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Rhetorical Analysis of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Speech

Appealing to Logos pt. 1

Purpose

Appealing to Logos pt. 2

Another appeal to logos is, "In no sense do I advocate evading or defying the law, as would the rabid segregationist. That would lead to anarchy. One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty." This shows that King obviously isn't trying to break the law. He wants to express his protests in a manner that doesn't break the law, which is what he has been doing. This shows the logical way of his thinking and agreeing that people who break the law must accept the punishments.

The first appeal to logos can be seen in the quotation, "You are quite right in the calling of negotiation. Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct actions 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. My citing the creation of tension as part of the work of the nonviolent-resister may sound rather shocking." This quote shows that King thinks it's the obvious way to agree with the clergymen that a nonviolent way is the right way. He points out that he is trying to choose this way of handling the situation.

Appealing to Ethos pt.1

"I have the honor of serving as 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." This quote helps show the credibility of how well known he is and how successful

he has become. This helps his credibility.

Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered an important statement about civil rights and civil disobedience. He wrote the letter to tell the eight clergymen that even though he was in jail, it wouldn't stop him from helping with the civil rights movement.

Audience

Appealing to Pathos pt. 1

Appealing to Ethos pt. 2

"...never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was "legal" and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was "illegal." " This helps King's credibility by showing an example of how discrimination led to horrible events. This makes us think about how discriminating against black people, is the same as Hitler discriminating against the Jews.;/

"We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." This quote is an appeal to pathos because when he says that freedom isn't voluntarily given, it makes us think about how black people were made slaves and to get their freedom, they had to work for years and years to get it.

The audience of the letter are the eight clergymen who wrote about him.

Tone

Orator/Writer

Appealing to Pathos pt. 2

"In spite of my shattered dreams, I came to Birmingham with the hope that the white religious leadership of this community would see the justice of our cause and, with deep moral concern, would serve as the channel through which our just grievances could reach the power structure. " This is also an appeal to pathos because he talks about his shattered dreams and makes the opposite race feel bad they were the cause of this. He also tries to guilt the clergymen when he tells him about his shattered dreams.

The tone of this letter is very critical because he carefully goes through all of his intentions and also says how the clergymen are verbally abusing him over something that he, himself, has no control over.

The writer is Martin Luther King, Jr.

Diction

Situation

"But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here." This is supporting the tone because here he is telling the clergymen that they have an issue with discrimination against blacks in their town. He also says this because he knows that even though he is in jail, he can still help in the outside world while he is in there.

In 1963, while King was in Birmingham, Alabama, eight clergymen published a letter in the "Post Herald" criticizing his presence and his strategies. From the cell where he was jailed for demonstrating, King responded by writing what has come to be known as "Letter from Birmingham Jail."

-The Language of Composition

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