Preview

Passionate Diction In Paragraph 14 Of Letter From A Birmingham Jail

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
98 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Passionate Diction In Paragraph 14 Of Letter From A Birmingham Jail
MLK’s use of passionate diction in paragraph 14 of “Letter From A Birmingham Jail”, interested me deeply. MLK was describing the daily issues adults and children had to face in a segregated country. The entire paragraph was listing all the struggles the blacks were facing on a daily basis. Seeing it in the perspective of children who had no idea why they couldn’t do simple things was eye opening. The appeal to pathos in this paragraph takes it away from a political standpoint and puts it in the eyes of an innocent child emphasizing the need for change.
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Metaphors In Letter From Birmingham Jail
    • 229 Words
    • 1 Page

    Metaphors In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    Throughout Letter From Birmingham Jail, King uses several metaphors to describe the harmful effects of inequity and motivate his followers to work towards “transforming the] pending national elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood.” For example, to promote immediate action, King proclaims that “now is the time to lift national policy from the quicksand of racial injustice.” By placing the abstract consequences of discrimination next to the perceivable discomfort of being stuck in quicksand, King helps his readers understand the severe ramifications of injustice. More importantly, the harmful outcomes that King described motivate his readers to take action in order to soothe the wounds of their neighbors and fellow citizens.…

    • 229 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rhetorical Devices Used In Letter From Birmingham Jail
    • 279 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Rhetorical Devices Used In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    King’s use of rhetorical tools helps him convince the clergymen to take a second look at how African Americans are being treated. King utilizes emotive language to target his audience’s emotions. For example, he states, “if you would watch them push and curse old Negro women and young Negro” (3). He then goes on to give more examples, including, “I don’t believe you would have so warmly commended the police force if you had seen its angry and violent dogs literally biting six unarmed, nonviolent Negroes” (3). These help achieve his purpose because they are specific examples that make the clergymen feel guilty. Next, King utilizes questioning to make the clergymen reevaluate what they are doing. He says, “In this sense they have been rather publicly ‘nonviolent.’ But for what purpose? To preserve the evil system of segregation” (4).…

    • 279 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    "Letter From A Birmingham Jail" - Passage Analysis Assignment
    • 907 Words
    • 3 Pages

    "Letter From A Birmingham Jail" - Passage Analysis Assignment

    On Good Friday in 1963, 53 blacks, led by Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., marched into downtown Birmingham, Alabama, to protest the existing segregation laws. All were arrested. This caused the clergymen of this Southern town to compose a letter appealing to the black population to stop their demonstrations. In response to their letter, King wrote back in what would be titled "Letter From A Birmingham Jail". Especially prevalent in the letter are Aristotle's appeals, which include logos, ethos and pathos. The concluding section of the document is a well rounded, and demonstrates all of the appeals. Rhetorical techniques and literary devices serve to further strengthen King's argument and create a convincing argument that he is right in both his mission and his methods.…

    • 907 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis: Letter From Birmingham Jail
    • 865 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Rhetorical Analysis: Letter From Birmingham Jail

    Since ancient times, promoters of justice have brought into play rhetorical strategies to persuade their opponents. On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter regarding the criticism several clergymen made, stating that the movements of nonviolent resistance to racism from Dr. King were “unwise and untimely”. In this letter King uses several rhetorical strategies but mainly he makes use of 3. In the first one, King uses an outside authority (Religion), given the fact that he is trying to persuade Christians. Second, Dr. King appeals to emotion (Ethos), he tries to appeal to their human and goodness side. Third, King employs analogies to emphasize his argument against racism.…

    • 865 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Dedication And Determination In Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham
    • 285 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Dedication And Determination In Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham

    Martin Luther King illustrates the themes of dedication and determination when describing how Birmingham is enslaved and how he wants to be the one to change it. King is very aware that some tactics he uses are considered inappropriate, but he realizes what he has to do to promote segregation and won’t allow the law to stop him. He really reflects the theme of dedication when he shrugs off what the oppressed people may think and states how freedom is on the way.…

    • 285 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Letter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis
    • 997 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Letter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis

    Thomas Jefferson and Martin Luther King, Jr. were brilliant men. The Declaration of Independence, written primarily by Jefferson, and the Letter From Birmingham Jail, written by King, are perfect examples of their intellect. Looking at these documents and observing the tactics they use while attempting to move their audience toward their ultimate goal, one can see the finesse that both Jefferson and King possessed. The Declaration of Independence had aspirations of obtaining a new form of government, away from the King of England, while the Letter From Birmingham Jail was intended to help move America toward a desegregated future. Jefferson was charged with moving the Colonists to armed revolution, as well as not alienating the King of England…

    • 997 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
    • 1146 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

    In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter to the eight Alabama clergymen under the confines of a jail cell in a Birmingham, Alabama prison. The letter stated his thoughts and opinions on the racial tension between the white and the black communities of Alabama. Martin Luther King’s letter was written as a rebuttal to the letter he received from the Alabama clergymen that stated the demonstrations, protests, and acts of civil disobedience of the Negro community were unlawful and should be put to a stop immediately. Martin Luther King replied by indicating that the blacks had a right to peaceful protests; they were simply trying to educate the community about the prejudices present in Alabama and to motivate a change. King incorporated the tree rhetorical strategies of ethos, logos, and pathos throughout his letter. In Martin Luther…

