Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested on April 12, 1963, in Birmingham, for having a protest without a proper permit. On the exact day King was arrested, eight clergymen from Alabama wrote a letter called “A Call for Unity.” The letter called for termination of civil activities and demonstrations and designated King an “outsider” and saying that outsiders were the problems in Birmingham and not the blacks that are from there. On April 16 King wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, which was his responds to his fellow clergymen. He wrote the letter as a means to convince the clergymen and the white moderate that the nonviolent demonstrations that had got him arrested, were a necessity and to enlighten them on why the segregation laws in the southern states needed to be changed. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” King uses logos, pathos, and ethos to persuade the clergymen and convince them in assisting him in putting an end to segregation laws of blacks in Birmingham, Alabama. King uses logos to convince the clergymen that he is not going everywhere causing troubles and that the demonstrations were necessary for change in the south. In the letter king says “Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their "thus saith the Lord" far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco-Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town.” In this quote King is saying that he is going around extending the notion of freedom rather than going around causing harm. This quote was persuasive because the clergymen are religious men and connecting your activi... ... middle of paper ... ...g this King has gave himself a trustworthy reason for his actions and gave the clergymen more reason to agree with him. This use of ethos is masterfully because how can he be an “outsider” when he is the president of the conference. He is a clergyman writing to other clergymen, but he is also a part of an organization with a chapter in their state. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. proves that he is well knowledgeable in the happenings in Birmingham. By providing a surplus of examples of events and details which he finds alarming, King was able to persuade the clergymen to like at the way the Negro community is being treated in the south using the appeal to logos, pathos and ethos. He displays his willingness to continue with respect and dignity, but because of the emotional ties that he has towards this cause, he will not remain inactive.
In reading the first few paragraphs in the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King Jr shows commitment to all African Americans. He says, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”. In the one sentence King declared that he would fight racial...
In his letter, King starts by addressing the clergyman with “My Dear Fellow Clergyman” as if to put the men at ease and keep them open-minded. In the first paragraph King states that he does not usually respond to such correspondence, but compliments them by saying that since they are genuinely good men, then he would respond to their criticisms by writing this letter. In the second paragraph, he addresses the “outsider” issue. In the letter written by the clergyman they say (like it was something new), that they were now facing demonstrations led by outsiders (King). King wants them to know that he is not really an outsider but the president of The Southe...
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an eloquent speaker and a powerful figure during the Civil Rights Movement. In “Letters from Birmingham Jail,” he uses the classical rhetoric to engage his audience and present his ideas clearly. This particular text was initiated due to the non-violent demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama, which led to the arrest of many African-Americans, including King himself. Although this was not a spoken document, the letter was directed to several targeted audiences: first, the clergymen who wrote “A Call for Unity,” secondly, the “white moderate” (47), and finally, to black men and women across the nation who lacked the initial courage to fight for their rights. Dr. King establishes himself as an authoritative voice in the religious community who connects with his multiple audiences through the use of gruesome imagery and hardened logic. An essential part of his intent was to express his deep concern with his fellow clergymen, whom were not at all sympathetic to the movement, yet practiced the word of God.
In the beginning of his letter he starts with “My dear fellow clergymen” (356) to show common ground to which he shows both the respect and authority toward the clergymen. King explained how much he compares himself to known figures yet he still considers everybody around him as an equals whether they are against him or with him although the clergymen were against King for coming to Birmingham, he treats them with respect and kept an open mind for their criticism. King is also still a human being and is on the same equal ground as anybody else would be which King established others by bringing up “[his] Christian and Jewish brothers” (362) which involves the churches that stood out from the issue. King addresses them as to both being good will and serve God, he includes them as having the same power to make a difference by acting instead of standing by like bystanders. King also sees them as part of issue as much as everybody else—with respect, as a family, and as an equal—King doesn’t look down on anybody although he has made references to well-known figures, he knows his limits and where he
Kings' letter is addressed to the eight clergy men who had originally posted the srticle to the newspaper. King quotes them by saying how they called his activities "unwise and untimely." King writes about his situation and why he is being held in the Birmingham jail. He simply shows how he is similar to Apostle Paul and other prophets whom were wanting to bring freedom to people. The reason why king had agreed to be apart of the protest is so that he could bring freedom and stop segregation in other cities.
“Letters from Birmingham Jail” sends out a powerful message to the readers to not give up on hope, but to see it as a new, and a better change for the nation. King creates a movement to help disseminate the hatred towards the mix communities so that they can all live together in peace, like a dream. Through his letter, it formed something much bigger than a movement. It ultimately created history where people were finally free from the segregation, the hatred, and regained the freedom that they deserved. Even though it took a long period of time to regain those things, the movement Martin Luther King started made it to national history because in the end, they all received the same thing, the pursuit of happiness.
The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. was written when Dr. King was in solitary confinement after being arrested for protesting segregation laws in Birmingham. In this letter he discusses the injustice that is happening toward the African American community in Birmingham. Dr. King defines the differences between just and unjust laws where he makes a clear distinction between both of them. Dr. King believes unjust laws are laws that should be not followed and should be broken in order to gain civil rights.
