Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s letter “A Letter from Birmingham,” was a good example of a counter argument from “A Call to Unity” by eight white clergymen. His inspiration for writing the letter came from clergymen’s unjust proposals affecting African-Americans. Dr. King effectively created his argument by using logos, pathos and ethos. What also helped his case were his personal experiences. He lived during the time where segregation was everywhere in the United States, not as a white man, but as an African-American.
Ethos on the other hand refers to an appeal to authority or character; this is the idea that a fact is given more credence when associated with a certain person. In “Message to Grassroots” Malcolm predominately uses Pathos to support his rise for action in the black community. He uses Ethos to garner hatred in the people he’s speaking to, and then he points them toward the government. You can see this in the first paragraph, “… you represent a person who poses a serious problem for America because you are not wanted” (Malcolm 1). He then gives them a person to hate, the white man, “We have this in common: We have a common oppressor, a common exploiter, and a common discriminator….
In “Letter from Birmingham City Jail”, King talks about how African Americans were treated differently due to the color of their skin. Henry David Thoreau, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mohandas Gandhi all have used civil disobedience whether it was to help fight for racial justice or to free their country from Britain’s rule. To begin with, Gandhi, King, and Thoreau’s approach to civil disobedience included the power of an individual. In “Civil Disobedience” Thoreau says, “I heartily accept the motto, ‘That government is best which governs least’; and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which also I believe: ‘That government is best which governs not
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is an example of a rhetorical text that is centered on ethos. King Jr.’s letter is a response to “Public Statement by Eight Alabama Clergymen,” which was written about the civil rights protests that King Jr. had led in Birmingham, Alabama, causing him to be in jail. In his letter, King Jr. addresses the concerns that the clergymen had about his motives and intentions in Birmingham. A rhetorical analysis of “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” shows that through his use of effective logic, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has a way of re-creating the ethos that was taken away from him in “Public Statement by Eight Alabama Clergymen”. Specifically, the arguments that King Jr. uses to defend his untimeliness, his willingness to break laws, and his extreme actions are appropriate for the audience and help him build credibility, which ideally will move his audience to action.
Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail", was written by King in response to a critical "Call For Unity" by a group of white Alabama clergymen in Birmingham. The clergymen were critical of King for meddling in the affairs of their town. King's response was that he had every right to fight injustice in the country that he lived in. Martin Luther King wrote this letter in 1963 from his jail cell. In this letter King proclaims that the laws of the government against blacks are intolerable and that civil disobedience should be used as a tool of freedom.
Dr. King’s letter uses an example of anaphora. “So, I along with several members of my staff, am here because I was invited here. I am…I am in Birmingham because injustice is here.” This quote is letting the clergymen know that wherever injustice may be, he will be there to organize his staff to help fight that injustice. Throughout his letter, Dr. King uses allegory. In this quote he states, “Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was imprisoned for breaking a court ruling while leading a nonviolent direct-action protest program against segregation. While imprisoned, King wrote an open response; “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. This letter was addressed to his fellow clergymen, but he wanted the entire world to read it. King elaborately explains; why he was in Birmingham, why he believed change must take place immediately, and what he planned to do to help bring about this change. In his prodigious letter, King creates a vigorous yet respectful response to a criticism made by eight Clergymen from Birmingham, Alabama.
This letter appeared in the Birmingham Newspaper. In response, Martin Luther King drafted a document that would mark the turning point of the Civil Rights movement and provide enduring inspiration to the struggle for racial equality. King's “Letter from Birmingham Jail” strives to justify the desperate need for nonviolent direct action, the absolute immorality of unjust laws together with what a just law is, as well as, the increasing probability of the “Negro” resorting to extreme disorder and bloodshed, in addition to his utter disappointment with the Church who, in his opinion, had not lived up to their responsibilities as people of God. King's justification to the eight clergymen for protesting segregation begins with a profound explanation of their actions, “Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue”. The actions of the African American people are overdue and very well planned as King had explained in the letter.
Henry David Thoreau, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King, Jr., all took a stand for what they felt were unjust laws. Many social reforms we take for granted were made by those practicing civil disobedience. There are also many examples of civil disobedience in today’s society. Pro-life protesters and religious group protesters, are all examples of people practicing civil disobedience. “Any fool can make a rule, and any fool will mind it.” (2) This quote was by Henry David Thoreau.
Dr. King’s Letter Analysis While trapped in a jail cell Dr. King wrote an extremely long letter stating his argument using ethos, pathos, and logos to the clergymen of Birmingham. The brilliance of his letter details the facts and the emotional civil issues that are still happening during his time of fame. In this essay I will break his letter, or book, by extracting the ethos, pathos and logos from beginning to end. In the title of the letter our civil rights hero uses ethos to show that he is equal to the clergymen and they are equal to him. He does this because he does not want the men to see him as a person on a lower standard or lower level than they are.