, Atlantic Media Company, 29 Jan. 2021, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/02/letter-from-a-birmingham-jail/552461/. It is rather for us to be here, As it may do that, it also seems to serve more of a logical appeal because he mentions the evidence of white brotherhood. In the letter, King appeals for unity against racism in society, while he wants to fight for Human Rights, using ethos. King writes the letter to defend his organization's actions and the letter is also an appeal to the people, both the white and black American society, the social, political, and religious community, and the whole of American society to encourage desegregation and encourage solidarity and equality among all Americans, with no stratifications according to racial differences. Lastly, the exigence of a rhetorical piece is the external issue, situation, or event in which the rhetoric is responding to. MLKs use of pathos and repetition is an effective way to persuade his audience about his position on civil disobedience. Amidst the intense Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and put in solitary confinement for peacefully protesting racial discrimination and injustice in Birmingham, Alabama. To achieve this, he used rhetorical strategies such as appeal to pathos and repetition. Despite this, the clergy never questions whether or not segregation is unjust. He opens with an explanation to his response, stating, Seldom, if ever, do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideasBut since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I would like to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms(King 1). Lines 14-43: King provides three different types of reasons in his letter to justify his presence in Birmingham: Organizational reasons, religious or historical reasons, and moral reasons. They were arrested and held in . 'Letter from Birmingham Jail'"' is a clearly written essay that explains the reasons behind, and the methods of nonviolent civil disobedience, and gently expresses King's disappointment with those who are generally supportive of equal rights for African-Americans. Letter from Birmingham Jail; McAuley ELA I HON. In his letter he uses examples like when you have seen hate-filled policeman curse, kick, and even kill your black brothers and sisters. and when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and gathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim to make his audience envision and feel what many negroes felt while watching their families put up with this mistreatment. Take for instance when the part of the letter when Dr. King talks about different men, both biblical, Martin Luther King Jr.s goal in Letter From Birmingham Jail is to convince the people of Birmingham that they should support civil disobedience and the eventual end to the segregation laws in Birmingham. Early in his speech, King writes riches of freedom and security of justice and then justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. In these two examples, King is using parallelism to express that the African American wants justice and freedom by repeating them next to each other and mentally connecting them in the readers mind, which is also connected with pathos as the terms King uses subtly emphasize those words and create good feelings in the reader. This period of quiet speculation over the law illuminates the national divide in opinion over the matter, one which King helped persuade positively. In this example, King implements logos to create a cohesive argument that appeals to the rational side of his audience: Southern clergymen. Read these passages aloud, and as you do so, feel their undeniable passion and power. King specifically wrote to the white clergymen who had earlier addressed a letter to him as to why he was apprehended, in which they argued that his actions were untimely and unconstitutional. Original: Apr 16, 2013. King provides imagery to make the audience see what it would be like to be an African American in the united, I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal. Dr. King also states that one day he would like his children to be free as whites were. Not only was this a social division, but those who opposed King were reinforced by the respective legislature that sought to burden him. Abused and scorned through we may be, our destiny is tied with the destiny of America. (Page 9) The sureness King presents in this quote both instills hope in the reader and allows them to relate to Kings passion. Some clergymen, mostly white American men, believe the nonviolent protest Dr. King and African Americans were during was "unwise" and "untimely". Throughout the work, Letter from Bimingham Jail, Martin Luther constantly uses examples from historical figures in order to unite his argument that action must be taken in order to end discrimination and segregation. As the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s unfolded, Martin Luther King Jr. had, perhaps, the most encompassing and personal rhetorical situation to face in American history. Despite his support, Martin Luthers audience is one of the largest constraints in his rhetorical situation. In parallel structure, a writer repeats the same pattern of words or/and pattern of grammatical structure. He uses a large number of rhetorical devices in his letter to reach his goal, including point of view, imagery, and rhetorical questions. Letter to Birmingham Jail is a response to a group of Birmingham ministers who voiced negative comments and questioned the civil rights demonstrations Dr. King was leading in Birmingham. In this example, King manufactures logos through the creation of antithetic parallelism, as the structure of his essay provides justification for his argument against the postponement of justice. From this revelation, the audience will also realize that it is no fault of the Negro that they have been left behind in contrast, modern society have been dragging them back through racism. Read along here: https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.htmlop audio here: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/lett. Back then, people were ready to oppose unjust laws that were causing inequality and preventing progress. Recent flashcard sets. An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and In short, Martin Luther King Jr. includes rhetorical devices in his writing. 