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This letter serves as a purpose to apply the need for love and brotherhood towards one another and avoid all the unjust laws. Example: Is not segregation an existential expression of man's tragic separation, his awful estrangement, his terrible sinfulness? King's letter from Birmingham Jail addresses the American society, particularly the political and religious community of the American society. During a civil resistance campaign in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. King was arrested. Though this letter was intended for the judgemental and condescending men of high faith, his response touched the hearts and minds of the entire U.S. population, then, and for years to come. In. Any subject. The letter from the Birmingham jail of Martin Luther King, Jr.. King intended for the entire nation to read it and react to it. An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and Active Themes. All of these factors influence each other to shape rhetoric, which Bitzer describes as, pragmatic; it comes into existence for the sake of something beyond itself (3), with Martin Luther Kings. 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). This period of quiet speculation over the law illuminates the national divide in opinion over the matter, one which King helped persuade positively. was initially the eight clergymen of Birmingham, all white and in positions of religious leadership. Dr. King goes on to say that laws that do not match what the Bible says are unjust. 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. Throughout the letter critics are disproved through Kings effective use of diction and selection of detail. In the "Letter from Birmingham Jail", written by Martin Luther King Jr., King delivers a well structured response to eight clergymen who had accused him of misuse of the law. Through the masterful use of analogies and undeniable examples of injustice, Kings disgruntled response to the clergies proves the justification for direct action taking place to establish equality for African Americans., Martin Luther Kings letter from Birmingham Jail was written to respond to white religious leaders who criticized his organizations actions against racial prejudice and injustice among black society in Birmingham. 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). While his letter was only addressed to the clergymen, it is safe to assume that King had intent on the public eventually reading his letter, considering his position within the Civil Rights movement, use of persuasive rhetorical language, and hard-hitting debates on the justification of law. Ralph Abernathy (center) and the Rev. Finally, King uses antithesis one more time at the end of his speech, when he writes when all of Gods children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands. The pairs he mentions are all the direct opposites of each other, yet he says that they will all join hands together and be friends. Martin Luther Kings Letter From Birmingham Jail is undeniably effective at responding to the rhetorical situation at hand. Just as well, King uses his aspirations to create ideas within the listeners. Letter From Birmingham Jail and use of Parallel Structure and Anaphora Kirtan Patel Chapter 25 Chapter 24 Parallel Structure- repetition of the same pattern of words or phrases within a sentence or passage to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance. He evokes emotion on his audience by discussing the trials and injustice African Americans have endured. 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. From the very beginning of it , King brings his crowd back to the origin of America when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, that freed all slaves and gave hope to the former slaves. In Kings letter, he states, We must use time creatively, and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right. Funny thing is he had lots of time to think about and write this letter. He was able to further interact with the audience; they were able to hear his voice, listen to the intended tone behind his words, see his face, and study his demeanor in the face of adversary. In his "Letter from Birmingham City Jail," Martin Luther King Jr. presents an argument through analogy by comparing his situation to Apostle Paul. Both their speeches, I Have a Dream and The Ballot or the Bullet may have shared some common traits, but at the same time, differed greatly in various aspects. 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. Since Kings arrest he had time to think deeply about the situation; therefore, he decides to reply back to the Alabama clergymen. The use of pathos is effective because it appeals to emotions and the issue of civil rights and civil disobedience. In the letter, King appeals for unity against racism in society, while he wants to fight for Human Rights, using ethos. In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and . Divided there is little we can dofor we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder." - John F. Kennedy, "1961 First Inaugural Address" Martin Luther utilizes powerful rhetoric to define his exigence. All of these factors influence each other to shape rhetoric, which Bitzer describes as, pragmatic; it comes into existence for the sake of something beyond itself (3), with Martin Luther Kings Letter From Birmingham Jail being a shining example. King was jailed along with large numbers of his supporters, including hundreds of schoolchildren. While in solitary confinement for nearly 8 days, reverend and social justice activist, Martin Luther King Jr., wrote his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail in response to the criticism he received for his non-violent protests. However, in the months that followed, Kings powerful words were distributed to the public through civil rights committees, the press, and was even read in testimony before Congress (Letter from Birmingham Jail), taking the country by storm. Dr. King was considered the most prominent and persuasive man of The Civil Rights Movement. Choose one type of reason and cite an example from these lines. Dr. Kings goal of this letter was to draw attention to the injustice of segregation, and to defend his tactics for achieving justice. Parallelism is a literary device in itself, but it is also a category under which other figures of speech fall, such as those mentioned previously. As mentioned before, the social and political ideologies in America surrounding racial equity at this time, specifically in Birmingham, were extremely poor. This letter is a prime example of Kings expertise in constructing persuasive rhetoric that appealed to the masses at large. Martin Luther Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail addresses his fellow clergymen and others who critiqued him for his actions during this time. He takes up for his cause in Birmingham, and his belief that nonviolent direct action is the best way to make changes happen. