Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail

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Martin Luther King Jr. is an important historical figure, and a well-known civil rights activist. He also happens to be a very talented writing. After being arrested in Birmingham, Alabama for non-violent protesting, King writes his famous letter “A letter from Birmingham Jail” as a response to the criticism made by eight Alabama clergymen. His use of figurative language mixed with rhetorical devices advances his writing. King eloquently portrays his message to the clergymen by skillfully using ethos, pathos, and logos.
King’s letter is a perfectly structured response, and contains multiple examples of building ethos. When he first begins the letter, he opens with: “My Dear Fellow Clergymen.”(261) By greeting the clergymen in such a way, it not only exemplifies his polite character further, but proves to the clergymen that they are equals, in a sense. As King goes on to explain that he is in Birmingham because there is injustice, he makes allusions to scripture. “...and just as the Apostle Paul left his village …show more content…
King uses numerous examples of logic to counter the accusations of the clergymen, and explain how he broke the law by protesting and why he was justified in doing so. King justifies his actions by stating that there are two types of laws: “just” and “unjust”.(265) He defines both of these terms, which helps further develop logos. Kings properly-crafted logos also contains biblical and historical allusions. He states, “[Civil disobedience] was practiced by the early Christians, who were willing to face hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks rather than submit to certain unjust laws of the Roman Empire.”(266) He historically alludes to the Holocaust and states “We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was ‘legal’.” He also uses chiasmus to build logos: “So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will
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