In the ever changing world, the most drastic change of all is the time period of the civil rights movement. There’s many historical figures that emerged from this time period, and one of those figures being Martin Luther King Jr. MLK was known for being an incredible spokesperson, a kind, loving man, and was a strong leader for nonviolence to achieve equal rights for Black Americans. King was an incredible individual and helped many African Americans receive their equality they rightfully deserved. King achieved this through speeches, on being his famous “I have a dream” which he said in front of thousands on August 28th 1963 at the Lincoln memorial in Washington D.C. He also wrote the letter from Birmingham jail when he was arrested in Alabama on April 16th 1963, which put an end to fallacies said by eight Alabama clergymen. King’s letter is effective because it conveys emotion, helps the audience understand the difficulties the African American people have faced in hopes of changing how they view protesting in hopes of gaining more support to put an end to segregation, Jim Crow laws, discrimination, etc. King’s letter uses a strong tone, and extensive vocabulary which gives the audience a sense of insight to what King is trying to say in his letter. Also, King’s letter shows strong uses of …show more content…
An example he mentions in his letter is when he says “we have some eighty-five affiliated organizations across the South and one of them is the Alabama Christian movement for Human Rights” (King, 2). Another example is when King says “I have been arrested on a charge of parading without a permit” (King, 8). King uses these examples to help the audience understand how the civil rights movement needs protesting to change and put an end to these problems they’ve had to deal with for countless
King uses many forms of rhetorical devices in his letter in order to effectively make impacts on his audience. In his counterargument against the praises towards the Birmingham police force, King brings new lights of the police force to the public eye. He uses parallelism to target his audience and change the public opinion on the police force “I doubt that you would have so warmly commended the police force if you had seen its dogs sinking their teeth into unarmed, nonviolent Negroes ... if you were to observe them, as they did on two occasions, refuse to give us food because we wanted to sing our grace together”(King 561-570). King counter the praises that states the police kept “order” for the public and prevented any violence to take place,
As a leader of civil rights activist, Martin Luther King wrote a letter in response to the Alabama clergymen called, “Letter to Birmingham Jail” to discuss and present different tactics to end racial discrimination. The clergymen respect King’s ideas, however they were hesitant about his tactics because they believe in the end it will turn out to be violent. King understands why they might be unsure about his tactics but does not approve in what the clergymen labeled his strategies is one of an “extremist”. In order to bring his explanations across he uses rhetorical strategies to help achieve what he is trying to convince the clergymen of the idea of being an extremist. Logos is one of the rhetorical devices King uses to support his opinion.
Using the examples of a family in this section allows anyone reading the letter to connect in personal ways, "...to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park..." (Letter 14). An example in King's speech is, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin..." (Speech 20). This quote shows that he, as a parent, yearns for a better world for his children to grow up in.
Rhetorical Analysis Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail The “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, was written by Martin Luther King, who was an amazing writer, and speaker. King was a man that fought against racism toward African Americans. With being an African American himself, he understood the way racism had affected African American’s daily lives.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is a piece of writing that has been influential in the civil rights movement ever since the time when it was written. In the letter, King defends his and his followers use of non-violent protests to ultimately gain civil and voting rights in America. King’s letter was written in response to another letter that was published by a group of Alabama clergymen telling him to give up his movement and let the government handle it. At first glance, a reader may be tempted to read and view King’s letter as effective essentially because of King’s known authority and allusions to his religion. However, a closer look reveals that what ultimately makes this speech rhetorically effective is
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most popular spokesmen and leader in the Civil Rights Movement from 1954 through 1968. Two things that Dr. King is remembered for is his “I Have Dream” speech in Washington D.C, and his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. Dr. King's Speech was very emotional and had charged language. However the Letter was more logical that had clear line of reasoning followed by evidence. Both events are special but written differently.
These clergymen deemed his organized group activities as “unwise and untimely.” (King, 1963). These men, who at the time had higher power over King due to their race, were unwelcoming and racist, which caused King to need firm and calm but strongly expressed arguments. King’s speech, on the other hand, is positive and powerful with a direct audience to speak to instead of a letter. His speech has an optimistic tone towards his audience as he quickly claims his happiness towards the gathering and his certainty of the impact he would make with “…the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.”
Throughout King’s letter, he incorporated different rhetorical appeals, such as pathos, to make the audience understand the harsh treatment African Americans were subjected to each day. In his letter King emphasized, “But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate filled policemen curse, kick, and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society... (King 3).” This piece of evidence describes the brutality that was
is written in response to a letter written by clergymen that were dealing with racial problems in Alabama. The clergymen said King's approach to segregation incites the extreme measures of hatred and violence. King’s letter showed the clergymen that the steps to desegregate the South were the most effective, and beneficial ways to come about the situation. In the letter, Martin Luther King Jr. uses rhetorical devices to effectively appeal to his audience’s ethos, pathos, and logos. King uses allusions, imagery, and metaphors to effectively appeal to the clergyman.
His response to the letter was him defending the nonviolent protesters and explaining the need for direct action in the fight against racism and segregation. I found King’s letter to have powerful imagery and good arguments to make his case. King starts off by acknowledging the criticism by explaining his reasons for being in Birmingham. He then begins to disprove their arguments one by one, using logic and emotion to help solidify his case. He argues that the demonstrations are necessary since the government and courts failed to address the injustices faced by African American.
King primarily appeals to logic in the letter to present the facts concerning injustice in Birmingham and the rational, moral, and religious justifications for the need for freedom and justice, he also makes some emotional appeals in his speech to persuade and emotionally excite the audience. In his address, he criticizes the country for failing to uphold its promise made in the Emancipation Proclamation and its duty to its inhabitants of African descent by using an analogy. But in the letter, he contrasts the religious actions of the Apostle Paul when he strove to share the message of Christ with his rallies to win freedom for the black community. He explains his thinking behind each point in the letter, but in the speech, he uses a lot more metaphors and figurative language to emphasize each
Because he was a man of God, he did not approach the civil rights movement with violence in mind, but instead peace. This letter was part of his plan. King’s purpose in the letter was to motivate the clergymen, and eventually white moderates, to stand for civil rights using strategic ethos, pathos, and logos. King stood up for those oppressed during and before the civil rights movement; yet he knew that responding to violence with violence would do nothing but delay the agenda and create pain for the two opposing parties. In order to avoid any cruelty, King described a day in the life of a black man, showing the emotions of a people who had never been empathized with before.
King uses strong, powerful language in his letter to analyze how protesting is right in the eyes of him and his fellow men because of the way they are being treated. King says, “All Christians know that the colored people will receive equal rights eventually” (paragraph 25). By using the word “Christians” it points out and focuses on the priests because they are Christians. Therefore, they will feel a personal connection between what King is writing and their lives. King explains what is happening to African Americans during this time and the struggles they are going through in their day-to-day life, unlike these fellow clergymen.
In “A Letter From A Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King Jr defends his use of nonviolent protest in order to accomplish racial equality. In the letter, Dr. King uses ethos, diction, and allusions when defending nonviolent protest which makes his argument really strong. His goal is to make the clergymen help him fight racial equality. He uses ethos to build up credibility.
King's careful choice of words are used to sway the reader's sympathy for blacks and to increase the morale of the discriminated. King uses parallelism to add balance and rhythm to his rhetoric. He writes of his own problems that may apply to the daily struggles of the abused African