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character. Dr. King uses his own words to describe what he wants the nation to look like in the future. A seminal text of the Civil Rights Movement, King's, "Letter from Birmingham Jail," defends the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism, justifies the measures that brought about his arrest, and asseverates that the segregation laws against blacks in the south must be repealed. The rhythm and frequent repetition are used to drive home his key points, stressing the importances of his goal. Throughout the text, King utilized the values of his audience to gain sympathy and later on support. Read these passages aloud, and as you do so, feel their undeniable passion and power. Letter From Birmingham Jail One of the most famous documents in American history is the 1963 letter written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from his jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama. Consequently, Birmingham became the core of the Civil Rights movement, pumping the life-blood of social change into the rest of the country. Despite this, the clergy never questions whether or not segregation is unjust. Letter from Birmingham Jail is addressed to clergymen who had written an open letter criticizing the actions of Martin Luther King, Jr. during several protest in, Letter from Birmingham Jail is a letter written by Martin Luther King, Jr. while he was in jail for participating in peaceful protest against segregation. Egypt) and titles (e.g. Civil rights is an emotional subject for those who were affected by it, and MLK is proving his argument on civil disobedience. 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). Consequently, King fabricates logos as he urges African-Americans to demand justice from their oppressors, an issue that directly affects everyone across the nation: not just those in specific areas. Emotional appeal uses intense words and charged language to grab listeners to get them to keep listening. He hopes that this letter will stop this injustice matter, and show what the African American desire. 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. To minimize the possibility of being deemed invalid due to his race, he must choose what he states and how he states it very precisely which correlates to the constraints Martin Luther himself has on his rhetorical situation. He points out the irony of America because Black Americans were still not truly free. Pathos are present more often in the I Have A Dream speech, mainly because he is bravely facing a crowd, speaking from the heart, rather than formality. 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. In short, Martin Luther King Jr. includes rhetorical devices in his writing. In the letter "Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. writes to the Clergyman to express his idea on the racial discrimination and injustice going on in Birmingham Alabama. Your email address will not be published. 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. He displays a great amount of pathos, logos, and ethos in his speech. Dr. King wrote, This wait has almost always meant never. This is why Dr. king addresses this matter in a letter about the battle of segregation. In Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 "Letter from Birmingham Jail" was this line, "We must use time creatively, and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right." King was the leader of the African-American Civil Rights Movement as well as an activist for humanitarian causes. Greater importance is placed on his tone, choice of words, choice of argument, and credibility, for better or for worse, and he must carefully make rhetorical decisions, not only because of his race. This is the beginning of King's point-by-point rebuttal of the criticisms leveled against him. MarkAHA. He seeks to make them see the logic behind their protesting and make them feel ashamed and embarrassed by the way that they have been treating the African Americans. This wait has almost always meant never (King 2). Martin Luther King Jr. was born to a middle class family and was well educated. Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail.. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with moral law. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law." Malcolm X, on the other hand, grew up in a rather hostile environment with barely enough schooling. Repetitions help the writer give structure to his arguments and highlight important aspects. While this fight had been raging for nearly 10 years, the release in 1963 was shortly followed by the Civil Rights Act in 1964. By stating the obvious point and implying that moderates act as though this was not true, he accuses them of both hypocrisy and injustice. "Letter From a Birmingham Jail," written by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963, describes a protest against his arrest for non-violent resistance to racism. The Letter from Birmingham Jail addresses many problems, including the slow action occuring to stop racial discrimination. For example, to use parallelism in a sentence in which you list a series of elements, each element typically has the same form. Parallelism is useful to emphasize things and ideas to the audience, which, like all the other tropes and schemes. It elucidated the exigence behind his letter as his presented rationale behind his arrest only made unjust laws appear more asinine and questionable by relation. During this letter, King then uses the time to unroot the occasion of nonviolent protests in BIrmingham and the disappointing leadership of the clergy. The main argument Dr. King is making in the letter is the protest being done in Birmingham is "wise" and most important "timely". The rhetorical choices referenced above are riddled with pathos, also known as language utilized to persuade the audience emotionally. He wrote the letter in response to criticisms made by white clergymen. 