Preview

How Is Ethos Used In Letter From Birmingham Jail

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
461 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How Is Ethos Used In Letter From Birmingham Jail
In "Letter from Birmingham Jail", Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. discusses whether or not African Americans have the same opportunities and equal rights as whites do. Then, King further explains the daily struggles and dilemmas that African Americans have been going through for such a long time and that change is essential. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. uses appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos. King also uses historical, biblical, and literary allusions to support and further his argument. Dr. King begins with ethos and logos by discussing how nonviolent protests are perfectly legal and are lawful acts. He states that he is imprisoned in Birmingham because, "injustice is here," (King 332). This appeals to ethos because it is morally and ethically …show more content…
Dr. King also references St. Augustine who said "an unjust law is no law at all," (King 334). Dr. King also appeals to logos by comparing his disobedience to segregation laws to the rebellion at the Boston Tea Party. This historical allusion gives his claims credit and defend his thinking. Dr. King also uses pathos by describing the torment that many African American people have to go through on a daily basis due to racism and segregation laws. King states that they are "humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading 'white' and 'colored'," (King 334). Dr. King defends the protests by explaining why the segregation laws must be overturned and why things need to change soon. He states how African American people are disrespected and "living constantly at tiptoe stance," (King 334). He also describes how many African American people are constantly plagued by fear and hatred and that they feel no worth in society. Through his use of ethos, pathos, and logos Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. effectively explains and defends his actions. He also justifies anyone else who would like to be treated equally in society and would like to protest in a nonviolent
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    "Letter from Birmingham Jail" Literary Analys
    • 774 Words
    • 4 Pages

    "Letter from Birmingham Jail" Literary Analys

    The use of comparison in Dr. King’s letter makes the African American’s trouble of segregation seems, just about holy. He compares being arrested for his peaceful but illegal actions to the crucifixion of Jesus for his “unique God-consciousness and never-ceasing devotion.” Martin Luther King, Jr. ties himself to God by suggesting that above constitutional rights and legal laws are God-given rights, and these rights are the ones that he and his followers are supporting. He says that just laws, are laws that “Square with moral law or the law of God.” King resumes this religious association in his last paragraph, where he mentions blacks who conduct sit-ins as “children of God” who stand up for “the most scare Values in our Judeo-Christian heritage.” These similarities make Dr. King and his men seem to be fighting an almost heavenly cause, one that has the support of God and of history.…

    • 774 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    What Is Mlk Thesis In Letter From Birmingham Jail
    • 187 Words
    • 1 Page

    What Is Mlk Thesis In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, King feels the Southern Church is unable to understand and grasp the complexity of this situation. He goes on to mention the four peaceful demonstration steps they have gone through, “collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action”(King 6). By stating this, King explains that if they just blatantly said there is racial injustice in the community, rather than peacefully protesting, there would be no gain in their goal of equality. King uses several emotional statements that are very logical regarding to the treatment of Negroes in Birmingham. He states, “We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and…

    • 187 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter From Birmingham Jail
    • 925 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter From Birmingham Jail

    In April of 1963, while incarcerated in Birmingham City jail, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote an influential letter defending his anti-segregation protests. King had been arrested while participating in a peaceful anti-segregation march although several local religious groups counted on King for support. Since King’s arrest he had time to think deeply about the situation; therefore, he decides to reply back to the Alabama clergymen. Who had criticize Martin Luther King because he was simply doing something that was right and violence was not needed for King. “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…

    • 925 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examples Of Ethos In Letter From Birmingham Jail
    • 1692 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Examples Of Ethos In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    (719), we have a dual appeal. Dr. King, to support his reasoning that a legal…

    • 1692 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
    • 1146 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

