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Transcript

Works cited

King, Martin Luther, Jr. "Letter From Birmingham Jail." The Atlantic Monthly, Aug. 1963: 78-88. Print.

"Martin Luther King Jr. Contributions." Martin Luther King Jr. Contributions. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.

Murray, Paul T. "Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Letter from Birmingham Jail”." Milestone Documents. Accessed November 17, 2014.

Appeals

Pathos-Emotion

Logos-Logic

"...unconsciously developing a bitterness toward white people..."(2)

“Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored.”(2)

King uses this word choice to show that even his innocent 6 year old daughter is developing a hatred towards the whites. He is trying to make the clergymen feel guilty with young children.

MLK uses logic to reason that he supports direction action because something constructive and nonviolent leads to growth. He claims that sit-ins, and marches create a tension that eventually dramatize the problem so much that it’s acknowledged.

Ethos- credibility/authority

Letter From Birmingham Jail Analysis

“I have the honor of serving as a president of the southern Christian leadership conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. We have some eighty-five affiliated organizations across the south, and one of them is the Alabama Christian movement for human rights.”(1)

MLK uses ethos when he states that he is in high involvement in many organizations, conferences’ and takes place in many human right movements.

Rhetorical Mode

Topic/Thesis

Addresses reasons to continue non-violent actions against racist, unjust laws that are currently in effect during the time he was incarcerated

Topic explained

We as people have the moral right to challenge unjust laws.

Explains the basic steps of a non violent campaign: "collection of the facts to determine whether injustices are alive, negotiation, self-purification, and direct action."(1)

He addresses exactly why he is in Birmingham: bad treatment of negros, bombings, record of police brutality, overall "probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States."(1)

Makes historical references to Jesus Christ, The Holocaust, and Abraham Lincoln to help prove his point.

Martin Luther compares and contrasts just and unjust laws to show that it’s okay to disobey laws if they are amoral, and are needed to be disobeyed to pursue freedom. He defines just laws as the laws of god, and laws that are moral which “Uplift Human Personality.”(3) He also refers to Just laws as codes that both majority and minority obey. “a just law is a code that a majority compels a minority to follow, and that it is willing to follow itself. This is sameness legal.”(3) In contrast he defines unjust laws as amoral and degrading to human personalities. He also explains that unjust laws are laws that majority impose on minority, but don’t obey themselves.

Thesis: Martin Luther King Jr. explains that racial discrimination, or injustice to the black American society, is due to the nonstop encouragement of the white American society, mainly the influential communities in politics and religions.

Writer

Credibility

-Was a clergy member himself.

-Has a Religious outlook on the

situation.

-Was the President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

-Extremely Humble man even after all the whites had put him through, he still shows no sign of hate in his heart for his enemies.

Audience

-Eight White Clergy Men

-White Liberals

Tone

Diction

-Polite

-Humble

-Apologetic "Fellow clergyman..."(4)

-Friendly

Even though MLK is in jail, he explained his reason rather than attacking.

Other words used:

Freedom

Action

Community

Words were used repetitively either for effect, or because they were necessary for the ideas and statements he was trying to convey.

Calling them fellow clergyman symbolizes no hate, and shows the theme brotherhood.

Martin Luther King

Justice, unjust, violence, segregation, brothers,

Purpose

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."(1)

-Baptist minister and social activist

-Led the Civil Rights Movement

-Used non-violent protests to get messages across.

Justice and unjust

-Refers to what is morally correct

-Doing the right thing

-Integrity

Violence

-Not the only way to settle differences

-Can settle issues nonviolently and still get the point across with being effective

To let the clergyman of Birmingham know that he also was a clergyman not an outsider, and that he was approached by others for guidance, support and encouragement on how to deal with injustice in the town of Birmingham and help with establishment of civil rights.

Segregation and Brothers

-Reference separation and unity

-People are being separated and treated differently all because of race.

By: Wesam, Sadee, Paris, Mailon, and Mario

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