, Dr. Kings speech will go down in history as one of the most influential and well-remembered speeches of all time. In Dr. Kings letter from Birmingham Jail, he addresses a group of men criticizing his actions in Birmingham. While holding his ground, Dr. King expresses his concerns using respectful words while providing straightforward examples of what they accused him of, and why they are wrong in those accusations.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

    458 Words  | 2 Pages

    Visionary champion of the American dream and interracial brotherhood, Martin Luther King is widely acclaimed for his unwavering leadership during the African-American Civil Rights Movement. As a pastor and activist, King consistently preached a doctrine of non-violent civil disobedience based on his beliefs in equality and the Christian faith. On April 16, 1963, while in solitary confinement in an Alabama Jail, King completed “Letter from Birmingham Jail” which would become one of the most seminal texts of the Civil Rights Movement. King’s patient tone throughout the work, along with his acute understanding of rhetoric allows him to admonish his critics, reach a diverse audience, create a reverberating call for justice, and present a blistering critique of the United States’ duplicity regarding equality. The quintessential text of the African- American Civil Rights Movement, King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was instrumental in both galvanizing the Civil Rights Movements and creating the platform for freedom and equality in the present day United States.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail By Martin Luther King Jr.

    433 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Why We Can’t Wait” by Martin Luther King, Jr. explains the vital Birmingham campaign and features the inconceivable Letter from Birmingham Jail. Despite the fact of always positive in tone, it deals with the absoluteness of a campaign that is now viewed as pivotal to the success of the American Civil Rights Movement but was anything but assured in its own time. That King acknowledges this reality while placing it in a constructive context all the while advancing his affirmative, forward-looking message is a confirmation to his vision and incredibly magnanimous perseverance. On April 16, 1963, as the violent events of the Birmingham movement unraveled in the city, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., composed a letter from his prison cell in return to local clerical leaders’ criticism of the campaign.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Dr. King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

    706 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.”

    Read More

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

    788 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the year 1963 of August, Martin Luther King wrote his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” as a response of a letter published in a local newspaper. This letter, written by the Clergymen of Birmingham at this time, caught his attention while he was confined in jail for parading without a permit. This time allowed him to respond passionately to the injustice in Birmingham. King’s letter addresses specific points presented in the Clergymen’s, and his direct approach separates King’s strong points through his powerful writing. King is able to defend these differing views and actions through rhetorical devices such as ethos, logos, and pathos.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King's Letter To Birmingham City Jail

    1205 Words  | 5 Pages

    On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the “Letter from Birmingham City Jail.” This letter was intended to be a response to the eight clergymen of Alabama, who wrote a response concerning King, and the racial issues going on in Birmingham. The response of the eight clergymen was a way to criticize King and the Negro community for basically taking action. Referring to King’s efforts as “unwise and untimely.” Meaning, that it was not a convenient time to start protesting around town and getting attention.

    Read More

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

    124 Words  | 1 Pages

    In Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, he uses pathos and rhetorical questions to appeal towards the readers. Pathos is showed in King’s letter when he says, “Too long has out beloved southland been bogged down in the tragic attempt to live in monologue rather than dialogue.” (7) This quote supports pathos because King is saying we should be living in a world of dialogue not monologue, also he talks about his beloved southland. This makes the readers have sympathy for the tragic issue. Rhetorical is used to appeal towards the readers in Kings letter when he states the question, “But can this assertion be logically made?”

    Read More

  • Similarities Between I Have A Dream And Letter From Birmingham Jail

    792 Words  | 4 Pages

    Martin Luther King Jr., one of the greatest speakers for black civil rights movement, had written many great works in his time. Two of his pieces stand out as his greatest works. Letter from Birmingham Jail; a pieces written from a jail cell in birmingham where he was arrested for peacefully protesting, the letter was attended to the white clergymen who didn 't agree with his views and I Have a Dream Speech; was a speech king gave in front of the washington memorial. Both works convey similarities and differences in their tone, structure, appeal and figurative language. There are many similarities between “I Have a Dream” and the letter from birmingham jail.

    Read More

  • Pathos And Ethos In Mlk's Letter From The Birmingham Jail

    501 Words  | 3 Pages

    In MLK’s letter from the Birmingham jail, he used pathos and ethos effectively to appeal to people’s hearts and minds. He was arrested for opposing a law that he found morally unjust which also allows for more sympathy and attention. Writing to the clergymen who thought he was causing untimely disruption in the community, he tried to reason with them using both emotional and ethical arguments. Whether or not they changed their minds because of his letter is uncertain, but MLK’s letter explained in detail his motives for pursuing societal reform. His proper use of both pathos and ethos made MLK’s argument more substantial and effective.

    Read More

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

    742 Words  | 3 Pages

    Well-known minister, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King, Jr., in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” masterfully craft his reply to the eight clergymen on their accusation that his nonviolent protest movement is “extreme”. King’s purpose is to influence to not only the clergymen themselves, but to convey to his audience that all his actions are justified and that they are not an exhortation to extremism. He creates a logical tone; moreover, with the incorporation of logical appeals and several rhetorical devices such as parallel structures and rhetorical questions, helps shift the audiences’ attention from the claim established by the clergymen to King’s point of view. King exhibits his view on the current situation in Birmingham, Alabama in which influenced him to be there; thus, inconsequently lead him to his imprisonment in Birmingham Jail. He acknowledges that there are two opposing forces that exist in Birmingham, one of which is stated, “[A] force of complacency, made up in part of Negroes who […] become insensitive to the problems of the masses” (27) and “The other force is one of bitterness and hatred […] close to advocating violence” (27).

    Read More

  • Emotional Appeals In Mlk Speech

    730 Words  | 3 Pages

    MLK uses appeal to emotion and appeal to logic equally throughout his speeches. For example, in his speech “I Have a Dream”, he declaims,

    Read More

More about Rhetorical Analysis Of Mlk's Letter From Birmingham Jail

Open Document