Argumentation Teqniques Used in Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter From Birmingham Jail

“Now is the time to lift our national policy from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of human dignity (pg. 941).” In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and sent to jail for leading a peaceful march in Birmingham in which the city officials issued no parade permit. From the jail cell in Birmingham, Martin Luther King Jr. composed “Letter From Birmingham Jail” in response to the eight clergymen who had attacked his character and work for civil rights through the publication “A Call For Unity”, insisting he was an “outsider” influencing the actions of hatred and violence. Martin Luther King Jr. establishes himself as an authority in the eyes of his audience, shows the trials blacks encounter in America, justifies his cause, and argues the necessity of immediate action in the South through the prominent use of the persuasive techniques ethos, logos, and pathos. Those technique’s used by King are the focus of this paper.

In Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter, he uses ethos to establish his credibility on the interest of racial discrimination and injustice. He begins his letter with “My Dear Fellow Clergymen”. By saying this, he establishes himself as being on the same “level” of competence as them, also sharing similar value systems. He proceeds on to defend his credibility against their view which argues against “outsiders coming in” and states “I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference... So I, along with several members of my staff, am here because I was invited here. I am here because I have organizational ties here (pg. 934).” He establishes himself that of great importance and containing much intellect on the subject of racial discrimination and injustice. M...

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...ties in defining a “just law”. He explains, “A law is unjust if it is inflicted on a minority that, as a result of being denied the right to vote, had no part in enacting or devising the law (pg. 939).” He continues to describe other situations of “unjust laws”. For example, “We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was “legal” and everything the Hungarian freedom fighter did in Hungary was “illegal.” It was “illegal” to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler’s Germany. Even so, I am sure that, had I lived in Germany at the time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers. If today I lived in a Communist country where certain principles dear to the Christian faith are suppressed, I would openly advocate disobeying that country’s anti-religious laws (pg. 939).” King forces the clergymen to think about the morally correct course of action.