Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King Letter From Birmingham Jail

On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was held in an Alabama prison cell as a result of participating in a non-violent protest. Martin Luther King Jr. would use this time in solitude to construct a letter that until this day remains one of the most profound documents which display the effect that rhetorical analysis could have on a nation. What began as a letter response to the clergyman who criticized his actions, eventually transformed into a document that would influence a much wider audience to spread a universal message? King ensured his message would be received by embedding rhetoric perspectives in his document revealing the strengths and potholes in widely accepted beliefs. Mating Luther King Jr. will always be acknowledged as

letter from Birmingham Jail displays his command of rhetoric and his ability to make allusions to other pieces of writing to support his dismissed ideas and perspectives. The letter began with King presenting his background to develop his credibility on the subject at hand. The introduction allows the reader to understand King's investment in the topic and established himself as a key player in the subsequent movement. King states “In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action. We have gone through all of these steps in Birmingham.” He goes on to highlight the devastating effect of segregation noting “Birmingham is probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States.” King goes on to paint an imagery of the brutality African American experience due to hatred and unjust laws. Kings’ control of rhetoric helps him compare many of the atrocities going on to events that happen in the past both biblical and historical. King can present questions that he believe his audience may develop while reading his account, and pairing them with clear answers that help the reader understand the actions of his group. King states that “Too long has our beloved Southland been bogged down in a tragic effort to live in monologue rather than dialogue?” King can use encouraged people to take a rhetorical perspective towards others ideas in order to find common ground. He emphasized the fact that progress can only be made through communication and examining both the strengths and weakness of our ideologies and the beliefs of