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Rhetorical Analysis Mlk -Letter from Birmingham Jail Essay

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Rhetorical Analysis Mlk -Letter from Birmingham Jail Essay
Civil rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr. in his response to his fellow clergymen, “letter from Birmingham jail” he argues that racial segregation is unjust. He supports his claim by first building his credibility then using emotional strategies to manipulate the clergymen with effective imagery, then discussing his outrage and disappointment with our society, and finally wanting our society to recognize that racial prejudice will soon pass away. King’s purpose is to persuade his audience to view his actions as a beneficial factor to society in order to maintain equality. He creates multiple tones such as, sarcasm disappointment and disbelief to the eight clergymen.
King convinces his audience to support his argument using rhetorical devices like emotional appeal and diction.

When King uses emotional appeal he is able to manipulate the reader to believe what he wants to believe. It makes the clergymen feel upset and convinced to what he’s saying. “When you ... to explain to your six year old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park ... and see her tears welled up when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children..” This is a good example of how MLK uses emotional appeal especially because he uses a child as his approach since it is easier to feel sympathy toward a child. He does this to make the reader feel the pain and disappointment colored people and especially children go through.

Emotional appeal is always a strong way to get the author’s point through. Which is why MLK used it. “Our hopes had been blasted and the shadow of deep disappointment settled upon us.” This is another example to MLK’s use of pathos; emotional appeal. It shows exactly how african americans felt, how their hope was crushed so many times with the actions of whites and they left nothing but disappointment and sorrow. This makes the reader outraged of the whites’ actions. It emphasizes to the reader the bitterness of blacks lives.

King also uses

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