Rhetorical Analysis Of MLK Jr.'s Speech

“We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights”(17). Dr.King explains why African Americans have the right to be impatient. He wants his white readers to understand why being given equal rights is such a important matter. The writer,a civil rights leader and pastor, is Dr.Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. has written many inspirational pieces during his lifetime while fighting for African American civil rights. Two of his most inspirational writings are his I Have A Dream speech and the Letter From Birmingham Jail. The only question that remains is “which one takes the cake,” meaning, which one conveys the deepest, most meaningful message about the fight for equal rights? It is clear, however, that the Letter From Birmingham Jail shows itself to be the true winner because of its powerful message and great detail involving the issues of segregation and the unequal rights that African Americans faced everyday, which stirred and appealed to the emotions of his audience.

Leader of the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King Jr., in his letter, known as the “letter from Birmingham Jail,” responds to the letter in Post-Herald, published by the eight clergymen criticizing his presence and strategies in the protests he has lead against segregation by practicing the Gandhian doctrine of nonviolent resistance. Throughout his letter he uses strong appeals of authority, logos and syntax to respond to the clergymen. To begin with, Martin Luther King Jr. begins his contradictions to the letter in Post-Herald by addressing his opposition argument and acknowledging that he stands “in the middle of two opposing forces in the Negro community.”. He appeals to logic that both sides are being oppressed and “drained of self-respect” for years, in contrast, one side has become “insensitive to the problem” of segregation due to profits, academic and economic securities as the other side has become bitter and “close to advocating violence”. He purpose to indicate this is to clarify to the clergymen that his decisions are made in the best way possible for both sides.

Sacrifice is defined as an act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy. Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy both represented this definition. Dr. King risked his life by speaking to large crowds about freedom and equality between all men and women, no matter their race. He was threatened many times, his house was bombed with his family in it, he was shot at, stabbed, beaten, and jailed (kazantoday); however this did not prevent him from verbally fighting for what was right. John F. Kennedy made very bold decisions in his life and his presidency, and he had embraced the Civil Rights Movement like no other president (exopermaculture).

Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and a social activist. He led the Civil Rights Movement and used non-violent protests to get messages across. The purpose of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” was to let the clergyman of Birmingham knew that he also was a clergyman and not an outsider, and that he was approached by others for guidance, support, and encouragement on how to deal with injustice in the town of Birmingham and help with establishment of civil rights. Dr. King addresses the reasons to continue non-violent actions against racist, unjust laws that are currently in effect during the time he was incarcerated. Martin Luther King Jr. explains that racial discrimination, or injustice to the black American

MLK dramatizes his own experiences telling the reader “When you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick, brutalize, and even kill your black brothers and sisters with impunity…then you will understand” using words with violent connotation that makes the reader feel how wrong and dirty these policemen are to the black community. When the reader can imagine a white police officer beating a black person who cannot fight back with freedom and hatred burning in the police officer’s eyes it puts into perspective how unjustified it is that a person is beaten to death for their skin color. Furthermore the emotion behind the part MLK states “then you will understand” because one who has never suffered from such treatment does not find the brutality towards others to affect them so it is in no importance to them. MLK describes how it is to “forever fight a degenerating sense of “nobodyness” in a world where it does not matter who a person is are but what defines a person is the color of their skin.

He is an American Baptist minister, activist, humanitarian, and a leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He influenced the whole of world in just a few minutes in a true sense and he managed to sway not only African Americans but also people from other nations into the right direction of true justice. It was the courageous, high spirited, self assured, and decisive, Martin Luther King Jr. I personally witnessed the scene where King conveyed his message through an interminable yet effective speech which lasted for about seventeen minutes.

In Martin Luther King Jr's passionate speech about America's involvement in Vietnam, he manages to create a strong and compelling argument that America's involvement in unjust . He does this by appealing to certain issues the public see as important, using irony, and using diction and tone in persuasive ways. Martin Luther King Jr says in his first paragraph that,"It seemed as if there was a real promise fr hope... to draw men and skills and money like some demonic destruction suction tube." Here, Martin Luther King Jr is getting the audience emotionally and completely invested by showing the effect of America in Vietnam on their lives. The audience now feel as though this is very important because it has to do with regular poor people and t effects them as well.

Through out paragraph 27 to 31, Martin Luther King Jr. depicted numerous rhetorical strategies, in which all are effective in providing warrants to his claims and rebuttals against the Clergymen. One of his main logical fallacies in paragraph 27, his usage of logos is evident. This was represented through his two claims of two opposing forces in Birmingham, Alabama. He described “One is a force of complacency, made up in part of Negroes who…become insensitive to the problems of the masses” (King 27). So it means with the ignorance of the “White” population, African Americans have grown use to their predicament, and chose a path of indifference, or psychologically a path that does not lead them to any more “racial obstacles”.

This statement allows the reader to understand that MLK is stating he will fight for any individual who is in need. This gives the reader the opportunity to have compassion for others and possibly allows the reader to ponder if they would do the same for others if they were in MLK’s place. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. also uses specific events to help appeal to his readers that action was needed on his part to help his fight for human

During this time period, racism plagued society and divided a “united” nation. Malcolm X used examples of the grievances placed upon the African American population as a whole, while MLK used more specific examples. For instance, Malcolm X continually mentioned the “22 million Afro-Americans” that are denied their basic human rights. He did this to convey the message that

African Americans have been oppressed for over 340 years, by the white community. African Americans have fought endlessly for their rights to give them justice, but the Clergy believe it to be “unwise and untimely” (P.3). They feel the need to tell African Americans to wait, not considering how harmful it is to them. MLk responds to the Clergymen, by giving reasons on why they can’t wait to have equality and justice. The African Americans have been mistreated by white people for years, and have witnessed first hand the brutality that continues to plague them, “when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse,kick,brutalize, and even kill your black brothers and sisters” (P.10).

In the “letter from Birmingham Jail” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., he uses pathos, logos and rhetorical devices such as imagery, sarcasm and biblical allusions to show how his work of nonviolent protests are smart and how Birmingham has violated their civil rights. He expresses himself in his letter by explaining why he can not wait any longer because of the countless murders, the unsolved bombing, lynching, and violence towards the black community. MLK Jr. came across a statement which was a call for unity by eight Clergymen while being in the Birmingham city jail because of him not having a license to protest. In response to the eight Clergymen, Dr. king decided to write a historical letter letting them know that freedom was not an option because of the false promise and the continued violence. The letter is written to inform the people who are against, neutral and with segregation that it is time to take action and prove to the clergymen why he will stand up for what is right.

In the Crito by Plato, Socrates argues against civil disobedience, seeing it as an unjust act. Contrasting this view, Martin Luther King argues for civil disobedience against unjust laws, and seeing it as a responsibility of citizens. Civil disobedience is the active refusal to obey certain law, commands or requests of the government. I will argue that the view of Socrates is superior to the view of Martin Luther King on the justness of civil disobedience. Using the argument against harm, I will show that even if a law is viewed as unjust, you must not repay an evil with another evil, as evident in the Crito while contrary to ideas presented by MLK.

Hearts of the oppressed will always cry out in desperation; waiting for anyone to swoop in and liberate them from their cruel reality. Few are capable of mustering up the gumption to throw their neck on the line in defense of the defenseless. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is one such man. Trading in his comfortable life for one of danger and ridicule, King was catapulted to the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement following the profound leadership he demonstrated during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. As a well-educated, African American pastor, he provided a unique perspective on the racial issues at hand.