Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr

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.

In “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. resolutely responds to eight clergymen who question his methods of protest against segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. Specifically, in paragraphs 12-14, Dr. King explains why his protests are indeed being done in a timely manner to obtain the “constitutional and God-given rights” (A Portable Anthology, page 207) that Africans have been restricted of for over 340 years. Dr. King’s argument, combined with his strategic use of rhetorical devices to enhance it, helps create a palpable feeling of understanding that captivates the audience into seeing America through his vision.

Martin Luther King Jr. also seeks to further his point logically by explaining to the people of Birmingham that most places in the United States aren’t segregated to the extent that Birmingham is. He also makes a point to say Birmingham’s “ugly record of police brutality is known in every section of the country” and that “it’s unjust treatment of Negroes in the courts is a notorious reality“ (King 233). King also states “there have been more unsolved bombings in Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than any city in this nation” (King 233). By making the statements that no other city treats African Americans as badly as Birmingham and that the injustice that is taking place in Birmingham is a reality that everyone throughout the country is aware of, King

The civil rights movement has caused many issues for African Americans, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. writes “Letter From Birmingham Jail” as a response to the clergymen who share a different view with segregation. King placed his views from the idea that everyone is equal, rather than one is better because of their skin color. His letter from Birmingham jail shared many points, with the ending of segregation being the main goal. With his familiar clergymen with disagreements, he rebukes their letters with his take on the civil rights movement. His letter has an amazing pull from different views that unites America as one. Dr. King uses incites from the black community to share their side of segregation, while also presenting an argument using ethics, facts and emotion that establish his letter as unique.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s response to a public statement of concern from multiple Southern white religious leaders entitled “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is perhaps one of the most important and influential pieces dedicated to the fight for equality written in the last one hundred years. It is striking just how much of the content within this letter continues to ring true. Numerous arguments King makes are still extremely relevant today, and it is nearly impossible to engage with and reflect on this text without drawing parallels to the current political landscape. This paper will discuss exactly how particular points

Martin Luther King’s (MLK) “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” was written in 1963 as a response to the Eight Alabama Clergymen’s public statement against King’s actions in April of that year. Martin Luther King Jr. was an activist for desegregation of the south in the early 1960s and overcame much adversity to attain incredible gains on the segregation issue in the United States. King uses effective persuasive appeals of logical evidence, emotional appeal, and author credibility to win over his audience in “The Letter from Birmingham Jail.” MLK’s writing shows the effects of segregation in Birmingham with clear direct language and heart wrenching examples.

The purpose for Martin Luther king to write “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was to respond to white Alabama clergymen who before this had criticized his action saying they were “unwise and untimely.” These clergymen had published a criticism directed towards King’s organization and participation in his protest march against segregation in Birmingham. This letter is not intended to persuade these men towards supporting civil rights, but rather to demonstrate that there is an immediate need towards direct action, and also that they need to open their eyes and see the African American community’s suffering. King withal expounds the need for tension, though only through nonviolent means, a tension that will coerce society to confront the present convivial iniquity head on. King disapproves being called an outsider because of his belief that humanity is part an "inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny."

In “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr extensively establishes his ethos and proves his authority on the matter of racial injustice. “I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. We have some eighty-five affiliated organizations across the South, and one of them is the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights” (King 1). King was the focal point of the Civil Rights movement and continues to symbolize the equality of all races to this very day. His authority to advocate on the

When he was arrested and jailed in Birmingham, Alabama he then fell under criticism by white clergy for coming to Birmingham as an “outsider” to cause trouble and increase tension through public sit-ins and marches. I feel that Martin Luther King was able to both set aside that criticism by establishing his credibility to have not only been invited to come to Birmingham to help end the injustice to the Negro people via peaceful means, but he was able to identify moral, legal and ethical cause to promote his quest to put a stop to what he identified as “the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States” (King, 2017, p, 3). I will provide a summary that will show what Martin Luther King believed were the cause of the injustice that he was striving to end to as well as his concern over the white community’s ability to make the Negro “wait for more than three hundred and forty years for our constitutional and God-given rights.”

In Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech, Letter from Birmingham Jail, he discussed the extreme brutality against the Negroes. Around the time of the speech’s creation, Birmingham was the most segregated city in the United States. Birmingham had segregated their buses, train station rooms, water fountains, restrooms, theaters, diners, etc. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech used euphemisms, allusions, metaphors, parallelism, and utilized pathos and ethos to express his reasoning why he was in Birmingham in the first place.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a protester and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement, greatly known for his use of nonviolent forms of demonstration. On a specific occasion, King was arrested for leading a peaceful protest as part of the Birmingham Campaign, which attempted to bring national awareness to the gruesome treatment endured by blacks. While in jail, King replies to the clergyman’s remarks of him being a foreign agitator in his “Letter from a Birmingham jail,” passionately defending the actions he took. The clergymen accused King of being an extremist, as they saw his relentless protesting and civil disobedience as a threat to a stable political and social system. In paragraphs 27-32, King attempts to persuade the

On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter from Birmingham Jail after he had been arrested for nonviolent protests. In this letter he addressed a few of his fellow clergymen who had commented on King’s work in Birmingham and how they perceived it to be “unwise and untimely.” He told them that he had, in fact, been issued an invitation to help the people of Birmingham and that he was “compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond [his] hometown.” King assured the clergymen that he and his comrades were using the proper approach and are thinking out their movements very carefully. He then gave the clergymen the reasons behind the laws that had been broken. King then moved into a section where he “called out” white moderates,

African American have been under slavery throughout 17th to 18th centuries. African American were deprived of the rights and equality. They were not free to do work on their own. They had to follow the order of white majority of the United States of America. Segregation was worst in southern part of the USA. Condition of African American in Birmingham was agonizing. To gain equal rights for African American Dr. King led a major protest, which was criticized by eight fellow clergymen, who criticized King’s act as “unwise and untimely”. In his letter, “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, by Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. King present Counter argument against the eight fellow clergymen of Birmingham to persuade them to believe his argument is morally right. In response to clergymen’s statement “outsiders coming in” Dr. King argues them by saying that he has been invited to Birmingham, he is in Birmingham to eradicate injustice amongst African American; King argues against clergymen who examined King’s protest to be “untimely” by saying that they waited so long for the equal rights of African American but nothing happened, so he needed to take actions; clergymen has expressed a great deal of anxiety over King’s willingness to break law, King argues against this by saying that the law he has broken are unjust law and are meant to be broken, he differentiate just law and unjust law and says that he always obey just law and disobey unjust law. In order to persuade clergymen, Dr. King

Martin Luther King Jr. finds himself in Birmingham due to the fact of the unfairness there. When people are in need of help, King describes that he feels he has to answer their pleas for assistance (King, par. 4). However, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Birmingham is flooded with discrimination, explains King (King, par. 7). The whole nation is aware of Birmingham, states king; and they distinguish it by how savagely the law enforcement treats colored people. “Its unjust treatment of Negroes in the courts is a notorious reality” affirms King (King, par. 8).

Menneske, humain, menschlich, umano, humano, human. There are many different ways to say the word, “human” (“How to Say Human in Different Languages”). Despite how different the words themselves look, they all have one thing in common: their definition. The word human is defined as “of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or having the nature of people” (dictionary.com). The definition does not say anything about the friends people talk to, the clothes they wear or the color of their skin.