First, I am going to analyze ethos that King used in his letter. Ethos is a method making readers have to trust author in order for author to be persuasive; we appeal to ethos whenever we present ourselves as credible and trustworthy. One of the best ways to enhance our argument’s ethos is demonstrate that we are knowledgeable. In the third paragraph, King mentioned that, “Like Paul, I must constantly respond to Macedonian call for aid.” By mentioning that, he created the ethos by demonstrating his knowledge about Paul. He compared his situation to Paul’s makes the readers not only realize his knowledge of Paul’s early response to the Macedonian but also understand that he is doing a lofty mission. He further developed this ethos of his knowledge by using his familial history within the church to appeal to the higher authority and knowledge of both God, and the church. In the paragraph 39, Dr. King stated, “I am in the rather unique position of being the son, the grandson and great-grandson of preachers.” Aft...
After the opening call to attention, King explains why he is in Birmingham in the first place: “because injustice is here.” He compares himself to Apostle Paul in a biblical allusion that is especially powerful to his specific audience. He claims he is compelled by a duty to help the highly segregated community of Birmingham, saying “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” While explaining his reasons for action the white moderate are criticised for allowing the unfair restriction of freedom to go on in America. As he expresses disapproval of the clergymen his very polite tone begins to fade. The ties to Birmingham turn into ties to the civil rights movement as the logic behind those who consider themselves “activists” are described. He states that “freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed,” and King is right. After hundreds of years of oppression and waiting black citizens know they must reach for change. The logos-ethos mix lead into a tidal wave of the emotional hardships of the African
After being imprisoned for peacefully parading against racial segregation in Birmingham, Alabama Martin Luther king Jr. wrote a lengthy letter while confined behind bars. He titled it “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Kings letter was specifically addressed to clergymen due to their criticism of his demonstration, calling his works “unwise and untimely” (566). In his letter, he carefully focuses on why he has been placed in jail and explains why it is necessary that humans stand up for they believe and what is consider right. Most importantly, this letter gives insight on the events of police brutality that took place not only in Birmingham, but in America as well in 1963. King also describes the series
Dr. Martin Luther King Junior is a phenomenal writer. “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and “I Have a Dream” are both examples of his greatness. Both of these writings made his readers understand and see segregation under a microscope and helping the blacks keep hope for equality. In a “Letter from Birmingham Jail” King is discussing the unjust and just laws. Dr. King tone in both writings is peace. He expresses non-violent approaches to settle racial conflicts. I have always admired Dr. King’s work and I am very thankful for him and his fight for equality among blacks. The speech seemed unfamiliar when Dr. King stated, “America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” Another unfamiliar
In a Public Statement released by Eight Alabama Clergymen, there were a lot of shots taken at Martin Luther King Jr. and his work during the Civil Rights Movement. These claims aim towards his peaceful protests and work as an “outsider”, but each can be proven false with basic knowledge of the Civil Rights Movements. As result of these claims, Dr. King responded with his famous letter “A Letter from Birmingham Jail”.
(1929–1968), well known for his non-violent activism in the African-American Civil Rights Movement, was imprisoned within Birmingham jail in 1963 for nonviolent demonstrations against segregation. While in prison King responded to a public statement of concern and caution issued by eight white religious leaders of the South, in the now-famous, Letter from Birmingham Jail. (King, 1963, p. 1) Within this letter, King refutes the accusations laid out against him, as well as provides a detailed account of his nonviolent campaign in action. The main allegations against him and his activism consisted of being classified an outsider, conducting unwise and untimely actions, lawbreaking, precipitating violence, and being extreme. Most allegations being biased were easy to refute, for example, King, who was invited to Birmingham, discusses how he is simply abiding by the Supreme Court's decision of 1954 outlawing segregation. (King, 1963, p. 3) President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; King, using natural law and his Christian faith, places himself in the middle of cynic individuals and individuals calling for a violent revelation. Drawing upon past thinkers and illustrating events in which segregation has affected his daily life mentally; King acknowledges that while America has overcome slavery, the situation was still one in which African Americans are not treated like equal human beings. A form of injustice that any reasonable person can see; king’s non-violent campaign is made up of four stages, all of which were used in Birmingham: the collection of the facts to determine whether injustices are alive, negotiation, self-purification, and direct action. In the collection of facts, you get to understand the form of injustices that exist and the way they are carried out. Negotiation is trying to find a consensus or stable ground for the injustices. Self-purification is a vital step by which one acknowledges internally that
The contemporary Church is so often a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. It is so often the arch-supporter of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the Church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the Church's silent and often vocal sanction of things as they are.”
Although the United States is continually striving towards equal rights for all citizens, life in America was not always this way. For years, colored communities had found ways to peacefully protest the government's denial of their civil rights. One of the most prominent figures during this movement was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1963, Dr. King participated in several nonviolent demonstrations opposing the unjust laws of segregation, which led to his imprisonment in Birmingham, Alabama. During this time, Dr. King wrote a response, which he titled “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” addressing a public statement made by eight white religious leaders. In his letter, King states, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (King 1963). This statement is meant to be the main focus of the letter because it explains King’s involvement with the nonviolent protests and his desire for racial equality. Dr. King continues to support his statement by describing how the white community continues to “curse, kick, brutalize, and even kill” the Negro race (King 1963). This injustice, according to King, must cease to exist. If it does not, this once great country will become corrupt, which will only endanger our