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Letter from Birmingham Jail Project
101
Letter from Birmingham Jail Analysis
By Hannah Eustasio
Jolliffe’s Rhetorical Framework.
Rhetorical Situation
Exigence: What is the urgency or need motivating Martin Luther King?
Audience: Who is it? Why can these people make a difference?
Purpose: What is the goal? What does the author want the audience to do? Why? What beliefs are involved?
Exigence
Exigence
Martin Luther King Jr. along with 50 other people were arrested and jailed after organizing a series of non-violent demonstrations and sit-ins in hopes to gain national recognition to end segregation. The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King was a response to “A call for Unity” written by the local clergymen. In this letter the clergymen called his action “unwise and untimely,” and referred to Martin Luther King as an “extremist” and as an “outsider.” Martin Luther King felt a motivation and urge to respond to this criticism as there is an immediate need for racial equality. Waiting is not an option anymore, he must fight for his freedom.
Audience
Audience
Martin Luther King’s primary audience in the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” were the local clergymen. His secondary audience were the oblivious people from the United States who did not support him. He writes to these audiences in hopes to persuade them to support his actions.
Purpose
Purpose
The purpose of the Letter from Birmingham Jail is to persuade the local clergymen and those unconcerned about the current situation to fix unjust laws. He does so by adding certain rhetorical devices to his letter such as appeals that include ethos, pathos, and logos to help his argument be clear.
Appeals
Appeals
Logos: What argument does he present? What are his main points? How does Martin Luther King use logos to create his argument?
Ethos: How does Martin Luther King establish his character? How does he connect to the audience and their values? How does he inspire trust?
Pathos: How does Martin Luther King appeal to the audience’s emotions?
Logos
Martin Luther King explains the difference between just and unjust laws in paragraph 16. He argues that segregation laws are unjust because they go against the moral law. Martin Luther King uses logos to create his argument by basing his information from the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas. Who states that “An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law.”
Ethos
Martin Luther King establishes character at the opening of the letter by referring to the men who criticized him as “fellow clergymen.” He shows credibility by stating that he is the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He also referred to his audience as "men of genuine good.” He inspires trust by being polite and respectful in his letter.
Pathos
Martin Luther King appeals to his audience’s emotions by sharing such impacting stories. In paragraph 14 he says you can no longer wait when “ you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim.” Words such as “vicious,” “mobs,” and “lynch” are appealing to the audience and makes them want to listen to what Martin Luther King has to say in his letter.
Arrangement: How does Martin Luther King structure or organize his letter?
Arrangement
Martin Luther King uses parallelism in his letter. He uses similar phrases to express the same ideas. This makes his statement clear and firm to his audience. For example he says “I am in Birmingham because injustice is here,” and “I am here because i was invited here.”