Letter From Birmingham Jail Pathos

The authors both write to and for those who may not have had the confidence to take a stand individually. Thoreau writes to those who have not been corrupted by the government and have the intention of changing something, but maybe not the integrity to carry out the intentions. He states “ Let every man make known what kind of government would command his respect, and that will be one step toward obtaining it “ (Thoreau 1). With this quote Thoreau gives the people the advice they need to obtain the government they wish. Likewise, King aims his words to those who hope to eliminate segregation, but may not know how to help. King states “All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality” (King 3). By using this quote, king demonstrates a valid way of viewing segregation. King and Thoreau wrote to similar audiences, who planned to change their

The 1960’s was a sad time when segregation existed. Although the colored people were technically free, were they really free? This time in history was filled with colored people being disgraced, threatened, held in captivity, and “vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sister” (King). Children ripped apart from their families, not being able to socialize with certain people, or even go to the local amusement park. It was a hard time to be a colored person, and there was one hope. Martin Luther King, Jr. believed that one day blacks and whites could one day come together peacefully. King tried to do what he believed was right with everything in his will to finally join forces and not be talked down on by whites. In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” he includes several events that affect not only him but thousands of others emotionally, he uses creative examples to get his points across, and lastly King includes multiple past and present historical facts.

Martin Luther King Jr. is renowned as the leader of the great Civil Rights Movement. Throughout his letter from Birmingham Jail, King employs pathos, ethos, and logos to persuade his audience to join forces in order to overcome the physical and mental barriers of segregation.

“I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character” was once said by the African-American rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr. He was arrested in the summer of 1961 for parading without a permit and wrote the infamous “Letter from Birmingham Jail” to white clergymen about rights of blacks. Although Martin Luther King Jr.'s various applications of rhetorical appeals and devices added to the "Letter From Birmingham Jail,” pathos and ethos had the most advantage to enhance the letter because they allowed the audience to have an emotional connection to African-American lives and shows the education and trustworthiness of MLK.

A similarity in both the essays is that both Martin Luther King jr. and Henry David Thoreau advocated civil disobedience. King mentions in “letter from Birmingham Jail”, “Over the last few years I have consistently preached that nonviolence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek”. King states in his letter how important it is to peacefully protest and not violently retaliate. Thoreau also stated how he did not desire to fight or be superior to his neighbors. In “Civil Disobedience” Thoreau revealed, “ I do not wish to quarrel with any man or nation. I do not wish to split hairs, to make fine distinctions, or set myself up as better than my neighbors”. These humble man only care to change racial injustice and inequality, so that the world can evolve to a place where everyone is equal.

The articles “Letter to Birmingham jail” and “Civil Obedience” both address the injustices that are being done to people of color. Martin Luther king Jr and Henry David Thoreau speak on the act of civil disobedience being necessary and both believed that the government needs to address the issue and make a change if they truly believe their laws should protect and affect everyone equally. Martin Luther King uses a first person narrative and several types of rhetoric such as Simile, Allusion, Appeal to authority, imagery, personification, and metaphor. He also uses logos Ethos and Pathos from the rhetorical analysis triangle. Henry David Thoreau also uses first person narrative and similar rhetoric such as Appeal to authority, Simile, Imagery, Allusion, Metaphor, Ethos and Pathos from the rhetorical Analysis triangle. They both has similar ideas but had a different target when arguing for equal rights. Dr. King wants to ultimately raise awareness and provide equal rights for black people and Thoreau wanted equal rights for each individual person.

The fight for civil rights and freedom is a reoccurring subject that has appeared throughout American history. Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” were written over one hundred years apart. Although they are set in different time periods, they discuss the rights the American people should have, while also criticizing the people with superior power in the government. Thoreau’s aggressive writing style and King’s peaceful, calm style help to deliver their messages. Not only their writing style but also their emotional appeals, tone, and other rhetorical strategies help to give their audience a sense of the social issues they are disagreeing strongly with.

The primary goal of a sermon in church is to convince or persuade the congregation to turn to God and follow his ways and beliefs. A sermon is commonly broken up into several subsections beginning with “(1) an introduction ‘to establish a common ground of religious feeling’; (2) ‘a statement of the text’ which is often drawn directly from the Bible; (3) the ‘body of the sermon,’ which consists of repeated emotional climaxes; and (4) the ‘conclusion’ which resolves the emotional tension aroused by the sermon by drawing the sinners to God.” (Pipes 143). Based on these characteristics and King’s religious background and experience as a preacher, it is logical to argue that the structure of “A Letter from the Birmingham Jail” resembles that of a sermon which is aimed at an audience much larger than that of just eight clergymen. Through his brilliant use of persuasive methods and emotional appeal, Martin Luther King turns a simple response to a letter into a national cause for white support to combat segregation.

