A Rhetorical Analysis Of King's Letter

The majority of the sentences in King’s letter can be connected to logos, pathos or ethos and his incorporation of appeals is masterful.

In Martin Luther King’s, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” he explains what he thinks is a just law and what makes an unjust law.So what makes a just and an unjust law? A just law, according to King, is a man made code that squares with the moral code. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. In the world we live in today most laws are just, but many issues are caused by prejudice people. Many are afraid to suffer the consequences that come with standing up for what is right. For me, suffering the consequences would be worth it if not everyone is given equal rights, one race is being attacked about a certain law, and if a law forces me to do something I refuse to do.

In paragraphs 12-14 of “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, Dr. King begins addressing the clergymen’s belief that the peaceful demonstrations conducted by him and his associates were untimely. King starts answering questions frequently heard by opposing or moderate forces, as well as essentially denouncing the resistance to desegregation. King then introduced the relationship between the oppressor and the oppressed; concluding that the oppressor is not inclined to act on things that do not directly affect them. Therefore, providing a platform of his argument as to why blacks could no longer wait to be given their basic human rights. Action needed to take place because fair treatment was no longer a hope to be given, it had to be taken.

Throughout his letter, King talks about how unfair the white Americans were towards the black nation, he talks about the disrespect, unfair and unjust treatment the black community had received from the white Americans. In the letter King’s response is very moving and effective to the readers, he has achieved this by effective use of language, stylistic devices such as the use of imagery, similes and metaphors, and by using

 The letter has become known as one of the greatest works of argument in American history. Part of the reason for the letter’s effectiveness is due to its expressive use of pathos. King’s use of pathos in his letter not only supports the claims that he makes but also makes his argument morally certain. King’s letter is littered here and there with pathos that appear next to logos and ethos. King’s paragraph explaining why it is difficult to wait for the end of segregation is one that is entirely dedicated to stirring the emotion of the reader of which it does quite an effective job. The main theme throughout the letter is King’s urge to the clergymen to see things from the black person’s perspective. The clergymen want King to wait for their chance at freedom so that the courts may handle it. Since patience is considered as a virtue, they believe it is perfectly reasonable to ask King to delay his direct action so that desegregation can be handled in the courts. King makes the claim that the time to wait is over. He says, “We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God given

Recently, scholars have analyzed King’s (2003) chapter You’ll Never Believe What Happened is Always a Good Way to Start, with the intent to discover King’s rhetorical techniques and overall purpose. At the time of his speech, the world was “predominantly scientific, capitalistic, Judeo-Christian” (p.12). Firstly, Cassandra Plettell (2017) found that King utilizes ethos to demonstrate how stories may alter an individual’s perception (p.2). Similarly, Emma Murphy (2017) found that King uses ethos and pathos that “portrays the idea that stories have the ability to greatly impact individuals’ lives” (p.2). Then, Ajodeji Edna Adetimechin (2017) found that King uses ethos, pathos, and logos to convince his audience of the influential power that stories “have in shaping perspectives” (p.2). In general, they have found that King’s purpose is regarding the influential powers of stories with the use of ethos, pathos and/or logos. In addition to Plettell, Murphy and Adetimechin’s finding, I would like to go a step further and argue that King’s overall purpose is to persuade the audience that the Genesis creation story has formulated a culture that lacks forgiveness, compassion, and unity (King, 2003, pp.24-27). Inclusively, I will argue how King utilizes his personal experiences with stories, emotional appeals, and writing arrangement in order to gradually persuade his highly intellectual audience.

Dr. King uses the pathos mode of persuasion by using metaphor, anaphora, and parallelism. He uses metaphor at several places in the letter to make comparison between two things that are unrelated but share common characteristics. He writes, “I guess it is easy for

King uses strong rhetoric efforts and appeals to his primary audience with tone, knowledge, and religion. Dr. King’s tone in this letter varies but it was all done with a specific purpose- to move his audience.

