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Similarities Between I Have A Dream And Letter From Birmingham Jail

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Martin Luther King, Jr. is perhaps the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement. He is famous for writing his “I Have A Dream” speech and his “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” Dr. King is known as a very high-minded speaker who avoids violence when making his argument. His work can be defined as a nonviolent protest. His “I Have A Dream” speech and “Letter From Birmingham Jail” are loaded with language that does not have a negative, violent-sounding undertone, but rather a passionate one. Both of these arguments by King use two main types of persuasive appeal, logical and emotional appeal. Logical appeal, or logos, uses a clear line of reasoning supported by evidence, such as data, expert testimony, and facts. Emotional appeal, or pathos, uses charged or loaded language and other devices to stir emotions. “I Have A Dream” and “Letter From Birmingham Jail” are brimming with logos and pathos. …show more content…

King uses logos and pathos consistently in both of his arguments because he is trying to get his point across in the most sincere, nonviolent way that he possibly can. Both arguments cover the same topic, civil rights, everyone has the same rights regardless of race or skin color. Logos in “I Have A Dream” and in “Letter From Birmingham Jail” are similar because they involve data and facts, “Five score years ago, a great American...signed the Emancipation Proclamation.” (King 261.) “Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.” (King 272.) Pathos in both arguments are similar because they both consistently use similes, “Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.” (King 262.) “They have carved a tunnel of hope through the dark mountain of disappointment.” (King

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