1, no. Not only does he use pathos to humanize himself, but he also uses it to humanize his immediate audience, the eight clergymen. When Dr. King first arrived in Birmingham, trouble occurred when he and fellow activists were . He uses parallelism by repeating I had hoped to ironically accuse his attackers. Kings decision to compare his efforts to those of biblical figures with shared intent was a deliberate attempt to find common ground with his initial readers, the eight religious Birmingham clergymen, through the faith of a shared religion. His audience ranged between those who his message empowered, a radical positive force, and those who disagreed, made up of southern states, extremist groups, and the majority of American citizens stuck in their racial prejudices. The biases of the audience go hand in hand with the rhetorical exigence of this letter, another large constraint in the effectiveness of his message. Fred Shuttlesworth, defied an injunction against protesting on Good Friday in 1963. The anaphora "If you were to" is meant to inspire his readers to emp. Writers commonly use parallelism when there is a pair or a series of elements, or in the headlines or outlines of a document. King concludes with optimism about the future of the relationship between the currently segregated blacks and whites. To get a high-quality original essay, click here. Ralph Abernathy (center) and the Rev. With the use of King's rhetorical devices, he described the ways of the Birmingham community and their beliefs, connected to the reader on an emotional level, and brought to light the overall issues dealing with segregation., The letter was ostensibly conceived in response to a letter that had recently run in a local newspaper which had claimed that the protest were "unwise and untimely." Even now, it continues to make generations of people, not just Americans, to give up their racist beliefs and advocate social colorblindness. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with moral law. He takes up for his cause in Birmingham, and his belief that nonviolent direct action is the best way to make changes happen. Macbeth) in the essay title portion of your citation. In this way, King asserts that African-Americans must act with jet-like speed to gain their independence. With these devices, King was able to move thousands of hearts and inspire the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Here are more examples of parallel structure within "Letter from Birmingham Jail" that I find especially powerful. Within the article, the clergymen provide nine different critiques that asserted how Kings protest are invalid, uneffective, and simply unintelligent in the fight for obtaining justice and equity for individuals of color. In each writing, he uses the devices for many different purposes. We will write a custom Essay on King's Allusion in "Letter From Birmingham Jail" specifically for you. While this fight had been raging for nearly 10 years, the release in 1963 was shortly followed by the Civil Rights Act in 1964. 1, Penn State University Press, 1968, pp. Kings use of pathos gives him the ability to encourage his fellow civil rights activists, evoke empathy in white conservatives, and allow the eight clergymen and the rest of his national audience to feel compassion towards the issue. Specifically, King's letter addresses three important groups in the American society: the white American political community, white American religious community, and the black American society. Throughout the Letter from Birmingham Jail, ethos, pathos, and logos are masterfully applied by Martin Luther King. As a black man and pacifist-forward figurehead of the Civil Rights movement, the way Martin Luther is perceived is mostly dictated by preconceived biases and is rampant, widespread, and polarized. Bitzer, Lloyd F. The Rhetorical Situation.. Although Kings reply was addressed to the Alabama clergyman, its target audience was the white people. Without King, America would be probably still heavily segregated. This is the beginning of King's point-by-point rebuttal of the criticisms leveled against him. Similarly, King uses pathos to trigger the emotional . In both of these writings Dr. King uses logos - logical persuasion - and pathos - emotional appeal - to change the opinions of people who were for segregation and against civil rights. Furthermore, exterior events regarding the movement could ultimately reflect on his influence and polarize the audience further. This exigence is rhetorical because it can be improved if enough people are socially cognizant, whether that be in legislature or the streets of Birmingham, through creation and enforcement of equitable laws and social attitudes. The rhythm and frequent repetition are used to drive home his key points, stressing the importances of his goal. He proves his authority through his explanation of his experience as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every Southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia (King 232), and he emphasizes the importance of addressing