King uses pathos in his piece, for starters, while Thoreau uses more of a logical approach. Right off the bat, in Letter from Birmingham Jail, King writes a lengthy sentence describing the unfortunate events him and his colored peers go through on a daily basis. King uses pathos in this sentence gaining more emphasis as the sentence goes on making the audience (who, keep in mind, are clergyman) feel sympathy towards King and the black community. King uses examples of how the colored are treated stating, for example, “But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim;[...]” (264;Par.14) progressing slowly showing more and more emphasis on his emotional side of things until he finally says “[W]hen you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of “nobodiness” -- then you will

Martin Luther King's loaded language creates pathos in "Letter from Birmingham Jail," by explaining the everyday life of an African American citizen in segregated America, evoking anger and empathy. Because King's target audience are white clergymen, it is vital that he explains the lifestyle in a clear way so the audience can understand and feel angry or guilty about it. First, King explains that sleeping situations on travels are troublesome as shelter is hard to come by, if at all. He writes, “...sleep night after night in the uncomfortable corners of your automobile because no motel will accept you…” This shows the unfair treatment that African Americans receive as during long trips they don’t have to be granted access to shelter, leaving

They have different claims that are indented for a different audience. MLK preaches to a small group of clergy men while Thoreau has directed his work to the general audience of the American Population. Thoreau sees the flaws of the whole system of the government and criticizes the unjust or wrongful laws within it as a whole. King is responding in criticism for why he is in the jail and the importance of Civil Rights. 
 In conclusion, both literary pieces share similarities in their classical arguments. They have similar statements that appeal to ethos, pathos, and logos. Their claims they included aphorisms that were both different and similar because of the varying audience groups. King has an emotional appeal to the audience because he is black himself, speaking for a black movement. Thoreau uses his education and knowledge to his benefit when he focuses on making a more factual and logistical appeal. King and Thoreau have both established ethos but the stronger of the two is King who is a member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, appealing to his audience ethnologically. Both Thoreau and MLK have what they believe to be right and just and support their opinions with appealing claims. Thoreau speaks with more logos and factual evidence, and King appeals to the audience using pathos. They are similar pieces because of the alikeness in their classical arguments due

Henry David Thoreau writes in 1849, which adds its own set of situations. During Thoreau’s time period, slavery was an enormous controversy which he addressed in his essay. King’s letter, in 1963, was revolved around the segregation between whites and colored peoples. In both the essay and the letter, one can sense the urgency of these issues within the tonality of each author. Thoreau is fighting the majority during the Mexican war; While King is fighting the ‘war’ against segregation, unjust laws, and injustice across America.

For instance, when looking at the types of appeals both writers use, it can be argued that King uses more emotional appeals while Thoreau uses more logical appeals. This can be seen clearly, especially when King writes about how his audience’s kids will grow up and perceive the world. One of the most emotional pieces of his essay is when he talks about a future where “you have to concoct an answer for a five year old son who is asking: ‘Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?’” In sharp contrast, Thoreau uses a more logical appeal in his essay applying logic and common sense to strengthen his argument. Some examples are when Thoreau says: “Under a government which imprisons unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison” and “He who gives himself entirely to his fellow men appears to them useless and selfish; but he who gives himself partially to them is pronounced a benefactor and philanthropist.”

The cultural texts from King and Thoreau about racial inequality were noticeably different in their deliveries; however, by taking advantage of their shared ability to form eloquent phrases and demonstrate clear vision, both authors were successful in conveying the benefits of governmental change and societal progression. Thoreau lamented over the inaction of his fellow citizens and expressed his sentiments with an unforgiving and assertive tone; King on the other hand, was more conscious of his white-centric audience and understood that in order to maintain Thoreau's beliefs in his letter, he would have to come across as more respectful and understanding of his readers. Rather than sounding hostile, King simply addresses times when the government's orders have disenfranchised African Americans,

The two sections we have been reading over were "I have a Dream” and “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. Both readings are by Martin Luther King, Jr. They are different in the aspect of the way it was written but they both made people inspired and motivated to make change happen. They are more similar than different because in both of the readings he talks about equal rights for the blacks and how they need to keep fighting. However, the two are still different in the aspect that the “I Have a Dream Speech” was more to emotion and the “Letter from Birmingham” was more logical.