Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail

822 Words2 Pages

Probably one of America's biggest revolution/problems was equality for everyone. After Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves, African Americans thought they would have the same will, freedom, and speech as the white man, but they were a surly mistake. With this came activists like Rosa Parks, Nat Tuner, Harriet Tubman and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who didn't like how they were being treated and wanted to be treated equally. In the passages, Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the best civil rights messages of its time, and still is today, in the passages it explains his argument, his specific claims, his rhetorical appeals, and his argument's conclusions. In paragraph 15, King used two primary sources that help him reinforce his argument. He states, "To obey the Supreme Court's decision of 1954 outlawing segregation in the public school...'' Equally he says, "How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others.'' King points out the hyperacuity of the white man who …show more content…

He used pathos, the emotional sense of urgency, and the call to action. "Now is the time to lift our national policy from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of human dignity." This expresses that Dr. King is tired and ready to take action for what he wants. As a matter of fact, this quote goes with how he used his juxtaposition of metaphors. the quicksand of racial injustice. he compares racial injustice to quicksand. This compares shows the idea that if they as a community keep going their road of racial injustice it will slowly lead to the dissention of the nation. He also compares human dignity to solid work. Which explains how he looks at human dignity, that's it strong and not going nowhere. These ideas show that Dr. King is ready to take action and has strong human dignity with him ready to keep

Open Document