Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King's 'Extremist'

In this life, many hope for peace, but not many try to achieve it. According to Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, there are many ways to achieve this, but the best possible course of action would be through nonviolent direct action, which includes but is not limited to: peaceful protest, sit-ins and civil disobedience. In King’s letter, he proclaims his reasoning behind nonviolent direct action, including: the concept that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (par. 4), extremism can be used positively (par. 22), and the fact that “oppressed people will not stay oppressed forever” (par. 24). King uses literary devices including ethos, logos, and pathos to prove and reaffirm that which he is trying to convey.

It takes a strong human being to fight racial injustice and that is what Martin Luther King Jr. was, In “Letters from Birmingham jail” Martin Luther King, responded to his fellow white clergymen who opposed his nonviolent approach to get racial justice for African Americans while he was confined in Birmingham jail. Throughout the letter King Use rhetorical devises such as allusion to biblical and historical figures, metaphors, and anaphora, that allows the reader to think about the issues King is talking about. In the letter the author use allusion to biblical and historical figures to allow the reader to create parallels in their minds. The parallels leads to comprehension of what King is saying through his letter.

In these selected paragraphs, he frequently repeats the word extremist. For example, in this thought-provoking sentence, King says: “So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be” (King 269). Repetition of extremists and his use of chiasmus begins King’s assertion of the flaws in the clergymen’s claim, which follows with the allusions to great leaders. Also, King uses repetition in the form of anaphora when making the allusions mentioned in the previous paragraph. He repeats the phrase “was not” before listing the name of a historical figure.

The main point of the text is to respond to the criticism by the eight white Alabama clergymen. They refer to Dr. King his group as outside agitators and called the peaceful, non-violent demonstrations unwise and untimely extreme measures. Dr. King maintains a charitable tone as he responds to the criticisms and addresses his detractors in a

Among the quoted who all said something in the favor of justice are Socrates, St. Thomas Aquinas, Martin Buber, and Paul Tillich. To condone his label as an extremist, King listed other extremists: Jesus as an extremist of love, Amos an extremist of justice, Paul an extremist of the Gospel, Martin Luther, John Bunyan, and Abraham Lincoln, all highly respected people who gave everything for what they believed in. King uses this to help his cause be seen in the light of Jesus' mission of Christianity and Abraham Lincoln's quest for the end of slavery. King also presents other examples of those who struggled with oppression, such as the Jewish in Hitler's Germany, the early Christians, and subjects of Nebuchhadnezzar. The use of examples of other people helps the reader see that King is not alone in his thoughts and ideas.

writes, “...though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus an extremist for love: ‘Love your enemies, bless them that persecute you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.’ Was not Amos an extremist for justice: ‘Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.’ Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: ‘I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.’ Was not Martin Luther an extremist: ‘Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God.’ And John Bunyan: ‘I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery of my conscience.’ And Abraham Lincoln: ‘This nation cannot survive half slave and half free.’ And Thomas Jefferson: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…’ So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists will we be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice? ...Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment. Perhaps the South, the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.” (Section 14, Page.

In paragraph 31, King also repeats the word "extremist." This is in response to being called an extremist and he does an excellent job of turning it around in his favor. By repeating this word, he potentially diminishes the negative connotation associated with being an extremist. He embraces it and is confident in doing so. King also calls biblical figures extremists. For example he calls Jesus an extremist, and by doing, so King makes it seem that everyone goes to extremes to fight for their goal. By doing this he also points out that the highest authority in terms of men was an extremist, giving him a certain amount of respect.

In the text, “We do not believe that these days of new hope are days when extreme measures are justified in Birmingham.” The clergy men do not believe that this is the proper time or tactic to use extreme measure to get your point across. They do not believe in extremist measures here in Birmingham and classifies them as very unlikely to work. MLK claims that having extreme ideas isn't always a bad thing. MLK quotes, “If one recognizes this vital urge that has engulfed the negro community, one should readily understand why the public demonstrations are taking places.” MLK explains here that yes he is an extremist promoting his ideas of freedom through demonstrations, but people need to understand the problems of the black community. He also states,“If his repressed emotions are not released in nonviolent ways, they will seek expression through violence.” This explains that if extreme idea are not allowed to release their emotion through a safe way they will turn to eventually turn to violence. Lastly MLK says, “but thought I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label.” He states being an extremist isn't a bad thing. It means you are passionate about something you want and are not willing to give

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.

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.

First of all, Martin Luther King Jr. usesd a rhetorical strategy of repetition. King is known for his use of repetition, reference his “I Hhave a Dream” speech. Furthermore, r Repetition is used to get his your point across, and to make the reader remember it. In the letter heit states, “Was not Jesus an extremist for love,” and “Was not Amos an extremist for justice,” and again it says, “Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian Gospel.” King uses the “was not” and “an extremist” to apply effect on the situation. He wants to apply the emphasis on how these key figures in history were extremist, just like him. Again in this letter, Martin Luther King Jr.’s uses reptition in his quote again, King sayings, “let him march,” “let him make prayer pilgrimages to the city hall,” “let him go on freedom rides.” Martin Luther King Jr. uses the words “let him” to intensify the fact that the people should just let the Negro protest. Martin Luther King Jr. says to just let the Negro be, King statesquotes, “if his repressed emotions are not released in nonviolent ways, they will seek expression through violence.” Therefore,So Martin Luther King Jr. wants to make sure he informs the people, to either let them protest peacefully or there will be violence.

When the Alabama clergymen posted their public statement attacking the actions taken by African Americans who participated in peaceful speakings and demonstrations to spread equality, Martin Luther King reached out with his Letter from Birmingham Jail. In this piece, King expresses his respect, although ultimate disapproval of the clergymen’s encouragement for all to stand down and stop fighting against racism. King conveys the justifiability of his use of peaceful spokesmanship through rhetorical devices that build an appeal to ethos to convince the Alabama clergymen of the necessity for the battle against racism.

King’s purposeful use of appealing to reason gave him an upper hand throughout his piece, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” and established security in his statements. Taking ethos into consideration from Martin Luther King’s text, we saw why he presented himself in such a formal manner. “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” (Paragraph 2, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”). By using this appeal to credibility, King earned his audience’s respect and varnished his message. Connecting to his readers, Martin Luther King also utilized pathos throughout his letter to add just another foothold on his audience. “But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and

Mentioning marches, prayer pilgrimages, and freedom rides as necessary in avoiding violence. Labelled as an extremist King asks, “Will we be extremist for hate or love?” (510, 31). Using Christ as an example of an extremist of love and the thieves as extremists of immorality, King purports that the world requires creative extremists. Describing his naivety in optimism, he expresses his disappointment in the moderate white and it’s church. More importantly, King asserts his disagreement with praising the police department for their nonviolent actions (510-13, 32-45). Martin Luther King Jr. ends his letter by illustrating what he dreams the letter should have said. King proclaims that one day the south will realize its real heroes. From James Meredith to Rosa Parks all acts of nonviolent protest stand for the American dream (514,

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