Letter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis

In his letter from Birmingham jail, Martin Luther King Jr., a civil right activist a Baptist Minister and the creator of “In Letter from Birmingham jail.” King uses concepts of logos, pathos, and ethos to convey his points. Racial tension was high during Martin Luther King’s time, and he was the voice of the black community. He articulated his words carefully and had use methods of civil disobedience to convey his point. One of the first appeals he makes in his letter is from a logos perspective. He states, “if his repressed emotions do not come out in these nonviolent ways they will come out in ominous expressions of violence” (King 425). King’s example shows that peaceful protest should be heard just as well as a violent protest. The

What do you visualize when you think of a jail cell? Some might see restraints blocking them off from the rest of the world, feel cold metal or scratchy cloth against their skin, or experience the stench of sweat and despair. Martin Luther King Jr. saw a quiet place to write. After being arrested under the charge of “parading without a permit,” Dr. King used his eleven days in the Birmingham City Jail to respond to one specific instance of criticism through a letter geared to each of the many audiences that needed to learn about the desegregation campaign. Mr. King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” is absolutely effective at convincing the overall audience to join and support the desegregation movement in Birmingham and across America as a result of: Reverend King’s credibility as an author due to life experience and personal background on the topic, his deep relation to and understanding of his audience(s), and his use of many types of rhetorical devices to develop eloquent, attention-grabbing writing.

In 1963, the rights and the equality for African Americans was a cause constantly fought for. Protests and marches took place in order to push for a change in the society, to make a world where equality is achieved. In a Birmingham jail, sat a civil rights leader named Martin Luther King Jr.. Placed in this cell due to a protest held in Birmingham, Alabama when there was a court order stating it was not allowed, King wrote a letter that has become an influential and infamous piece of writing. This letter became known as, “The letter from a Birmingham Jail”. This letter calls out to the criticisms placed on King and confronts them all. In this letter, through rhetorical devices such as pathos, logos and ethos, and other rhetorical devices.

Civil Rights Activist Martin Luther King Jr in his persuasive letter, “letter from Birmingham jail” argues against segregation by using rhetorical devices. Martin Luther King Jr’s purpose is to express his struggles through segregation, he adopts an aggressive tone to get his point across to people in power.

While imprisoned in Birmingham Jail, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. received a letter from the local clergymen that condemned his actions, calling them rash and extreme. In response, Dr. King wrote his own letter back defending his decisions. In his Letter from Birmingham Jail, Dr. King appeals to ethos and pathos as he attempts to convince the clergymen of the need for direct action in Birmingham, by showing the similarities in his own struggles and those faced by countless historical and biblical figures.

In Letter from Birmingham Jail Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is writing a letter in response to eight white Southern religious leaders. King begins by giving his reasoning for addressing them. He mentions that he usually doesn’t address the criticism he receives. He says, “But since I feel you are men of genuine good will and your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I would like to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms.” (King 1) To me, it seems as if Dr. King had a bit of a sarcastic tone, and this is what intrigued me to read this letter.

In the essay, Letter From Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. considers the accusation from other clergymen that his nonviolent protests are “extreme”. In his essay he uses many rhetorical devices to respond to his critics. At first, being categorized as “an extremist” disappointed him but as he contemplated the issue, he began to gradually embrace and relish the label that was given him.

In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote Letter from Birmingham Jail that went on to become one of the most controversial and important pieces of work during the Civil Rights Movement. Like many other well written rhetorics, King alludes and uses Aristotle’s three main appeals: logos, pathos, and ethos. How does King uses these appeals in his rhetoric? King effectively uses these appeals to evoke his audience’s emotion to feel remorseful for the extremity that African Americans went through and dealt with.

King develops and refines his ideas in “The Letter From Birmingham Jail” to purify and increase the power of his argument. In multiple paragraphs, this technique is used to persuade the reader into looking at the point of view King presents. King uses this technique by inserting many rhetorical questions, allusions, anaphoras.

Martin Luther King Jr. led a nonviolent protest against segregation that led to equality for African-Americans; however, not everyone agreed that King conducted his actions in a “timely manner.” After eight Alabaman clergyman criticized King for making the situation in Alabama worse, King writes the “Letter from Birmingham Jail as a response to the clergyman and a justification for his actions. King uses pathos, ethos, and logos to prove his claim that his actions occurred in a timely manner.

The famous “I have a dream” speech given by Martin Luther King Junior (Jr.) sent a shock wave across the United States and forever changed the meaning of freedom and equal rights for all mankind. The way in which Martin Luther went about bringing change for the black man and woman was brilliant and very effective. Even though many things contributed to the Civil Rights Movement to bring about the radical change, Martin Luther’s rhetorical and stylistic devices throughout his speeches and articles drove his audiences to participate in the movement. He possessed a mastery in the art of motivational speaking and an understanding of language and rhetoric in order to transform an audience from passive bystanders to advocates and leaders of a greater

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

In Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter, “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, King addresses the clergymen who criticized his actions by saying that they were wrong to criticize him because he was doing the right thing. His method of protest is nonviolent protest and civil disobedience. He uses figurative language and rhetorical appeal to appeal to his audience. King’s method of protest and appeals to his audience weren’t effective.

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.

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” after an unjust proposal made by eight white clergymen. Their claims were to be that no Negro “outsider” should be allowed to establish or lead any protest and should leave them to their local neighborhoods. King replied directly to the clergymen, but used religious ties to also have his voice heard in the public. In his counter argument, King strategically used logical evidence, emotional aspects and good motives to present his perspective to the clergymen.