Ethos Pathos Logos In Letter From Birmingham Jail

The year is 1963, the date April 16th. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr is sitting in his cell in Birmingham, Alabama writing what we know today as the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. In this 12 page letter, found in Writing Arguments a Rhetoric with Readings by John Ramage, John Bean, and June Johnson, Dr. King describes his outrage and disappointment with society and finally his want for society to recognize racial prejudice. In his letter, he uses Pathos, or emotional appeal, ethos, appeal to authority/reputation, and logos, appeal to logic, to help with his argument. Dr. King uses a lot of emotional appeal and diction when writing his argument so that he could appeal to his intended audience as best he could.

On April 16, 1963, from a jail in Birmingham, Alabama, Martin Luther King Jr. composed an extensive letter to eight clergymen who condemned the timing of the civil rights movement. Although the letter was addressed to these eight clergymen, the Letter from Birmingham Jail speaks to a national audience, especially King’s “Christian and Jewish brothers”(King, 29). His peaceful but firm letter serves as a remarkably persuasive voice to an immensely chaotic mess, and is seen as a major turning point in the civil rights movement. King believes that without direct action, the full rights for African Americans could never be achieved. He defends the impatience of people in the civil rights movement, upholding that without forceful

Mariah Mofford Professor Fetters English 1001 26 January 2015 Fighting For Segregation Martin Luther King,Jr was a civil rights leader , who was in the Birmingham jail for being apart of the campaign, King was asked to come to Birmingham to join in the non-violent direct action program. He was put in the jail in 1963, eight white clergymen wrote a letter in the newspaper and Martin Luther King,Jr wrote in the cell on anything he could find, for his attempt to explain the movement and himself. Through Kings rhetoric, and his language, he turns the white clergymen words back on themselves.

On April 16, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter to the eight clergymen while he was incarcerated. Dr. King wrote this letter to address one of the biggest issues in Birmingham, Alabama and other areas within the United States. The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” discussed the great injustices that were happening during that time towards the black community. Dr. King wanted everyone to have the same equal rights as the white community, the he went into further details about the struggles that African Americans were going through for so many years, which he felt like it could change.

“Letter from Birmingham Jail” By Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is still remembered today as one of the greatest letters ever written. This letter was penned on April 16, 1963 by Dr. King, as a response to the clergymen who opposed his nonviolent campaigns in Birmingham, Alabama. The clergymen had recently wrote “A Call for Unity” to express their opinions on what was going on in the town. They did not approve of how Dr. King was handling the situation in Birmingham. Dr. King wrote this letter while sitting in a jail cell, in order to defend his reason for his marching in the peaceful protests that occurred in the previous days. He outlined the reason behind his penning this letter and what steps were taken

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in 1963 while he was in jail. He wrote his letter to eight clergymen, but the letter was published in other places, not just sent to the clergymen. He was arrested for marching without a permit, but he tried to receive a permit and was denied because of the color of his skin. In his letter, he wrote about just and unjust laws. Being arrested for not having a permit was a just law, but being denied a permit was an unjust law. Throughout Martin Luther King Jr’s letter, he stated to the audience that they needed to act now and support civil rights in a nonviolent way. He was explaining to his audience, if nothing is done now then the treatment of the blacks would stay the same in the

In 1963 on April 12th Martin Luther King Jr. along with 50 other protestors were arrested and then he composed the Letter from Birmingham jail. He was arrested for not having a parading permit while protesting against the way that African Americans were being treated. Birmingham was a hard place for a person of color to live because of everything being segregated and the amount of violent threats African Americans would face. Segregation and inequality of races was aloud at this time because Jim Crow laws were in place. Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States. Enacted after the Reconstruction period, these laws continued in force until 1965. (Wikipedia) King was an extremely strong

