“a Comparison of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’S ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech and ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’”.

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.

Throughout his letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. uses a number of rhetorical strategies to craft a well-written letter. By doing this, his letter respectfully responds to the clergymen and delivers a powerful letter. In paragraphs 27-31 of the letter, he uses quite a few strategies to respond to the clergymen’s accusation that his nonviolent protest is “extreme.” King uses a number of allusions, different forms of repetition, and figurative language in this section to form an effective response.

only is this a show of intellect, but it is as well an appeal to the senses

In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter from the Birmingham Jail, he argues that segregation is inhumane and is hurting the American society as a whole. All the time and energy that goes into segregation is slowing down the American society’s progress to succeed as a nation. He uses several rhetoric strategies that help adopt a tone that is both personal and logical. King was able to incorporate the rhetoric triangle into his letter and still managed to address his arguments. While using pathos, ethos, and logos, Martin Luther King Jr. was able use the clergymen’s accusations to successfully promote his own views and opinions instead.

The author, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., wrote this letter in an effort to stifle the plight of injustice that has taken over the city of Birmingham. Also, King wrote this letter "in response to a public statement of concern and caution issued by eight white religious leaders of the South" (King). These men, called the Birmingham clergymen, published an open letter criticizing the actions of Dr. King and the SCLC. Also, King is talking to the people who represent the power class and dominant group, but shows that they support the foundations of justice. As the letter progresses, King makes it clear that the audience is a much larger group, particularly white and Christian. Throughout the letter, King plays toward Christian morality by continually asking whether "just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law, or the law of God" (King) ? and ends the essay by asking God to forgive him if he has offended anyone. By continually showing his faith in God, King strategically tries to connect with the so called "Christians" that the Birmingham clergymen claim themselves as. To achieve this, King structured and

In “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a response to clergymen defending his actions that placed him in a jail in Birmingham, Alabama. King did not respond to all the criticism that crossed his desk, but this time King felt he was compelled to respond. This obligation King felt was due in part to men with good will and intentions stating that his actions were “unwise and untimely” (Pg. 835). King’s purpose in writing “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was to defend the strategy of nonviolent direct action in Birmingham and to justify the process and characteristics needed to attain the goals of both nonviolent direct action and civil disobedience in a just manner.

In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” he responds to a public statement made by eight Alabama clergymen that criticized his presence and strategies used for peaceful protest in Birmingham. He wrote his response while imprisoned in Birmingham City Jail for demonstrating; therefore, he had neither proper writing materials nor an editor to revise it before its publication which exhibits his natural skill and intelligence. In the letter, he addresses each claim made by the clergyman and successfully invalidates each one. King employs both impressive and effective rhetorical strategies in his letter such as allusions, a theme of darkness and light throughout, and syntax.

One of the greatest speakers for the black civil rights movement was Martin Luther King, Jr. Two of his pieces that stand out the most, was the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and “I Have a Dream”. The Letter From Birmingham Jail is exactly that, it’s a letter that King had wrote while he was in jail, to a group of clergy members who disapproved of his action in Birmingham City. I Have a Dream was speech that was delivered in Washington, DC at Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. This speech was written to inspire people to look beyond themselves and also demanded the country unity focusing on equality for all without focusing on the color of their skin; King also wanted the people to take a stand in a nonviolence manner. The Letter from

Dr. King’s answer to the clergymen is one of non-violence and diplomatic reasoning. He arranges the four steps taken for successful non-violent action: “collection of the facts to determine where injustices exist; negotiation; self purification; and direct action” (41) to sustain the notion of tactful protests. At this juncture, the reader

One of the many influential people in American History was Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King was a pastor in the Baptist faith, but he also was a leader in the advancement of colored people. During Dr. King’s time, segregation was at an all time high throughout the nation. But Dr. King, didn’t believe in violent protest, instead he insisted non-violent protest was the way to go. Dr. King held multiple speeches in multiple states about civil rights in America, until he reached the national level. On August

In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and sent to jail because he and others were protesting the treatment of blacks in Birmingham, Alabama. On the day of his arrest, a group of clergymen wrote an open letter in which they called for the community calling King’s activities as “unwise and untimely” (601) which causes crisis in the community. It was that letter that encouraged King to write the famous written communication known as “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”. King uses ethical, logical, and pathetic appeals to address against racial injustice among Black Americans in Birmingham and to responds to the issue and criticism that a group of white clergymen had thrown at him and his pro-black American organization.

King argues many of the points made in the eight clergy men’s criticism. One criticism that the eight clergy men stated that he was an outsider and being an outsider will lead to more problems. Dr. King appeals to logic and reason many times throughout the letter. He shows rational thought when he describes the “steps” involved in nonviolent protest. Dr. King establishes his credibility early and maintains it throughout the letter.Dr. King also uses the ethical argument approach in asking questions about certain actions and answering them to the clergymen. Dr. King’s credibility is solid, his emotional appeals are powerful and his reason is impeccable. Many who read his letter are moved to take up the fight. One could easily imagine the study of Dr. King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail continuing for as long as people seek nonviolent means to seek freedom from

Born in 1929, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. earned his doctorate Ph.D. on systematic theology at Boston University, had previously earned a Bachelor of Arts from Morehouse College and a Bachelor of Divinity from Crozer Theological Seminary, at which he had been class president. Dr. King participated in non-violent demonstrations against segregation. These non-violent protests were the reason that Dr. King was imprisoned in the Birmingham, Alabama city jail. Many people both colored and otherwise would say that, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was undeserving of this punishment. Dr. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is a response to a public statement of concern and caution from eight Southern Church ministers, about the peaceful gatherings. Dr. King lived an amazing life. At age 33 he, pressed the case of Civil Rights with President John F. Kennedy, at 34 his “I have a Dream” speech electrified the nation, at 35, Dr. King won the Noble Peace Prize, and at age 39 he was assassinated leaving behind

Dr. King gave his famous “I Have A Dream” speech at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in front of more than 200,000 people. He spoke of his hopes for future generations, inspiring many people. Through describing the difficulties that he and other African Americans had to face, he even changed some people's perspectives, leading to a renewed interest in the movement for equality. Another literary piece of Martin’s was titled “Letter From Birmingham Jail”. His letter was a famous argument and a response to “A Call for Unity”, which had criticised the actions of protesters and African Americans at the time. While this was a letter written only a few months before his speech, they had many similarities and differences.

“Martin Luther King Jr. was born in 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia.” (Martin Luther King Jr.). King was also a social activist who desired equality for all African Americans. He was the driving force behind the watershed events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Washington. King was widely recognized for his contributions to the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr. effectively used Pathos, ethos, and logos in his “I Have a Dream” speech to influence others on the notion of equal rights among all races.