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. Mistreatment of this kind is labeled as racial discrimination. 1963, a letter was written to the clergy to alert them of what great injustices were taking place in Birmingham, Alabama. In the beginning of the speech, King goes back to the Constitution and Declaration of Independence stating that .all men, black or white, were to be granted the same rights (Declaration of Independence). The topic of Dr. Kings letters from a Birmingham prison is the nonviolent protest being done in Birmingham, Alabama in the fight for African Americans civil rights. In paragraphs 33 to 44 of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s response to A Call for Unity, a declaration by eight clergymen, Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963), he expresses that despite his love for the church, he is disappointed with its lack of action regarding the Civil Rights Movement. 1, no. Moreover, King juxtaposes contradictory statements to bolster the legitimacy of his argument against injustice -- in stark contrast to the racist beliefs held by the clergy -- which creates logos that he later capitalizes on to instill celerity within the audience. Therefore, as King fabricates antithetic parallelism, he constructs logos and persuades the audience to take prompt action against injustice through the careful juxtaposition of inverse statements. At this time, he is representative of the Black American population and the Civil Rights Movement as a whole he is Martin Luther King Jr., and while this is a powerful position to occupy, the constraints imposed are just as dominant. In order to properly convey his response to the questions proposed by the religious leaders of Birmingham, Dr. King uses it to draw comparisons which magnifies an idea, but it also commends one and disparages the other. In Kings speech he. However, Martin Luther King Jr is an extremely influential figure in the field of oration and rhetoric. As King disproves the arguments of the white clergymen, he utilizes antithesis to create logos; furthermore, he calls the reader to take action against injustice across the nation. Here, King combines divergent interpretations of justice to demonstrate the gravity of the injustice that he confronted in Birmingham. As campaigning, King uses it in his speech in order to express all his points. 1, no. 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. His expressive language and use of argumentation make his case strong and convincing. In Letter From Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King responds to the subjectivity of law and the issue he paramounts by using precise and impactful rhetoric from inside of his jail cell. Dr. King often used repetition and parallel construction to great emotional effect when he spoke. He uses a large number of rhetorical devices in his letter to reach his goal, including point of view, imagery, and rhetorical questions. In Letter From Birmingham Jail, the exigence is the continued condemnation, segregation, and prejudice afflicted against African Americans since the emancipation of the slaves in 1863. In this example, King employs antithesis to highlight the logical structure and urgency of his argument against inequity, which allows him to establish logos. To achieve this, he used rhetorical strategies such as appeal to pathos and repetition. Furthermore the Kings parallel structure clarifies and highlights his intent by building up to a more important point. Letter from Birmingham Jail. The Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute, 29 May 2019, https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/letter-birmingham-jail. When Dr. King first arrived in Birmingham, trouble occurred when he and fellow activists were . Analysing a rhetorical situation clarifies why a text was created, the purpose in which it was written, and why the author made specific choices while writing it. Bitzer, Lloyd F. The Rhetorical Situation. Philosophy & Rhetoric, vol. Furthermore, exterior events regarding the movement could ultimately reflect on his influence and polarize the audience further. We allow people to think that it is okay to act unjustly towards some individuals. The clergymen along with others are addressed in an assertive tone allowing them to fully understand why his actions are justified. The constraints surrounding Martin Luther Kings rhetorical situation include the audience, the rhetorical exigence of the situation he is responding to, Dr. King himself, and the medium, all of which are deeply connected. 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). However, the racial divide was legislated in 1877 with the implementation of Jim Crow laws, which lasted until 1950. However, they each have different ideas about freedom, and about what they want their audience to do. King chose to write this for a reason; to resonate with those who were not his enemies but who held back the movement through compliance. But immediately after Dr. King speaks out on how after 100 years Blacks still do not have the free will that is deserved. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and, Martin Luther King Jr. was a strong leader in the Civil Rights movement, the son and grandson of a minister, and one heck of a letter writer. Additionally, as he confesses to the clergy, King employs antithesis to create a rational structure that fosters logos: I agree I cant agree; small in quantity big in quality and shattered dreams hope (521 & 524-525).