Rhetorical Analysis Of The Letter From Birmingham Jail

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. King described and illustrated the struggles as a black man and a black woman during this significant time period and also wrote of his leadership roles during the civil rights movement. King’s intent was to elucidate why this so called “violent demonstration” was taking place in Birmingham.

Martin Luther claims that segregation is a horrible thing for African Americans and how him fighting for equality is hard but can be done peacefully and legally. He gives many examples to these claims. Martin Luther starts off his letter by talking about all the criticism he receives as a civil rights activist. He says that his secretaries would have little time to focus on other things because of all the criticism letters he gets. Then he talks about some of the associations he is affiliated with and addresses the plans to peacefully protest segregation.

The ongoing problem of discrimination due to appearance has affected many, specifically black people. One of the most unusual things with no point or definition. This prejudice against black people has caused much unification within the United States. The lives of these black people have been severely affected, as it has affected their acts, appearances, and ways of life. As Brent Staples explains in his essay “Black Men and Public Space,” black people deal with many problems, from discrimination, and he explains these points in an orderly manner and each very thoroughly.

Martin Luther King Jr. used various types of techniques to persuade the clergyman and the other critics, but the method that I believe that was the most effective convincing the audience was pathos. King persuade the audience by using logic or reasoning. In the “Letter of Birmingham Jail” it states “So I along with several members of my staff, am here because I was invited here I am here because I have organizational ties here.” (paragraph 2). As you see it impacted various people because king wanted to make sure that the audience knew he had a right to be there, but not only him but his fellow members that form his staff. King was judged for his color and believing that all men should have been created equal no matter any situation.

Letter from Birmingham Jail – Analysis Questions 1.) Audience: The audience the clergymen were trying to reach was Martin Luther King Junior; they were trying to explain why they feel like the segregation movements are, as the letter describes it, a bother to the people of Alabama. The Clergyman’s letter was discussing the people who feel as though they are having to “deal with racial problems in Alabama.” Martin Luther King Junior’s speech was trying to explain to the clergymen why black people feel the need to cause a movement, and why he feels the need to lead such a big event, like ending racism. MLK’s speech was discussing the people who feel as though they are being segregated against, and people who are participating in the movement

King uses logos in his text to share information to the people, about the difficulties that African Americans have to deal with. Negroes kept waiting for their rights and never received them. However

In the letter “Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. writes to the Clergyman to express his idea on the racial discrimination and injustice going on in Birmingham Alabama. Martin Luther King Jr. writes his letter while being held in Birmingham Jail after being arrested for participating, in a non-violent anti segregation march. During this time violence against African Americans was so bad in Birmingham it needed to be addressed and taken care of. Martin Luther King Jr. uses rhetorical strategies in his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” in order to convince the religious leaders of Birmingham that they could wait no longer for justice and that the only course was direct action. The religious leaders of Birmingham wrote a letter, “A Call for Unity”, were they expressed a concern about how racial discrimination should be handled by the courts and how it is not King’s Place, for he is an outsider, to interfere with the injustice in the City of Birmingham.

As stated in one of his speeches, “There comes a time when people get tired of being trampled over by the iron feet of oppression,” revealing the evolving mindset of the black community that they have the right to equality. However, they faced difficulty in attaining this goal of equality due to retaliation and violence. This resistance to desegregation was instrumental in revealing racial tensions and the irrational ideology of white supremacists. After analyzing how the Montgomery bus boycott has had significant political and cultural effects on American history, it is safe to conclude that this event should be included within the new textbook. The political and cultural changes that arose from this event acted as a catalyst for the civil rights movement and resulted in national and international attention to the civil rights struggles going on in the United States during this

The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. is about the unfair, brutal, and racist treatment the black community has been receiving from white people. This letter was written when he was arrested after peacefully protesting about segregation and how the black people didn’t agree with the law. In the letter, Martin Luther King Jr.’s feelings are being expressed toward the unfair events and it is an example of a well-written argument. In the letter are three claims pointed from King, it states he has a valid reason for being in Birmingham, the black community has no alternative, but to demonstrate and the need for justice is urgent. Also, it discusses king’s intentions during the civil rights movements.

Amidst the intense Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and put in solitary confinement for peacefully protesting racial discrimination and injustice in Birmingham, Alabama. It was during this time that Dr. King, refusing to sit idly by, wrote his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” one of the most inspiring documents in history. With his respectful nature, humility, compassion, optimism, and determination, King responded to a group of white Alabama clergymen who had condemned the civil rights protests as extreme in their open letter, “A Call for Unity.” Although his letter was directed towards a small group of eight men, his words eventually reached the minds and hearts of the entire country. Throughout the letter, Dr. King does a tremendous job of supporting his argument with the three elements of Aristotle’s rhetorical appeal. He ended up creating a very persuasive letter, one that effectively uses ethos in establishing his character, logos in providing reason and logic, and pathos in reaching human emotions.

He strategically used biblical and historical references to expose the reality that segregation, injustice, and racism still strongly existed in Birmingham. Though it was an open letter to all Americans, his intended audience was the eight white clergymen. He presented them with concise reasoning for why they too should take action, or face the dilemma of being immorally incorrect in their beliefs. King pointed out how they were uneducated in the civil rights issues which put them at risk for losing their credibility as ministers. At the same time King appealed to his broader audience of fellow black Americans to continue to stand together in unity because

These were supposed to be non-violent protest that show to the nation the inequalities that the blacks faced. Riots broke out and many blacks were arrested and 2 killed. Because of the violence, Martin Luther King Jr. was asked to come to Birmingham. It is here that he created his famous “letter from Birmingham jail”. He brought to light for other clergy men who were opposed to him being there the injustices that Blacks in Birmingham had endured.

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. King couldn’t remain mutual while in other places across the United States horrendous segregation acts were taking place. He said, “Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly”. Like many before him, he too felt the need to help his fellow brothers and sisters’ fight for their cause.

In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” first two pages he addresses the clergymen of his church and others as well. During his protest, he expresses how upset he was about what is going on right now. He writes down their complain that he is an “outsider” who has come to Birmingham to cause trouble . He defends his right to be there in a straightforward, humble tone, explaining that the SCLC is based in Atlanta but operates throughout the South. One of its affiliates had invited the organization to Birmingham, which is why they came.

In, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King Jr. justifies why he and the SCLC came to Birmingham which was to protect and fight for everyone’s rights. King concludes that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (King, 2). He feels a connection to and a responsibility for everyone who has to face “injustice” since, this in reality is segregation and racism. Furthermore, he justifies that breaking laws, if they are unjust, embraces extremism. Overall, King had to take action since it is clear that nonviolent protest was ineffective so there was, unfortunately, no other manner to fight for their rights to these injustices, such as, police brutality, segregation, and Jim Crow laws.