King first uses the rhetoric technique of ethos to establish his credibility as a clergymen, as well as a knowledgeable, educated human being. Second, King uses the technique of pathos to drive home the emotional side of his struggle for justice for people of all races. Lastly, King uses the technique of logos to appeal to the logical side of his reader’s minds as human beings, not as a people of separate races. Martin Luther King Jr. uses the rhetoric techniques of ethos, pathos, and finally logos extremely efficiently to appeal to all the readers of his “Letter from Birmingham.” First, Martin Luther King Jr. employs the technique of ethos in his letter to not only respond to the clergymen’s statement entitled “A Call For Unity,” but to also to appeal to all the readers who would eventually read this letter. Ethos is the credibility that an author establishes to a reader about themselves, and King uses this technique to show the world that he was not just any average man, but a man of intelligence and aptitude.
First, the Senator’s speech attempts to address the nation on their concerns of his affiliation with Reverend Wright. Second, the speech addresses the sustaining and prevailing issues of race within America and how it paralyzes our nation. The speech is compelling because it possesses the necessary elements of effective and persuasive rhetoric. Rhetoric is the study of opposing arguments, misunderstanding, and miscommunication. Also, rhetoric will be defined as the ability to speak and write effectively and to use language and oratory strategically.
He was known for his inspirational speeches and open minded attitude. Dr. King took a deeper look into things to get the whole idea of the subject. Dr. King, being such a highly respected man, used Ethos thoroughly in his speeches. Ethos refers to the trustworthiness or credibility of the writer or speaker. It is showed through tone and style of the message and how the reader interprets the different views.
His choices of words in this speech lean towards his ethic's being good. Also his authority in this speech is very strong he seems like he is talking with confidence even though its just a speech. The techniques in this were very simple he used lots of repletion, like talking about how if he went back in time the things he would do. He continuously repeated talking about the past. He used this as the base of the speech, which helped with the types of techniques, he was trying to do.
Martin Luther King Jr. Gains Back Credibility Through Ethos Rhetoric is an effective way that many people use to convince an audience of something and eventually move that audience into action. I don’t think that anyone understood this more than Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which he demonstrated in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” In the letter he uses ethos, a very effective mode of persuasion, to build his character, mainly his authority, credibility, and goodwill. To build ones credibility means to showcase that person’s morals and values and to demonstrate an all-around good character, which is what I am going to focus on in my analysis. This can be most effectively done by using logical argument, using evidence in ethical ways, as well as addressing counterarguments. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is an example of a rhetorical text that is centered on ethos.
Andrew Bacon Eng 101 Essay#3 10/23/12 Ethos, Pathos, Logos Martin Luther King, President Obama, and Charlie Chaplain all evoke strong persuasive techniques to tell a story but more importantly to shed light on intolerance and injustices all around us. Through their artistic use of the rhetorical triangle they give compelling and emotional testimony, not only through what they have witnessed but what they experienced. Ethos, pathos and logos are ancient techniques used in persuading anyone from your best friend to an entire society to perhaps think differently. Dr. King ‘s speech simultaneously uses all three persuasive techniques in his first sentence. He stated he was happy to join with his audience evoking pathos.
Rhetorical Appeals – Ethos, Logos, Pathos • ‘The art of speaking not merely with propriety but with art and elegance.’ Dr Samuel Johnson • Rhetoric is defined as: “The art of using language so as to persuade or influence others; the body of rules to be observed by a speaker or writer in order to achieve effective of eloquent expression.” (New Shorter Oxford Dictionary) Ethos: The Writer’s Character or Credibility Ethos (Greek for ‘character’) refers to the trustworthiness or credibility of the writer or speaker. The Greek word ethos is related to our word ethics or ethical, but a more accurate modern translation might be “image” or “character” or credibility. Aristotle uses ethos to refer to the speaker’s character as it appears to the audience. Aristotle says that if we believe that a speaker has “good sense, good moral character, and goodwill,” we are inclined to believe what that speaker says to us. Today we might add that a speaker should also appear to have the appropriate expertise or authority to speak knowledgeably about the subject matter.
Third is logos, the act of persuading by providing the audience with logic of the author's arguments. Every aspect of rhetorical appeals was shown in Senator Barack Obama's speech. In the speech, Obama uses these appeals to persuade his audience that we, as Americans, need to come together as a union to solve the problems of our society. Obama begins his speech by reciting the first line of the United States Constitution, "We the people, in order to form a more perfect union" (647). Through the use of the United States Constitution, Obama shows his credibility to write the speech and for the nation to trust him and realize the importance of his speech.
The "I Have a Dream" speech by Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most influential speeches ever. Martin Luther used different parts of the English language to enhance the meaning of his speech and bring out the details. The different rhetorical devices, allusions to historic documents, and metaphors seemed to have brought about the emotions that King was trying to arouse in his listeners. This helped him influence his listeners towards wanting equality for all and changing what was happening in the present so they didn't repeat things in the past The very title of his speech was probably taken from his use of anaphora which was present throughout his speech. "I have a dream that one day the nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed… that all men are created equal."
King uses better emotional appeals so that his audience feels compelled to his cause, King also uses figurative language to create a powerful tone that provides his essay with a meaningful effect; while Thoreau uses more ethos and common logic. Martin Luther King Jr.’s essay is more effective than Thoreau’s essay because King uses better argumentative devices, shares common ground with his audience, acknowledges his opposition, and clearly states his point of view; whereas, Thoreau gives his opinion in an unclear way, and expresses himself in a rather rustic manner. In Martin Luther King, Jr.’s letter “Letter From Birmingham Jail” he clearly specifies his audience with the major point of his arguments, unlike Thoreau where in his essay his switches his main opinion throughout the whole essay. In his essay King, justifies civil disobedience and