the situation to him when he says, seldom, if ever, do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas, referring to the people of Birminghams resistance to the civil protests that he has been leading in Birmingham (King, Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr. mentions the atrocities of racism and describes his endless battles against it. After reading "Letter from a Birmingham Jail", ask your students to do a scavenger hunt using the storyboard creator. you can use them for inspiration and simplify your student life. Because of his skill in creating such pieces of writing, as well as his influential role within the Civil Rights Movement, and the reminder that Letter from Birmingham Jail provides of these trying times, his letter should continue to be included within A World of Ideas. Dr. Kings goal of this letter was to draw attention to the injustice of segregation, and to defend his tactics for achieving justice. Throughout the essay, King uses several powerful tones to complement his strong opinion, Martin Luther King Jrs Letter from Birmingham Jail is one his many writings on segregation and racial inequality towards blacks in the southern American states. In Martin Luther King Jrs I Have a Dream speech he effectively uses ethos, diction and powerful metaphors to express the brutality endured by African American people. With his respectful nature, humility, compassion, optimism, and determination, King responded to a group of white Alabama clergymen who had condemned the civil rights protests as extreme in their open letter, A Call for Unity. Although his letter was directed towards a small group of eight men, his words eventually reached the minds and hearts of the entire country. Constraints bring light to the obstacles this rhetoric may face, whether it be social, political, economical, etc. The answer is found in the fact that there are two types of laws: there are just laws, and there are unjust laws Any law that uplifts human personality is just. That sentence magnifies the fact that good people doing nothing is the same as bad people purposely hindering civil rights. 262). King was the figurehead of the Civil Rights movement, infamous for his I Have a Dream speech and substantially impactful rhetoric promoting social and political change, peaceful indignation, and calls to awareness. King says on page. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust(Barnet and Bedau 742). He ended up creating a very persuasive letter, one that effectively uses ethos in establishing his character, logos in providing reason and logic, and pathos in reaching human emotions. However, the racial divide was legislated in 1877 with the implementation of Jim Crow laws, which lasted until 1950. " Any law that degrades human personality is unjust." When King was making his mark in American history, the United States was experiencing great social unrest due to the injustice towards their colored citizens, which would lead to social rights rallies and unnecessary violence. It managed to inspire a generation of blacks to never give up and made thousands of white Americans bitterly ashamed of their actions, forging a new start for society. Choose one type of reason and cite an example from these lines. Right after that, he alludes to another American writing, the Declaration of. Here, King concedes that the clergy acts with the virtuous goal of justice in mind, which allows him to establish his argument against the manner in which they seek equality. Who was he truly writing for? Jr., Martin Luther King. He goes on to add; I am in Birmingham because injustice is here (King 1). Laws should build up society to be better so that a law is not need to be enforced and people will still follow it. The "Letter from Birmingham Jail" was written by the African American hero Dr. Martin Luther King in Birmingham back in 1963, addressing the issues that the African Americans faced back in that time. Who had criticize Martin Luther King because he was simply doing something that was right and violence was not needed for King. The main argument Dr. King is making in the letter is the protest being done in Birmingham is "wise" and most important "timely". We believe that King states in the first sentence himself that he does not usually comment upon the criticism of his work. Yet his most important method of reaching his audience, and conveying his enduring message of equality and freedom for the whole nation was his appeal to pathos. Saying it that way magnifies the imperative difference between the two types of laws. King goes on to explain how this right has not been kept, making it appear to be similar to a laid-back rule. He does an exceptional job using both these appeals throughout his speeches by backing up his emotional appeals with logical ones. King through this letter tries to express his, "Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter from Birmingham Jail, which was written in April 16, 1963, is a passionate letter that addresses and responds to the issue and criticism that a group of white clergymen had thrown at him and his pro- black American organization about his and his organization's non- violent demonstrative actions against racial prejudice and injustice among black Americans in Birmingham. While this fight had been raging for nearly 10 years, the release in 1963 was shortly followed by the Civil Rights Act in 1964. Dr. King was considered the most prominent and persuasive man of The Civil Rights Movement. Lastly, the exigence of a rhetorical piece is the external issue, situation, or event in which the rhetoric is responding to. The law was written in 1962, but the powerful response pushed the courts to finalize their decision. for only $11.00 $9.35/page. , 