What Are The Rhetorical Devices Used In Letter From Birmingham Jail
Martin Luther King Jr. was a well articulated man who was full of genuine knowledge about the world and his people. In his letter “Letter from Birmingham Jail” he justifies civil disobedience as an answer to social injustice. In hope to convince the clergymen who questioned his movement, King Jr. forms many strong arguments using rhetorical devices such as metaphoric relations and allusions.
Social injustice and unjust laws was an important component of King’s letter. He argues that breaking an unjust law, if executed correctly, is a form of respect towards authority and a community. This is because the punishments entailed by breaking an unjust laws, if accepted properly, raise awareness and invoke action for justice. King Jr. uses metaphorical …show more content…
alludes to history and the bible in order to positively portray civil disobedience to the clergymen. In this argument, rhetorical appeals like Ethos and Logos were used repetitively. Logos was used when King strictly appleas to factual and logical reasoning when forming this argument. Ethos was highlighted when King establishes his credibility and support for his arguments by using real events and facts. Throughout this argument King reminds the clergymen that civil disobedience has been around for a long time. Furthermore, King Jr. uses example to reveal to the clergymen the roots of civil disobedience. He uses direct references to the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar, and the Christians refusing to obey Roman Empire unjust laws. In the letter, civil disobedience is seen as a historically accepted and necessary thing through genuine examples and relationships. This argument gets its strength from the strategic allusion to the Boston Tea Party. At this point, civil disobedience was only discusses in the context of foreign nations and time periods, however, when King Jr. mentions the Boston Tea Party, he respectfully gets personal with his audience. Up to this point the clergymen saw civil disobedience as a foreign idea that society should stay away from, but when King Jr. highlights the use of civil disobedience in the founding of America the clergymen really have to stop and
Social injustice and unjust laws was an important component of King’s letter. He argues that breaking an unjust law, if executed correctly, is a form of respect towards authority and a community. This is because the punishments entailed by breaking an unjust laws, if accepted properly, raise awareness and invoke action for justice. King Jr. uses metaphorical …show more content…
alludes to history and the bible in order to positively portray civil disobedience to the clergymen. In this argument, rhetorical appeals like Ethos and Logos were used repetitively. Logos was used when King strictly appleas to factual and logical reasoning when forming this argument. Ethos was highlighted when King establishes his credibility and support for his arguments by using real events and facts. Throughout this argument King reminds the clergymen that civil disobedience has been around for a long time. Furthermore, King Jr. uses example to reveal to the clergymen the roots of civil disobedience. He uses direct references to the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar, and the Christians refusing to obey Roman Empire unjust laws. In the letter, civil disobedience is seen as a historically accepted and necessary thing through genuine examples and relationships. This argument gets its strength from the strategic allusion to the Boston Tea Party. At this point, civil disobedience was only discusses in the context of foreign nations and time periods, however, when King Jr. mentions the Boston Tea Party, he respectfully gets personal with his audience. Up to this point the clergymen saw civil disobedience as a foreign idea that society should stay away from, but when King Jr. highlights the use of civil disobedience in the founding of America the clergymen really have to stop and