Martin Luther King Jr. Essay
Hailey Paddock ENG 101
October 1, 2013
Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech “Letter from Birmingham Jail” involves a lot of persuasion to get his point across. This is one of Kings most memorable speeches and for all the right reasons. King was in jail when he wrote this speech, but that didn’t stop him from writing this amazing speech in which thousands of people read.
In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” King talks about how he follows just laws, but breaks unjust laws. He is educated when it comes to law and how Christians broke laws. He clearly knows about Christianity because he is a minister, so he is well informed on this situation. He uses the fact that he is very well educated on the situation to make a point. Martin Luther King was very authoritative and credible in the Letter from Birmingham jail because he is very educated on everything he speaks of.
King also appeals to emotion in this speech. King talks about past experiences involving disappointment, broken promises, and violence of attacking African Americans. By doing this, King is making a connection with the audience. Using these examples, King can get sympathy from the audience.
Another thing that King does is appeal to authority. King uses the arguments of the previous groups/people to support his position. For example, he says that the “white moderates” are a problem because they do not believe in justice, they believe in order. King believes that they need to see the other side to what they believe. Some of the people and groups he appeals to are Jesus, Thomas Jefferson, Socrates, Martin Luther, and the Supreme Court. The way King uses all of these unique points is what makes this a truly amazing speech. King is such an intelligent man and he uses that to appeal to the right people. Without King broadcasting what he believed in and how he did it we might not be where we are today with our beliefs about segregation and tensions between races.
October 1, 2013
Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech “Letter from Birmingham Jail” involves a lot of persuasion to get his point across. This is one of Kings most memorable speeches and for all the right reasons. King was in jail when he wrote this speech, but that didn’t stop him from writing this amazing speech in which thousands of people read.
In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” King talks about how he follows just laws, but breaks unjust laws. He is educated when it comes to law and how Christians broke laws. He clearly knows about Christianity because he is a minister, so he is well informed on this situation. He uses the fact that he is very well educated on the situation to make a point. Martin Luther King was very authoritative and credible in the Letter from Birmingham jail because he is very educated on everything he speaks of.
King also appeals to emotion in this speech. King talks about past experiences involving disappointment, broken promises, and violence of attacking African Americans. By doing this, King is making a connection with the audience. Using these examples, King can get sympathy from the audience.
Another thing that King does is appeal to authority. King uses the arguments of the previous groups/people to support his position. For example, he says that the “white moderates” are a problem because they do not believe in justice, they believe in order. King believes that they need to see the other side to what they believe. Some of the people and groups he appeals to are Jesus, Thomas Jefferson, Socrates, Martin Luther, and the Supreme Court. The way King uses all of these unique points is what makes this a truly amazing speech. King is such an intelligent man and he uses that to appeal to the right people. Without King broadcasting what he believed in and how he did it we might not be where we are today with our beliefs about segregation and tensions between races.