How Is Rhetorical Appeals Used In Letter From Birmingham Jail

In Dr. Martin Luther King’s essay, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” he refutes the statements made by the eight clergymen who denounce the demonstration taking place in Birmingham. His letter which he directs to middle class citizens, otherwise known as “white moderates,” is very compelling because King is very in tune to his audience, making them imagine themselves under specific circumstances. King explains that the intent of their “direct-action” is to cause a tension powerful enough to force a response, to direct change. Although the clergymen placed blame on timing of the demonstration, calling it “unwise and untimely,” King, declares they have waited long enough to be further delayed. Throughout his letter, King uses many biblical references to make his readers see the inequality of their society, and what it would continue to be like without change.

In 1963 Civil rights leaders, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his letter to the men of the clergy, entitled “ Letters from Birmingham Jail” while stuck in the confines of Birmingham jail. King was thrown into prison on accounts of violence after a peaceful protest. As many of his fellow clergyman reported negative things in regards to king and his cause, he refuted with writing an open letter, in which he states his beliefs on equality for all as well as stating why he needed to stay in Birmingham to stop all the injustice. Throughout the essay, he uses many examples of rhetorical devices (i.e. Rhetorical question, redefinition, etc.) to illustrate that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail) written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. the three artistic appeals of Aristotle are plainly apparent, especially logos. Dr. King repeatedly appeals to logos (Ruszkiewicz) throughout the entire piece; particularly when he says he was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist then gradually gained a matter of satisfaction from the label. He is very impassioned in his language and tone in this part of the letter, yet still makes a strong argument for logic. Despite the overwhelming emotional and personal investment involved Dr. King still allows logic to prevail thus lending him a huge amount of credibility. As a member of the community being persecuted in

Dr. King was arrested in 1963 in the struggle for civil rights for African-Americans. “The Letter from Birmingham Jail”, written a few days after King’s arrest, defended Dr. King’s argument about the civil rights movement. He uses the pathos, ethos, and logos modes of persuasion and uses several rhetorical strategies such as metaphors, citing authority, parallelism, Rogerian strategy, and anaphora to defend his argument against racism and segregation.

In order to successfully write rhetorically, an author must persuade an audience as if to win a debate. To do this, the author must create a trustworthy bond with the audience, support his claim through reason, and create emotion in the audience that compels them to leap out of their seats and take action. Martin Luther King Jr. attempted to do this when he wrote an open letter while in his jail cell after a peaceful debate against segregation. His lettered response was guided at a statement by eight white Alabama clergymen saying that segregation should be fought in court and not on the streets. King uses a combination of three rhetorical appeals to accomplish his rhetor; ethical, logical and emotional. The three appeals used together

The first of many facets that make “Letter From Birmingham Jail” effective is the credibility as an author and human being that Reverend King establishes. His titles, of Reverend and Doctor, are noticed almost immediately by a reader, but they aren’t the only factors that give him validity and bring him renown. The fact that Dr. King penned a response in the first place speaks to his character. Michael Osborn puts this in simpler words saying, “The statement to which

King’s tone appears outwardly polite and deferential. However, the first hint of irony is when he uses ‘secretary’ in the plural, suggesting that he considers himself above them in material means. however, at the end of the first paragraph, he writes that he would try and answer their criticism in ‘patient’ terms. Since we are normally the most patient with people below our mental level, this changes his tone to tolerant and somewhat condescending, suggesting that he is doing them a great favor by taking the time to ‘answer their statement.’

Each essayist has some kind of drive when composing a bit of work. Regardless of whether that drive originates from an innovative source or the need to demonstrate a point, it exists. For Martin Luther King Jr. that drive was the need to put a conclusion to racial treachery that appeared to be all around. Martin Luther King Jr's. "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is an impeccable illustration. "Letter from Birmingham Jail" was King's reaction to eight priests' "A Call for Unity." His drive originated from the pastors' unjustifiable suggestions and allegations. This letter permitted King to propose a rejoinder as well as to legitimize his own particular common insubordination, and additionally

Martin Luther King Jr. once stated, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter” (“Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes”). He stood up to his word by always standing up for the rights of fellow African Americans. On April 12, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested for violating the Alabama law against mass public demonstrations. Following his arrest, eight clergy members of a local church criticized his protest and called it “unwise and untimely.” In response to many of their accusations, King wrote a letter from his jail cell in Birmingham (“Letter From Birmingham Jail (1963)”). One accusation that the clergymen made was that King’s nonviolent protest was “extreme”. King employed many rhetorical devices to respond to this claim, but the most persuasive devices he used were logos, allusions and parallelism.

One of the rhetorical strategies is comparison, and comparison comes in the letter of “"Letter from a Birmingham Jail” when Dr.King compared between the old church and the modern church, and he showed his disappointment when he said “In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society… So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an arch defender of the status quo.”

A legacy of a lifetime, and the working goal of changing America’s long established view of African-Americans as illiterate slaves. These accomplishments describe civil rights activist and Baptist minister Martin Luther King Jr. When arrested in Birmingham for protesting, he made sure to come across as non-violent. Peace was his goal and he wasn’t going to stray. To establish this idea into his fellow clergymen he wrote an open letter defending the actions of the civil rights movement as a whole. Claiming that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” (insert citation here). These words contain emotion of the failed promise of the constitution; pathos. The first-hand account of a man who has been jailed due to the injustice justice

Writing from the heart, expressing feelings, having a strong emotional impact on ones audience, using an appeal to emotion and logic, using facts and presenting arguments in a professional way, to the enlightenment of one's viewers; Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail; consists of three Rhetorical Strategies throughout his letter that is known and taught around the world as ETHOS, PATHOS and LOGOS. An appeal to ethics, a means of convincing someone of the character or credibility of the persuader (ethos), an appeal to emotion, and a way of convincing an audience of an argument by creating an emotional response (Pathos), and finally, an appeal to logic, and is a way of persuading an audience by reason (Logos); these three Rhetorical Strategies are used countless times throughout Martin Luther King’s Letter for Birmingham Jail.

Racism has been prevalent in the lives of many for years, which has utterly prevented many to feel fully integrated in society. In the Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. addresses these concerns. While reading these passages I was fascinated by Dr. King’s strategies within his wording and how he used rhetorical devices to get this point across. Yet. reading this letter made me realize that he had a point, racism had intensified over the years and change had to occur eventually. Injustice reigned over Birmingham which prompted people to seek justice, yet their voices and cries were ignored. People opposed the non violent demonstrations that were taking place, yet refused to take the time to listen to the concerns and opinions