    In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter to the eight Alabama clergymen under the confines of a jail cell in a Birmingham, Alabama prison. The letter stated his thoughts and opinions on the racial tension between the white and the black communities of Alabama. Martin Luther King’s letter was written as a rebuttal to the letter he received from the Alabama clergymen that stated the demonstrations, protests, and acts of civil disobedience of the Negro community were unlawful and should be put to a stop immediately. Martin Luther King replied by indicating that the blacks had a right to peaceful protests; they were simply trying to educate the community about the prejudices present in Alabama and to motivate a change. King incorporated the tree rhetorical strategies of ethos, logos, and pathos throughout his letter. In Martin Luther…

    • 1146 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Letter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis Essay
    • 1359 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Letter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis Essay

    Martin Luther King Jr., born on January 15, 1929, fought for the injustices of his brothers and sisters throughout his life. While being an active activist, Martin Luther King was imprisoned to Birmingham jail due to his participation in a nonviolent demonstration against segregation and discrimination in Alabama. During his sentence, he wrote a letter, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” to counter the criticisms of his actions from the clergymen by claiming that “An unjust law is no law at all”(par. 12), “Injustice everywhere is a threat to justice…

    • 1359 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    An Analysis Of Dr. Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail
    • 749 Words
    • 3 Pages

    An Analysis Of Dr. Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

    During the Spring of 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led about a thousand African-Americans through non-violent protests in the business district in Birmingham. Unfortunately, he and other top activists were thrown into jail by Birmingham police in retaliation and were treated under harsh conditions, as did all African-Americans. On the day of his arrest, the Birmingham, Alabama newspaper published The Public Statement by Eight Alabama Clergymen called King’s activities “unwise and untimely,” calling for the community to renounce protest tactics that caused unrest in the community, to do so in court and “not in the streets.” King wrote back from jail arguing each point the clergymen wrote in their “public statement”. In the Letter from Birmingham Jail, King writes point by point his reasons for coming to Birmingham and the actions he had committed and why he wishes to continue his fight for equality. King successfully employed the use of Logos, Pathos, and Ethos by arguing back on legal, historical, and political grounds.…

    • 749 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Analysis Of Letter From A Birmingham Jail By Langston Hughes
    • 567 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Analysis Of Letter From A Birmingham Jail By Langston Hughes

    King uses his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” to promote the efficacy of integration and address the tensions present between races in the United States. After the courts failed to appease King by restricting his ability to hold protests in Birmingham, Alabama, he was sent to jail for conducting non-violent protests. While imprisoned, he mentioned that he is “cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states” and expresses that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”…

    • 567 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Martin Luther King Jr Vs Socrates Essay
    • 1171 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Martin Luther King Jr Vs Socrates Essay

    Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, he talks about a much different feeling towards the law. In an attempt to change the laws of segregation in the South, King directly breaks the laws and then accepts his punishment for doing so. King thinks that the segregation issue must be solved by “compromise and negotiation” but he also thinks that the breaking of laws is necessary to form the creative pressure through which the true understanding of an issue can be acknowledged and then negotiated upon after that. King states that “the laws that violate and degrade humanity are inflicted upon the minority who have no voice in the voting progresses are unjust.” He also points out that segregation “degrades human personality,” black people in the south are not allowed to vote nor do not have a voice in any of the democratic processes. This is all leading to the way that King defines segregation as an unjust law, and the separation of human beings as sinful. Martin Luther King, Jr. also believes in a higher law than just a man-made law and it is this law that he shapes his actions around. St. Augustine states that “an unjust law is no law at all” leading King to believe that unjust laws that fall under this should be broken. This is a strong argument because the main audience was the clergymen who look to the bible for guidance and follow what is…

    • 1171 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ethos In Letter From Birmingham Jail
    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Ethos In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    Imagine your family “smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society” (King). How would you feel? Would you rebel so that your family can have what they need? Martin Luther King, the famous civil rights spokesperson and leader known for his civil disobedience. Talking about the extreme mistreatment that people of color receive makes his audience interested. He was bringing great justice to the african-americans by speaking up about the issue, since everyone knew this was wrong but no one was ever brave enough . Martin Luther King included a large variety of rhetorical appeals in his “Letter From Birmingham jail,” The two most effective ones are polysyndeton and pathos because they force the reader to consider the consequences about the discrimination and overwhelming hatred towards the african-americans while also making…

