Rhetoric In Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

Throughout his letter, King also uses literal and historical analogies as well as theoretical language, also known as logos, in order to conjure a cognitive, coherent reaction in his readers. His use of logos helps is arguments strength and irrefutability. King states facts that cannot be argued, facts that are accepted by all as true. He states that fact that he is in jail “because injustice is [in Birmingham]” (King, 10), a statement that is nonnegotiable. He continues to say that Birmingham is “probably one of the most segregated

Possibly the three most important components a writer must understand are audience, genre, and rhetorical situation. When reading critically we become acquainted with these concepts therefore become better writers ourselves. While learning about rhetorical writing and composition we have analyzed Billy Collins “ Commencement Address at Choate- Rosemary Hall” , Martin Luther King Jr’s “letter from Birmingham Jail” and Lloyd Bitzer’s essay on “Rhetorical Situation”. In this paper I will analyze and make connections between the concepts of audience, genre and rhetorical situation in connection to the fore-mentioned readings. In doing so I will focus on how each used these concepts as means to communicate their main ideas and purpose.

King’s use of many rhetorical devices in these three paragraphs of “Letter from Birmingham Jail” solidify his conviction that segregation needs to be quelled immediately. Dr. King’s explanations justify the demonstrations and protests that he is participating in. Although this was a letter meant for clergymen, Dr. King simultaneously taught all of America a very important lesson: justice is a universal natural right, and when it is denied, it needs to be demanded. Racial equality is the form of justice in this case, as segregation was the culprit that divided society into two racial groups. Thus, Dr. King successfully advocated civil rights through this letter with powerful, clever

Gray and empty, the sounds of the inmates echo throughout the prison block. Controlled under superior authority, many stories are kept within the four wall cell. The Civil Rights Movement is at a peak in 1963. While prisoner in Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr., an important historical figure,constructs “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” to the eight clergymen, who wrote an open letter criticizing his actions and involvement in Birmingham, Alabama dealing with the segregation and racism going on. A Christian minister and an intelligent individual with a Doctorate in Philosophy, King powerfully and constructively writes to the clergymen. Sitting in a confined, uncomfortable prison cell, he addresses the criticisms. King utilizes techniques of diction, syntactical devices, and rhetorical devices for strategy to respond to the clergymen.

Every writer needs an inspiration to craft a brilliant literary piece. Whether this inspiration is tangible or intangible, it is still necessary. Some forms of inspiration come as passionate love while others appeal as injustice. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" was a response to "A Call for Unity" by eight white clergymen. His inspiration for writing the letter was the clergymen's unjust proposals and the letter allowed him to present his rebuttal. Martin Luther King Jr. effectively crafted his counter argument by first directly addressing his audience, the clergymen, and then using logos, pathos, and ethos to refute his opponent's statements and present his own perspective.

One powerful example of King’s pull on the reader’s consciousness in his letter is on page three when he refutes the argument of the Clergymen saying that Colored people should just “wait”.  While many words truly stand out, King’s true effect was mastered by the appeal to the parents in the group, “When you have to concoct an answer for a five-year-old son who is asking: “Daddy, why white people treat colored people so mean” (“Letter from Birmingham Jail” 3)Then again, “humiliation day in and day out by nagging signs” (“Letter from Birmingham Jail 3) and even further, when “you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of “nobodiness” (“Letter from Birmingham Jail 3).  Another element that helps support King’s point in his letter is the fervent repetition of his blatant disappointment in more than simply the clergymen, but their Christian faith and the churches in service within Alabama during this time. King repeats how disappointed he was in the “common whites” also and their bystander reactions to racial issues. The fact that this man, a minister, “beneath” the said extremist white clergymen, and inhabiting a jail cell during that time, who was disappointed in people showed a true depth which hit the audience profoundly. (King)

To begin with, King uses his diction to create a morally informative tone. His strong word choice demonstrates what is wrong with the situation in Birmingham and what needs to be done. He uses the words, “Justice too long delayed is justice denied” (p284) and “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (p282) that reiterate the need for action and add a declarative stance. King also uses strong words like, “rabid segregationist” (p286) to help demonstrate the severity of the situation by comparing it to rabies- a serious, possibly life threatening disease. King uses strong words on page 287 as well, “Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.” “Bewildering”, a stronger word than the word worse, informs the reader of the actual emotions felt by the author. Throughout his letter King’s diction denotes a didactic tone by providing strong word choices that help profess his viewpoints.

Imagine: You are sitting on the couch watching television and your daughter is sitting on the floor playing and watching the show with you. A commercial comes on for a local amusement park called “Funtown”, and your daughter exclaims that she wants to go to this amusement park. Sorrow fills your heart because you know that you will have to explain to her that she is not aloud to go because that Funtown is only open to the white children and their families. This short story reveals King’s usage of pathos, one of the rhetorical appeals, to reveal the raw emotions that King had to endure when informing his daughter of this.

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.

In the “letter from Birmingham Jail”, by Martin Luther King Jr. he uses pathos and allusions the most, to convince the readers of the vale of civil disobedience. Martin Luther King Jr. states, “An unjust law is o law at all” (page 7). This is persuasive because it points out the major flaws in the Birmingham government. With these flaws identified it shows how a government that is “for the people” and for freedom is only about giving white’s power and superior dominance. This improves the authors feeling of the passage by making whites feel ashamed of what they have done to their country. The author also states, “We can never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was “legal”… it was “illegal” to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler’s Germany”

Throughout history, there have been many significant documents and speeches that enlighten and inform us on what is and was happening during those times. Abraham Lincoln’s speech, The Perpetuation of our Political Institutions, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter from Birmingham Jail are two important pieces of history. In Lincoln’s speech he speaks about the dangers of slavery in the United States and warned everybody that people who disrespected American laws could destroy the United States. On the other hand, Martin Luther King Jr. defended the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism, and argued that people have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws. Based on these facts, Martin Luther King Jr does not agree with Lincoln’s counsel.

In Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” he uses many examples of rhetorical devices in order for him to be able to reach out to the clergymen in the way he wishes to. He wants to get his point, that there should be a strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism, across without upsetting his readers. King uses many examples of ethos, pathos, and parallelism in order for him to convince his readers that nonviolence in the answer.

In Martin Luther King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” he uses a series of metaphors and similes that allow him to express his emotions and experiences with racial injustice. While using these two devices he effectively connects to the reader and the audience while voicing his opinions. As king uses metaphors throughout his letter, he is able to convince his audience ( the clergymen) and his readers to imagine themselves in the place of African Americans, focusing on the full meaning of King’s letter. “Now is the time to lift our national policy from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of human dignity. ”(pg.268, line 11)

What would you do if you were a part of being treated poorly and segregated from others? The speech from “I Have a Dream” is by Martin Luther King Junior. This is about the Civil Rights movement and the audience was a giant crowd at the Lincoln Memorial Washington in D.C. The letter from “Letter From Birmingham Jail” is by Martin Luther King Junior. He got put in jail because of protesting in public. The audience was 8 clergymen at the Birmingham Alabama Jail. My purpose is using logos and pathos to compare the “I Have a Dream” speech ,and the “Letter From Birmingham Jail” letter.

During the time King was in jail in Birmingham, Alabama, he was not only writing responses to the minister, but also to an educated, white, and middle-class family, on the toilet papers. In King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, he exposes on the letters as the following quote “ I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was well timed in the view of those who have not suffered from the disease of segregation.” The letter is going on giving an explanation and making clear to the struggles of fighting against racism. In his main argument, he explains, there no matter what the circumstance is, when the blacks get mistreated by the whites, they always keep their ground and fight for the right they must have, the same