Martin Luther King, Jr’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is a powerful and persuasive piece of writing that helped the perception of unjust laws spread to others around the country. He addressed one of the most controversial issues in the United States, especially in the city of Birmingham. The letter was written in a jail cell after King’s arrest in Birmingham, Alabama after a nonviolent protest against segregation. It was written in a peaceful and calm manner with several religious and historical figures to help relate to the readers of his letter, the eight clergyman. He states his disappointment with the white moderate and his concern for our country’s future. Having justice is a crucial factor for living in the United States so the fact that justice wasn’t being fully established for African Americans strongly upset King. In his letter he displays several emotions such as pathos, ethos, and logos which are used throughout his writing to draw his audience to it.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” was compelling enough to make the Clergymen construct a different argument on why his demonstrations aren’t appropriate. 54 years later and King's letter is still exceptional and still being read by the human race. Giving a reason to why African Americans are protesting, King’s letter left a impact to Blacks in the United States. As King states, he wouldn’t “settle for anything less than brotherhood.”

Martin Luther King’s letter that he wrote in a jail cell in Birmingham was very powerful through its use of logos and intense through its use of pathos. The letter was a good summary of the civil rights goals but it was more than that it was a taste of the logic and emotion that goes through blacks all over the nation. Dr. Martin Luther King then uses that taste and unifies everyone and convinces them to strive for freedom, the freedom that they were promised. The selection of ethos and pathos were excellent for the intended outcome of this letter and they were combined and written very well. The other rhetorical devices used in the speech were used in appropriate places that would help the sections of logos and pathos. Dr. Martin Luther King crafted a brilliant speech that impacted not only the black community but the whole

As a response to an unjust proposition from the Alabama clergymen, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” to persuade the people to look things from his point of view. The clergymen wrote that the protests should stop and the problem of civil rights should be attempted as a negotiation, yet they did not specify when they were going to start. King utilizes different appeals to prove that black people should have the same rights as the white people. In his letter, he utilizes logical, ethical and emotional to prove that people have the right to break any unfair laws.

As you may know, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was a very persuasive and opinionated man. In order to achieve this, he used two main types of persuasive appeals in his most famous work, “I Have a Dream” speech and his “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” These appeals are known as logical and emotional appeals. Also known as logos and pathos. King’s usage of logos are just as effective to readers as his usage of pathos. When he uses them, they make readers/listeners even more confident in believing his argument.

His voice reached many people, awakening a desire for what many had learned to live without: freedom. With his pen, Martin Luther King Jr. ignited the dreams of African Americans throughout the South, and he touched people -of all colors, beliefs, and backgrounds- throughout the United States and around the globe. Leading the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and ‘60s, he inspired more than peaceful protests and marches for equality. He inspired more than the justice of new laws. Through his words and actions, he left a legacy of hope and a lasting vision of a world one day united by the power of love. One of King’s most famous works -if not the most famous- was a letter written in response to eight clergymen criticizing his non-violent efforts. “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is said to be one of the most persuasive literary pieces of all time, and an extremely well-written argumentative essay. What is special about it is, as the title implies, that King wrote it in Birmingham Jail, after he was arrested for holding a protest -a peaceful demonstration -but a protest nonetheless. He wrote this letter in his jail cell on the margins of a newspaper, before his lawyers were able to get him a writing pad. How amazing it is that great pieces of writing can be born in such humble conditions. This letter, written from King’s heart, is important because it expresses King’s feelings toward the unjust

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Letter from a Birmingham Jail gave the people an insight into the mind and his unwillingness to give up on his dream for better life and respect for ‘Negroes’. However, it was not just his mentality we have an insight on but also his philosophy, his mantra. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a devoted Christian and refused to use cruel, demeaning words and unnecessary violence to get his points across to the people. He fought against the injustices brought on upon the black people by the ‘white power’ in Birmingham. Letter from a Birmingham Jail also gave insight into his personality and character. Throughout the letter, he never used cruel words, he never used words that could be taken offensively by the people who

In the midst of the civil rights movement, Doctor Martin Luther King found himself in a jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama, one of the most segregated cities in the United States at the time. While in that jail cell, King wrote Letter from Birmingham Jail in response to the city’s religious leaders. Through his use of ethos, pathos, and logos, King made a thought-provoking and powerful argument for the civil rights movement which continues to inspire change in the hearts of his audience, both implied and actual.