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Mlk Letter
    • 654 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Mlk Letter

    On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in Birmingham, Alabama for leading a protest and parading without a parading permit. As an amazing and inspiring leader he was, Martin Luther King Jr., in his letter “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” defends his strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism and oppression. King’s purpose of writing the letter was to explain to the clergyman what he was doing in the town of Birmingham and why he was not “untimely and unwisely.” King uses multiple rhetorical strategies in his letter to make it stronger. Three of these strategies are ethos, anaphora, and allusions.…

    • 654 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Letter From Birmingham Jail: Attaining Equality
    • 837 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Letter From Birmingham Jail: Attaining Equality

    Objection of what is unjust has long been a part of human nature. Human beings have the tendency to oppose things that contradicts their morals or beliefs as it indirectly challenges who they are or what they stand for. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” written in 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. responds to clergymen who criticized his actions and role in the battle against segregation. These actions that were carried out by King were done so because he believed it was his moral responsibility, he believed it was his obligation to fight for the rights of all people. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr. argues how the demonstrations he took part of are in fact justifiable as African American individuals were being overwhelmingly maltreated and degraded as human beings.…

    • 837 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Tension In Letter From Birmingham Jail
    • 466 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Tension In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    Martin Luther King jr. wrote this letter from the Birmingham jail on April 16, 1963. The purpose of this text is Martin Luther King jr contradicting the clergymen and explaining the suffering of the Negro lives. His point was to show that black lives are no different than white lives and how both communities are interrelated. As opposed to the clergymen who wanted negotiations instead of direct actions, MLK tried to show the need for direct actions to reach negotiations. For example he had said, “The purpose of our direct-action program is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation.” (King). He also argues against the fact that the clergymen called him an outsider. He rebuts with saying “...I was invited here because I have organizational ties here.” (King). King then later explained how “...racial injustice engulfs this community.” (King). He described how Birmingham was the the most segregated city in the United states due to brutality, Negroes having unjust court trials, and…

    • 466 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Letter from Birmingham Jail
    • 344 Words
    • 1 Page

    Letter from Birmingham Jail

    In “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, author Martin Luther King Jr. confirms the fact that human rights must take precedence over unjust laws. His expressive language and use of argumentation make his case strong and convincing. King uses pathos to invoke anger, sympathy and empathy, his impeccable use of logos makes his argument rational to everyone, and his use of ethos, especially the use of biblical references, makes his opinions more reliable. King’s arguments induce an emotional response in his readers. Although the letter was addressed to the eight clergymen, the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” speaks to a national audience. King’s 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. King intended for the entire nation to read it and react to it. He “had hoped that the white moderate would understand that law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and that when they in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress” (King 267). He uses parallelism by repeating “I had hoped” to ironically accuse his attackers. By stating the obvious point and implying that moderates act as though this was not true, he accuses them of both hypocrisy and injustice. King is not speaking only of racism; he is speaking of injustice in general. He is a firm believer that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (262). King is saying that if we allow injustice to happen in some places, we risk it happening to everyone. We allow people to think that it is okay to act unjustly towards some individuals. The problem is that this kind of thinking can spread and infect other people to believe this is acceptable. This comes to endanger our entire society. Overall, King is saying that we need to fight against injustice anywhere we see it,…

    • 344 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Martin Luther King Unjust Essay
    • 1292 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Martin Luther King Unjust Essay

    Martin Luther King Jr. is known for his work in desegregation and the end of of the most well known racial equality activists ever, and he lived during a period of time that had many unjust laws that created many problems for African Americans. Martin Luther King Jr. agreed with St. Augustine that a law that is unjust is actually not a law after all. Martin Luther King Jr.’s belief in this idea was seen in his letter from a Birmingham Jail when he says, “One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” Martin Luther King Jr. mentioned multiple times in his letter that these unjust laws were extremely degrading, and denied African Americans basic human…

    • 1292 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics