Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King's 'Letter From Birmingham Jail'
Carol Haddad
Professor Foster
EN 102
2 March 2014
Rhetorical Essay: “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King, Jr. was an African-American pastor, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He was born January 15th, 1929 in Atlanta Georgia and was killed April 6th, 1968 in Memphis Tennessee. The Letter from Birmingham was written on April 16, 1963. King was in Birmingham because he was president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and they were asked to help direct a nonviolent program for civil rights. The letter was a response to a letter written by clergymen who stated Martin Luther King’s actions in Birmingham Alabama where “unwise and untimely”. King started writing the letter …show more content…
He does so by responding to the letter of the clergymen who said that he was untimely, extreme and had no business being in Birmingham. King developed an effective argument by using many rhetorical devices such as logos, ethos, pathos, metaphors and anaphors. The arguments King makes in the Letter and the use of these rhetorical devices are effective because it allows the audience to see King in a different way than before. For example his use of ethos and logos shows the audience that King is a bright and intelligent man who knows a lot about human rights and justice. By his use of constant examples and comparisons with famous historical figures I could infer that he knew what he was doing. His use of anaphora and pathos allowed me to personally feel connected to his subject and I felt genuinely bad for his cause and what he went through day to day. I believe that Kings use of logos, ethos and pathos made his argument very persuading. I feel that if I use these forms of arguments when I am defending a topic I could easily change someone’s mind about it. Building up my credibility and allowing people to feel emotionally connected to a situation is an easy way to pursued people that I am right. King does this in his letter to explain to people why his actions are justified and not “unwise and
Professor Foster
EN 102
2 March 2014
Rhetorical Essay: “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King, Jr. was an African-American pastor, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He was born January 15th, 1929 in Atlanta Georgia and was killed April 6th, 1968 in Memphis Tennessee. The Letter from Birmingham was written on April 16, 1963. King was in Birmingham because he was president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and they were asked to help direct a nonviolent program for civil rights. The letter was a response to a letter written by clergymen who stated Martin Luther King’s actions in Birmingham Alabama where “unwise and untimely”. King started writing the letter …show more content…
He does so by responding to the letter of the clergymen who said that he was untimely, extreme and had no business being in Birmingham. King developed an effective argument by using many rhetorical devices such as logos, ethos, pathos, metaphors and anaphors. The arguments King makes in the Letter and the use of these rhetorical devices are effective because it allows the audience to see King in a different way than before. For example his use of ethos and logos shows the audience that King is a bright and intelligent man who knows a lot about human rights and justice. By his use of constant examples and comparisons with famous historical figures I could infer that he knew what he was doing. His use of anaphora and pathos allowed me to personally feel connected to his subject and I felt genuinely bad for his cause and what he went through day to day. I believe that Kings use of logos, ethos and pathos made his argument very persuading. I feel that if I use these forms of arguments when I am defending a topic I could easily change someone’s mind about it. Building up my credibility and allowing people to feel emotionally connected to a situation is an easy way to pursued people that I am right. King does this in his letter to explain to people why his actions are justified and not “unwise and