29 May 2019, https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/letter-birmingham-jail. This essay was written by a fellow student. He hopes that this letter will stop this injustice matter, and show what the African American desire. What King discloses in his essay, Letter From Birmingham Jail, displays how the laws of segregation have affected African-Americans. Therefore, these other literary devices and figures of speech are specific types of parallelism.. One of the most well-known examples of . While this fight had been raging for nearly 10 years, the release in 1963 was shortly followed by the Civil Rights Act in 1964. Martin Luther King Jr. was an important figure in gaining civil rights throughout the 1960s and hes very deserving of that title as seen in both his I Have a Dream speech and his Letter from Birmingham Jail letter. He deliberately tries to make the audience feel as if racial segregation is both wrong and against basic morals. Martin Luther leading peaceful Birmingham protest, AP News. Kings goes on to say how racial equality can not be achieved until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream (King). 1, Penn State University Press, 1968, pp. At the time, Birmingham was one of the harshest places to live in America for African Americans; white supremacy groups would set off bombs to instill fear in the black community and withhold racial integration, and peaceful protests and sit-ins were met with unjustifiable police violence, in addition to the suffocating social qualms surrounding the black community (Eskew). Martin Luther King, more than any other figure, shaped American life from the mid-"'"50s to the late "'"60s. When teaching speeches and letters, it's helpful to refresh or introduce students to literary elements that enhance rhetorical strategies. How does this comparison appropriately justify. Whether this be by newspaper, flyers, or restated by another in speech, the spread of information is slower and potentially more controllable. Glenn Eskew, Bombingham: Black Protest in Postwar Birmingham, Alabama, 1997. To summarize, Martin Luther Kings rhetoric is effective and ultimately changed the course of the Civil Rights movement for the better. His goal is to make the clergymen help him fight racial equality. While there were consistent and impactful efforts made by various groups for equality throughout the civil rights era, the proximity between the public release of the letter, found nation-wide by late 1963, and the passing of the Civil Rights Act in early July 1964 shows the direct impact the letter had on social attitudes following its publicization. Although Dr. Kings exploits are revered today, he had opponents that disagreed with the tactics he employed. was initially the eight clergymen of Birmingham, all white and in positions of religious leadership. On August 28, 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a famous speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and freedom, this speech was called I have a dream. This speech was focused on ending racism and equal rights for African Americans during the civil rights movement. If your first two elements are verbs, the third element is usually a verb, too. You may use it as a guide or sample for writing your own . Likewise, King creates logos as he employs another antithetical statement that demonstrates the timeliness of his argument: Never voluntarily given by the oppressor must be demanded by the oppressed; Jet-like speed horse-and-buggy pace (518). Martin Luther in Birmingham Jail, The Atlantic. Overall, King is saying that we need to fight against injustice anywhere we see it,, In April of 1963, while incarcerated in Birmingham City jail, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote an influential letter defending his anti-segregation protests. Martin Luther found himself arrested on the twelfth of April 1963 after leading a peaceful protest throughout Birmingham, Alabama after he defied a state courts injunction and led a march of black protesters without a permit, urging an Easter boycott of white-owned stores (Jr., Martin Luther King). King has explained this through many examples of racial situations, factual and logical reasoning, and . King goes on to write that he is disappointed that white moderates care less about justice and more about order. 114, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40236733. Find step-by-step Literature solutions and your answer to the following textbook question: Identify the parallel structures in the following sentence from Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail," and explain their effect. King defends his primary thesis all throughout the length of his letter, and the arguments that he has made to prove that his thesis is true and valid will be the focus of this rhetorical analysis. The eight clergymen in Birmingham released a public statement of caution regarding the protesters actions as unwise and untimely (King 1), to which Martins letter is a direct response. Parallelism/ Juxtaposition. This protest, his subsequent arrest, and the clergymens public statement ostensibly make up the rhetorical exigence, but it truly stems from a much larger and dangerous situation at hand: the overwhelming state of anti-black prejudice spread socially, systematically, and legislatively in America since the countrys implementation of slavery in Jamestown, 1619. Martin Luther King's 'Letter From Birmingham Jail' 16 terms. As example, King uses I have a dream that one day and Let freedom ring.. to open his points on how Americans should change against racial indifferences. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., along with many other civil activist, began a campaign to change the laws and the social attitudes that caused such a disparity. Any deadline. These circumstances lead us to our next rhetorical focus: audience. With this addressed, his audience was truly the population of the United States, especially Birmingham, with a focus on those who withheld and complied with the oppression of African American citizens, even if not intentionally. In A Letter From A Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King Jr defends his use of nonviolent protest in order to accomplish racial equality. King is saying that if we allow injustice to happen in some places, we risk it happening to everyone. Its important to note that his initial readers/supporters greatly impacted the scope of his audience, spreading the letter through handouts, flyers, and press, in the hopes that others would be impacted for the better by the weight of the exigence at hand. Martin Luther King Jr. twists the perspective of his audience -- Southern clergymen -- to create antithetic parallelism in Letter from Birmingham Jail. His passionate tone flowed through these strategies, increasing their persuasive power on the people and encouraging them to follow/listen to his message on racial injustice. He is placing hope among the Negro community and assuring the white superiority that one day, they will share the same rights as their nation distinctively promised a hundred years earlier. Throughout the text, King utilized the values of his audience to gain sympathy and later on support. During a civil resistance campaign in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. King was arrested. similes, metaphors, and imagery are all used to make the letter more appealing to the audiences they make the letter more descriptive while making you focus on one issue at a time. This wait has almost always meant never (King 2). King establishes his position supported by historical and biblical allusions, counterarguments, and the use of rhetorical devices such as ethos, pathos, and logos. Bitzer, Lloyd F. The Rhetorical Situation. Philosophy & Rhetoric, vol. Ethically most people believe that it is necessary to keep a promise. In "Letter from Birmingham Jail", King typically uses repetition in the form of anaphora - repeating the same word (s) at the beginning of consecutive clauses. The amount of original essays that we did for our clients, The amount of original essays that we did for our clients. The Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute. Example: Is not segregation an existential expression of man's tragic separation, his awful estrangement, his terrible sinfulness? These "parallel" elements can be used to intensify the rhythm of language, or to draw a comparison, emphasize, or elaborate on an idea. Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail. The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 29 Jan. 2021, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/02/letter-from-a-birmingham-jail/552461/. samples are real essays written by real students who kindly donate their papers to us so that Several clergy who negatively critiqued Kings approach of seeking justice, wrote A Call for Unity, arguing that his protests were senseless and improper. In Kings speech he says, Its ugly record of police brutality is known in every section of this country (King Page 6). The letter goes on to explain his choice to act directly and nonviolently, stating, For years now I have heard the word wait. It rings in the ear of every Negro with a piercing familiarity. and may encompass the audience, as seen while analysing, The audience of a rhetorical piece will shape the rhetoric the author uses in order to appeal, brazen, or educate whoever is exposed. Magnifying the differences between two things and repeating statements with similar structure brings about emotion to realize the wrongness of the injustice of civil. Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail.. By clicking Receive Essay, you agree to our, Essay Sample on The Effects of the Atomic Bomb, Essay Sample: The Development of the Braille System in Nineteenth-Century France, Constitution of The United StatesResearch Paper Example, Hippies In The 1960's (Free Essay Sample), Positive And Negative Impacts Of The Columbian Exchange, Essay Sample on Early River Civilizations. King is not speaking only of racism; he is speaking of injustice in general. His expressive language and use of argumentation make his case strong and convincing. Any subject. As mentioned before, the social and political ideologies in America surrounding racial equity at this time, specifically in Birmingham, were extremely poor. King's main thesis in writing the Birmingham letter is that, racial segregation, or injustice to the black American society, is due to the continuous encouragement of the white American society, particularly the powerful communities in politics and religions. While in his cell, he composed the famous Letter from Birmingham Jail. Additionally, personable elements such as tone, inflection, and overall vindication behind the letter are left to be determined by the rhetorical language. In his "Letter form a Birmingham Jail" and his "I have a Dream speech, Dr. King uses metaphor, repetition and parallel structure to provide visual images which may evoke empathy in the readers and audience and emphasize the ideas he presents: the argument for civil rights and the goal to end segregation. This special lyrical and parallel structure helped get his main points across and allows a large audience to understand simple but powerful words (Layfield) . In response to Kings peaceful protesting, the white community viewed [his] nonviolent efforts as those of an extremist, and subsequently imprisoned the pastor (para 27).