Ethos Pathos Logos In Letter From Birmingham Jail

Words: 436
Pages: 2
Open Document
Letter from Birmingham Jail In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “ Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Dr.King uses an array of rhetorical devices. He uses metaphors, analogies and anaphoras, but what stuck out the most to me was his use of pathos. Dr.King uses pathos to pull at the heartstrings of his readers. He knows exactly what to say when he wants the reader to feel the emotions he’s feeling. Dr.King starts his letter with “ My Dear Fellow Clergymen (85)” I believe King meant to start off his letter in a respectful tone. Starting off his letter like this plays a major role in how the readers perceive him. This respectful tone helps start off his pathos because it makes the reader like Dr.King. A couple of paragraphs into the letter Kings says “ Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly (86)”, he wants the reader to feel somewhat responsible for the injustices going on in Birmingham. King mentions this because there are people who don’t think the injustices in Birmingham affect them when in reality it affects everyone. This is meant to …show more content…
when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television…(90).” King uses pathos here by making the reader feel for the African American community because their children will not have a happy childhood. Not being able to go to amusement parks because of the color of their skin will make these innocent kids not only hate their skin but also hate the people who are oppressing them. King warns his readers that having these kids grow up like this will only cause turmoil. The kids will grow up wanting to rebel, make changes and they will do whatever it takes. Dr.King states “ There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair (90).” King builds his pathos here
Show More

Related Documents: Ethos Pathos Logos In Letter From Birmingham Jail

Letter From Birmingham Jail Ethos Pathos Logos

stated that effective arguments use pathos, ethos and logos. Pathos is appealing to the audience’s emotions, ethos is building credibility and logos is substantiating your argument with logic. Martin Luther King Jr. employed Aristotle’s appeals to influence people through his powerful speeches that moved people into action. One of King’s most effective arguments was his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” which was an appeal he wrote to a group of religious leaders from the southern states of the United…

Words 1652 - Pages 7

Luther King Use Ethos Pathos Logos In Letter From Birmingham Jail

prominent archetypes that exemplify this truth is Martin Luther King Jr. 's Letter from a Birmingham Jail and Snowden's government leaks. In the Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. outlines his purpose for his involvement and perseverance in peaceful protests. King utilizes pathos to appeal emotions and evict a sense of action to the government. As King write about his struggles, “While confined here in Birmingham jail” (King 1). In the passage displayed, King uses the words “confined”…

Words 593 - Pages 3

Dr. Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

profound pieces of literature. The “Letter From Birmingham Jail” is one of Dr. King’s most famous pieces. The letter was written by Dr. Martin Luther King…

Words 590 - Pages 3

Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

“Letter from Birmingham Jail” is letter written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. King read letter written by Eight Alabama Clergymen, which criticized the discrimination protests in Alabama and King himself. In this letter, King writes about racial problems in Alabama. In order to make this an effective response, King writes his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and applies a variety of rhetoric strategies such as ethos, pathos, and logos to prove his arguments valid on his letter. At this time, King was…

Words 623 - Pages 3

Letter From Birmingham Jail Analysis

A call for Unity” and “Letter from Birmingham Jail” were argumental letter which had an outcome from it’s income. Nearly over fifty years ago a group of white Birmingham clergy published “A Call For Unity,”a letter which had condemn Martin Luther Kings Jr’s and other natural citizens who were fighting for their rights. The clergymen's somewhat were supportive and took action for what was being out in publicity during the moment. Although it was a time period of a whole lot of discrimination and segregation…

Words 1520 - Pages 7

Letter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis

envisioned an end to racism, and “Letter from Birmingham Jail” a letter where MLK explains why fighting for civil rights cannot wait and defending nonviolent protests. Through his astounding speeches and powerful writing, King effectively utilizes rhetorical writings to leave a lasting impact on civil rights and freedom. His use of pathos is much more prevalent in his “I Have a Dream” speech, while his use of logos is…

Words 1637 - Pages 7

Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter From Birmingham Jail

Luther King Jr. In his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail, he wrote to the clergymen in Birmingham that had criticized his actions. In the letter he wrote a sentence that could have been a paragraph. King used ethos, pathos, and logos to compel the readers to agree. Rhetoric is necessary for a strong argument. It utilizes credibility, logic, and emotion or ethos, logos, and pathos, respectively. Martin Luther King Jr. uses all three in his Letter from Birmingham Jail. King was a civil rights activist…

Words 579 - Pages 3

Essay on Letter From a Birmingham Jail

English 1301 September 23, 2013 Letter From a Birmingham Jail Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote an open letter to his fellow clergymen in April, 1963 after bring arrested for protesting segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. His letter was in response to statements the clergymen had made condemning and criticizing King for his “unwise and untimely”protests (King 1). In “A Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” King used the methods of ethos, pathos, and logos not only to justify the actions that…

Words 799 - Pages 4

Rhetorical Analysis Essay On Martin Luther King

equal’” (I Have a Dream 4). This quote is said to be the strongest argument in Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, because of the meaning, hope and pathos it provokes. Just as any of King’s speeches there is one section or paragraph that presents the strongest point in King’s argument. In the case of King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” the words presented in the section where King tells of how the “oppressed cannot remain oppressed” and of how he has no fear about the outcome of his people’s…

Words 1335 - Pages 6

Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

"Beyond this, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here," states Martin Luther King Junior in his famous "Letter from a Birmingham Jail". He is in jail for participating in nonviolent resistance to segregation in Birmingham, Alabama after being summoned there by local activists. In the letter, he responds and justifies his actions to a group of white clergymen, who express a concern toward his protests against racism in Birmingham. King explains why he is breaking certain laws that degrade human…

Words 722 - Pages 3