    • 1146 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Analysis of "Letter From Birmingham Jail"
    • 765 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Analysis of "Letter From Birmingham Jail"

    Every Individual comes to a point in their life when he or she must take a stand for what he or she believes in. For some, this may mean coming to the defense of other people, for others taking a stand could mean holding firm to beliefs or morals. In any case taking a stand is part of the human experience. Realizations, reformations, revelations, and revolutions have been brought forth in history because a dauntless individual stood firm for what he or she held to be true.…

    • 765 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rhetorical Strategies In Letter From Birmingham Jail
    • 727 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Rhetorical Strategies In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    Martin Luther King uses rhetorical strategies in his speech in order to do many things. These rhetorical strategies can be seen throughout the Letter from Birmingham City Jail by Dr. Marin Luther King Jr. The main purpose of this letter is to fight for freedom and end segregation between the Whites and the African Americans.King utilizes pronouns to include the audience to persuade his audience that as a nation we are all in this together. King says, “We will win our freedom because the sacred heritage of our nation and the eternal will of God are embodied in our echoing demands” (1). The purpose of this sentence is to make everyone come together. King claims that they will win because God is on their side. If they work hard enough they will also achieve what they are striving for. “We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation” (1) Kings purpose of this quote is to give his readers hope that change will come eventually. He will not just reach the goal of freedom, but the nation will reach the goal of freedom. Using pronouns to include the audience brings king and the readers together. Together they take a stand and become one. King utilizes repetition, which ingrains the problem in your head while making…

    • 727 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King's Letter From A Birmingham Jail
    • 872 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King's Letter From A Birmingham Jail

    Through Martin Luther King Jr.’s 39 years of life, he impacted millions across the globe with his letters and speeches. For most of his life, King used his strong ability with words to inspire and call people to action in many cases. King’s words were so moving because no matter black or white, King understood the issues people experienced daily. I believe Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” was so impactful because of the way he persuaded people why civil disobedience was necessary and what caused him to break the law with his strong use of ethos, logos and pathos, and by answering the concerns of the people.…

    • 872 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Letter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis
    • 1801 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Letter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis

    To fully understand Dr. King 's “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” you must understand what times were like when King wrote his letter, who Dr. King was, and the criticism that Dr. King faced. The 1950 's and 1960 's were turbulent times for African Americans as they fought for equal rights as Americans. Jim Crow laws in the South dictated where blacks could sit in a restaurant or on a bus, they excluded blacks from certain jobs and neighborhoods, they segregated schools and prohibited blacks from voting in elections. There were 4,730 known lynchings of black men and women. There were hangings, burnings, beatings, and even house bombings or arson (Pilgrim 2012). There were also many landmark events during this time period. In 1954, the Supreme Court of the United States of America ruled in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka that racial segregation in schools was unlawful.…

    • 1801 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Letter From Birmingham Jail Quote Analysis
    • 1088 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Letter From Birmingham Jail Quote Analysis

    All throughout American history, various cultures such as Native Americans and African Americans have arguably been inferior to the dominant white culture. Both Native Americans and African Americans share their own rich values and ways of living that have at some point in history been ignored or disregarded upon by a society of superiority. In "Letter From Birmingham Jail" written by Martin Luther King Jr., and "Team Names and Mascots" written by Robert Schmidt, both King and Schmidt argue the concept that society has dehumanized these cultures, leaving them to fight for their rights within a just society. Both King and Schmidt present their ideas and thoughts on the topic through persuasion and analogies. Although in "Letter From Birmingham…

    • 1088 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ethos In Letter From Birmingham Jail
    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Ethos In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    Imagine your family “smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society” (King). How would you feel? Would you rebel so that your family can have what they need? Martin Luther King, the famous civil rights spokesperson and leader known for his civil disobedience. Talking about the extreme mistreatment that people of color receive makes his audience interested. He was bringing great justice to the african-americans by speaking up about the issue, since everyone knew this was wrong but no one was ever brave enough . Martin Luther King included a large variety of rhetorical appeals in his “Letter From Birmingham jail,” The two most effective ones are polysyndeton and pathos because they force the reader to consider the consequences about the discrimination and overwhelming hatred towards the african-americans while also making…

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Letter From Birmingham Jail Analysis
    • 695 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Letter From Birmingham Jail Analysis

    This letter is very powerful. He makes very good points about our rights. One part that stood out to me was when he spoke on just and unjust laws. He talked a lot about morality and what is really morally right and wrong pertaining to our laws. When he was speaking about unjust laws, I tried to imagine living in such a time like that. Seeing amusement parks on TV but not being able to go, being abused and taunted at school it all seems so farfetched yet it was only fifty years ago. Another one of his main points that stood out to me was when he was talking about negotiation. When I was reading it I was almost finishing his sentences. Of course negotiation is the right path but when the community…

    • 695 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Nonviolence and City S Leaders
    • 629 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Nonviolence and City S Leaders

    I admire how MLKJ gave the cold, hard facts in detail of what was actually happening to the African Americans. I also like how he mentioned that the city’s leaders (whom he is writing this letter to) refused to negotiate, so the leaders of the movement have to do what is necessary.…

    • 629 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More

Related Topics