King categorizes law into two types: just and unjust. He describes a just law as a “man-made code” that falls in line with moral law while an unjust law is one that deviates from moral law. King claims that just laws can uplift people while unjust ones degrade them. In stating these ideas, King provides his audience with his own definition of what laws are and what they can do. The reader can now apply this definition to attain a better understanding of King’s ideology and better connect with King’s larger purpose of the letter. King also examines laws that in method are fair but in practice are oppressive. This helps make his definition be more complete by presenting a multitude of ways a law can be unjust. He shows that laws can be unjust in writing and in application. King explains his criteria for just and unjust laws in order to move his argument forward in answering the criticisms of his fellow clergymen.

Most have seen the 2010 film, The King’s Speech, known for it’s numerous incidents preceding King George VI’s first wartime broadcast.  Many knew of his personal anxiety surrounding his speech impediment and usurping of the throne; however, this representation of historical rhetoric goes beyond a simple Colin Firth film.  On September 3, 1939, King George VI of the United Kingdom gave an address to the nation, describing the unfortunate involvement of it’s people in another war and why they stood in such a state.  Through the use of argumentation, addressing his audience appropriately, and handling his speech defect efficiently in delivery, King George VI calls on the ethos, pathos, and logos of his subjects, effectively presenting his arguments for going to war with Germany.

King, (1991) in his speech from “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” explains that breaking the law is allowed in dangerous and extreme situations. Before taking action, King and the rest of his group found lots of evidence of injustice, had discussions with those in charge and made changes to their strategy (King, 1991, pg. 406). King, (1991) explains that god gave the land to them and the actions were based in those in Asia and Africa (pg. 407). King, (1991) says the consequences of not taking action were to leave things as they were with lots of violence, racism and poverty (pg. 407-408). King, (1991) explains that are unjust and just laws, which follows natural law (pg. 408). Natural law theory is the belief that what is moral correct is accordance with how it is in nature (Vaughn, 2016). King, (1991) explains that unjust laws are human laws that do not follow nature (pg. 408). King says for example, unjust laws are when the dominant group makes the submissive group follows rules that they disobey (King, 1991, pg. 409). King, (1991) says that those that disobey the law must do it with good will to accept the penalty (pg. 409). Nonviolence means were used with good intentions (King, 1991, pg. 414). This is in accordance with the doctrine of double effect. The doctrine of double effect says things should be done with good intentions and cannot be done with bad intentions (Vaughn, 2016). King’s argument was very well supported. His views are consistent with many ethical principles. However, there were examples and arguments that were repeated.

In Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. argues the differences of a just and unjust law. He clarifies the idea through the quote, “One may well ask, ‘How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?’ The answer is found in the fact that there are two types of laws: there are just laws, and there are unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that ‘An unjust law is no law at all.’” (King, p. 3.) Throughout the letter King uses inductive reasoning, from personal experiences and observation to form a conclusion about unjust laws. Martin Luther King Jr. justified his actions of rebelling the ‘just’ laws by non-violent protest and this letter. The message King portrays through the letter is still relevant in today’s

When any artist or director embarks on the journey of creation, they use a variety of different techniques to aid in the conveying of their message. Their main goal is to create something special for their audience, or rather call them witnesses. Convincing them that a personal piece of art, whether it be a painting, a novel or a movie, is different than all the rest. Rhetoricians create an author’s idea, their own unique perception of reality, for a vast and diverse viewing audience.

In Dr. Kings Essay, King believes that our country (the U.S) has laws that are either just or unjust. Dr. King believes that: “One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws” (King,208). King was a civil rights leader that had his protests embedded on a peaceful basis, therefore he had to show that he had respect for the law and at the same time he wouldn't be afraid to stand up to the man and protest when an immoral unjust law had just been passed. King references to World War II when Adolf Hitler rose to power and conquered most of Europe. At the time it would have been illegal to protest and rebel against Hitler. But now looking back at history, most

Throughout history, leaders and those looking to be leaders have given persuasive speeches to potential followers in order to garner as much support as possible. As he attempted for the second time to become consul, This time of chaos involved poverty and power being in the hands of a small group of powerful men. Angered by this, L. Sergius Catilina delivered a speech to persuade a private group of people to elect him as consul so he could be the leader of a rebellion against this small group. Like Catiline’s speech, King George VI’s speech that declared war on Germany before World War II was delivered during a time of chaos. Delivered by radio to his subjects, King George’s speech reached far and wide in order to persuade people to help