Martin Luther King Jr An Analysis of the Letter from...

Analysis of the Letter from Birmingham Jail Written by Martin Luther King Jr., the â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† is a paragon of persuasive writing that takes advantage of ethos, pathos, and logos in order to convince its readers to take MLK’s side during the American civil rights movement. The use of ethos defines MLK as a credible writer; the use of pathos appeals to his audience on a personal level; and the use of logos layers his arguments and claims with irrefutable reasoning and logic. By using all three techniques, MLK is able to hold the attention of his readers and persuade them to take his side in the battle against segregation. The speaker of this letter is MLK, who was â€Å"confined† physically, but not mentally, in a jail†¦show more content†¦As most of us know, the typical white household consists of a husband and wife, a son and daughter. By using the two examples that involve a heartbroken son and daughter, MLK is able to get his white audience to perceive the text on their own personal levels. How many times has a parent stumbled over what to tell his children when something depressing happens? For example, what might a father say to his son and daughter when their dog dies? This is a predicament that most of MLK’s audience can relate to. Now that the white audience knows how segregation is affecting the blacks, they might have a change of heart and start supporting MLK’s cause. This shows that whenever an argument or situation is presented in a more personal way, mainly through to use of pathos, it becomes more powerful and controlling. Throughout the whole letter, MLK uses logic and reasoning to support his many points. In one example, MLK uses a critical tone to state how â€Å"shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will† (210). He attacks the white moderates with this statement, saying that even though the mindsets of the white moderates may not be malevolent, the moderates are actually hindering theShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail962 Words   |  4 Pagesintangible, it is still necessary. Some forms of inspiration come as passionate love while others appeal as injustice. Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail was a response to A Call for Unity by eight white clergymen. His inspiration for writing the letter was the clergymens unjust proposals and the letter allowed him to present his rebuttal. Martin Luther King Jr. effectively crafted his counter argument by first d irectly addressing his audience, the clergymen, and then using logosRead MoreSociological Analysis of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail1214 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿ Sociological Analysis of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail Abstract The paper analyses Martin Luther King, Jr.’s â€Å"Letter from a Birmingham Jail† from a sociological point of view and shows how three major theories (structural functionalism, social conflict, and symbolic interactionism) are treated in the letter. The paper shows different appreciation of King’s ideas and works by his contemporaries and modern people. It also explores the concepts of â€Å"nonviolentRead MoreAnalysis Of The Letter From Birmingham Jail By Martin Luther King Jr.1381 Words   |  6 PagesAmerican 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 â€Å"unwise and untimely†. In his letter, â€Å"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 respon se to clergymen’s statement â€Å"outsiders coming in† Dr. King argues themRead MoreAnalysis of Martin Luther King Jr. ´s Letter From Birmingham Jail771 Words   |  3 Pagesagainst the prejudice that they have to face, accomplish justice that every single one of them are fighting for. Dr. Martin Luther King, a leader of the protest against prejudice was able to pursue the rights for African American people. However eight of his fellow clergymen criticized his procedure to protest, but they still supported him. In the Letter from Birmingham Jail, King wanted to encourage others to rebel against the wrong, even if it is not wise it is right, he was optimistic and yetRead MoreAnalysis Of Martin Luther King Jr s Letter From Birmingham Jail986 Words   |  4 Pages and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter from Birmingham Jail are two important pieces of history. In Lincoln’s speech he speaks about the dangers of slavery in the United States and warned every body that people who disrespected American laws could destroy the United States. On the other hand, Martin Luther King Jr. defended the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism, and argued that people have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws. Based on these facts, Martin Luther King Jr does notRead MoreAnalysis Of Martin Luther King Jr. s Letter From Birmingham Jail1399 Words   |  6 Pagesmade. For people who are oppressed, what they see as the greater good may be vastly different from the views of those who are unoppressed. Martin Luther King Jr. s, Letter from Birmingham Jail illustrates how a seemingly innocent attempt at gaining one s rights can be seen as controversial and wrong by others. King was put into jail because of the peaceful protests he led. To those who shared King s method of thought, nonviolence would have been the way to maximize the gains in society by allowingRead MoreAnalysis Of Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter From A Birmingham Jail1493 Words    |  6 Pageswould have disagreed with this assertion, and died in part to keep this idea from spreading. Socrates was sentenced to death by an Athenian court, though the punishment did not fit the crimes he was accused of. We assume that any knowingly innocent person would have escaped this sentence if given the opportunity and support to do so, yet Socrates refused to and died soon after. Over 2,000 years later, Martin Luther King is also imprisoned on petty crimes and sees his actions in line with SocratesRead MoreAnalysis Of Martin Luther King Jr. s Letter From Birmingham Jail1794 Words   |  8 PagesMartin Luther King Jr. s 1963 Letter from Birmingham Jail, a rhetorical masterpiece, was written in response to eight clergymen’s statements condemning his nonviolent direct actions. He defends the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights nonviolent, direct action against individuals, institutions, and laws that look the other way while unjust racial prejudice against Afr ican Americans runs rampant in Birmingham. Using three main appeals, Ethos, Pathos, Logos, Dr. King communicates the struggleRead MoreAnalysis Of Martin Luther King Jr. s Letter From Birmingham Jail1251 Words   |  6 Pages â€Å"A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law, or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law.† (3) In 1963 in this particular statement made by Martin Luther King Jr. in his Letter from Birmingham Jail, he explained how man-made (white men) laws were created to persecute the black race, and how it is his duty to fight against such laws. He was the one who articulated the progressive hope of many African Americans along with other â€Å"colored†Read MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr s Letter From Birmingham Jail1499 Words   |  6 Pagescritically we become acquainted with these concepts therefore become better writers ourselves. While learning about rhetorical writing and composition we have analyzed Billy Collins â€Å" Commencement Address at Choate- Rosemary Hall† , Martin Luther King Jr’s â€Å"letter from Birmingham Jail† and Lloyd Bitzer’s essay on â€Å"Rhetorical Situation†. In this paper I will analyze and make connections between the concepts of audience, genre and rhetorical situation in connection to the fore-mentioned readings. In doing