Pathos in MLK Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail

The majority of this letter is logos. It was important for Dr. King’s intended audience to acknowledge the logic behind the actions taken that landed him in the situation he was in while writing this letter. This adds to the overall argument by giving the readers knowledge of the situation from a different point of view. In order for Dr. King to properly convey his points he had to first give a logical explanation for his actions. He gives critiques of the church, the people-good and bad-and critiques of the clergymen

King states, “Isn’t this like condemning a robbed man because his possession of money precipitated the evil act of robbery?"(King 5).

King states that he is more disappointed in the “white moderates” who would rather have order than justice; the white moderate who believes he can “set the timetable for another man’s freedom.” In life, there are injustices that must be confronted in order to enact change. Avoiding conflict in order to keep the peace does nothing to insure peace forever. People that are not being oppressed do not understand the frustrations and needs of people who live in that state every day. It is easy to tell someone else to “wait”, but when we want change, we want it now.

MLK Jr’s letter is intended to reach the white people, who he was discriminated from. MLK Jr. is showing how it is like living life while being discriminated by writing the letter from Birmingham Jail. He wants to show how the discriminated people are feeling and being treated. If it reaches the white people, they might understand how it is like to be treated unfairly.

In paragraphs 10 through 19 of Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, he argues for the urgency of changing segregation laws. King’s arguments in this letter are in response to a publication in the local newspaper by “Eight Alabama Clergymen.” These clergymen were white moderates who basically straddled the fence on the issue of segregation. Due to their neutral stance, King felt he could really convince these men that some laws needed to be changed. In paragraphs 10 and 11, King is refuting the clergymen’s statement that he should not be causing tension through demonstrations. In paragraphs 12, 13, and 14, King is responding to the clergymen's declaration that his demonstrations were “untimely.” In paragraphs 15 through 19, King provides a rebuttal to the clergymen’s statement that he is an extremist that breaks the law. In these paragraphs, King uses various rhetorical strategies or devices to make his argument.

King uses irony, by giving examples of him using peaceful actions that were condemned anyway because they were said to ?precipitate violence?. He went on to say, ?Isn?t that like condemning a robbed man because his possession of money precipitated in the evil act of robbery??(King 563). Dr. King also realizes that the white moderates are mostly religious. He reminds them ?Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability, it comes through tireless efforts of men willing to be co-workers with God??(King 563). Again, he urges the audience to get up and become active, and that there will be no change without their action.

Martin Luther King Jr., is one of the most recognized, if not the greatest civil rights activist in this century. He has written papers and given speeches on the civil rights movement, but one piece stands out as one of his best writings. “Letter from Birmingham” was an intriguing letter written by King in jail in the city of Birmingham, Alabama. He was responding to a letter written by eight Alabama Clergyman that was published in a Birmingham Alabama newspaper in 1963 regarding the demonstrations that were occurring to stop segregation. The intended audience for this letter was of course the eight clergymen, but he also had a wider audience in mind because instead of

After being criticized about his presence in Birmingham by white clergy in a letter published in the Birmingham newspaper, Martin Luther King set out to not only establish why he was in Birmingham, but also to establish moral, legal, and ethical cause to his platform and the resultant peaceful protests he had been promoting, all of which lead to his arrest and the reason he was in jail. Martin Luther King established early on in the letter his credibility as the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and also that he was in Birmingham due to an invitation as a result of his organizational ties. Mr. King also went on to elaborate about his personal reason for being there due to a great injustice to the black people that prevailed in Birmingham. Mr. King used the artistic proofs of ethos, logos and pathos to establish his credibility and persuade or convince his audience in the relevance of his platform.

Martin Luther King’s inspiration for writing his, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was mainly to appeal to an undeniable injustice that occurred during his time. His letter was in response tos eight white clergymen, who objected to King protesting in Birmingham. Dr. King effectively crafted his counterargument after analyzing the clergymen’s unjust proposals and then he was able to present his rebuttal. Dr. King effectively formed his counterargument by first directly addressing his audience, the clergymen and then using logos, pathos and egos to present his own perspective on his opponent’s statements.

King brings in examples from his religion to further his argument that one must oppose unjust laws using nonviolent direct action. King is accused of being an extremist, to which he responds: “Will we be extremists for hate or for love?” (King 26). A bold statement, phrasing action as having two distinct sides. King strongly disavows the white moderate who stands to the side and waits for justice to come with time, instead of fighting for justice in the moment. He is quick to refer to the Bible when addressing the clergymen: “Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel?” (King 25). Using a rhetorical question with a biblical reference to make those who consider him an extremist, rethink if being an extremist is such an ill position to be in. He continues to use biblical imagery to support his point, citing that he is an extremist for love as so many were before him, including several prominent figures from Christianity. Even Jesus Christ, he states “was an extremist for love, truth and goodness” (King 26). By using this symbolism King is able to converse with his fellow clergymen in a way that is familiar to them all, pointing out the flaws in their

King begs for a civil and peaceful resolution to the unjust laws and unfair treatment of African Americans. But, as history shows, the clergymen were not going to have anything to do with that. King says that he is trying to do this in the best way possible but it will not seem that way, “In no sense do I advocate evading or defying the law… One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty.”(par. 12)

As the movie began, I noticed the story was not just about King. Many other iconic leaders of the SNCC and the SCLC that helped bring forth an awareness of black inequality and triumph to end voter discrimination aided King. The film showed the struggle of African Americans as they fought for their right to vote. In multiple scenes, King sat with President Johnson to speak of the Black vote and how it is a step to changes in America, giving

In paragraphs 12-14 of “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, Dr. King begins addressing the clergymen’s belief that the peaceful demonstrations conducted by him and his associates were untimely. King starts answering questions frequently heard by opposing or moderate forces, as well as essentially denouncing the resistance to desegregation. King then introduced the relationship between the oppressor and the oppressed; concluding that the oppressor is not inclined to act on things that do not directly affect them. Therefore, providing a platform of his argument as to why blacks could no longer wait to be given their basic human rights. Action needed to take place because fair treatment was no longer a hope to be given, it had to be taken.

Martin Luther King, Jr., a man who seldom cared what other people thought about him, lived in the moment. In doing so, He became furious over the amount of injustice. This essay shows King’s fury over injustice through the use of rhetorical appeals through ethos, logos, and pathos.

King continues to say that some of the preachers of God have understood the need for justice, but some have suppressed the blacks themselves. He believes that the preachers have to break the traditional, unjustified rules of the society to allow for the freedom of the children of God. The true meaning of the Bible lies in justice and co-existence. He wants moral justice to overcome the traditional norms which were unjust in nature. He conveys this message well in his letter. He further writes: “One day the South will know that when these disinherited children of God sat down at lunch counters, they were in reality standing up for what is best in the American dream and for the most sacred values in our Judaeo-Christian heritage” (King 6).