“Letter From A Birmingham Jail” †Passage Analysis Essay

On Good Friday in 1963, 53 blacks, led by Reverend Martin Luther king, Jr., marched into downtown Birmingham, Alabama, to protest the existing separatism laws. All were arrested. This ca utilise the clergymen of this Southern town to compose a letter stiring to the black population to deterrent their demonstrations. In response to their letter, King wrote back in what would be titled garner From A Birmingham cast out. Especially prevalent in the letter are Aristotles appeals, which include logos, ethos and pathos. The concluding section of the record is a well rounded, and demonstrates all of the appeals. Rhetorical techniques and literary devices serve to further strengthen Kings argument and create a convincing argument that he is right in both his bursting charge and his methods.King immediately appeals to logos, or logic, when he states, It is true that the police contain exercised a degree of school in handing the demonstrators. In this sense they have conducted themsel ves rather nonviolently in pubic. But for what purpose? To pertain the evil system of segregation. The answer he gives to his question is correct, and this is even so clearer in retrospect. By exposing the rational fallacies of the opposing argument, he weakens the clergymens argument while at the same time strengthening his own.In order to back up his point of view and turn himself into an authority for the audience, King subprograms ethos. Using repetition, he economises, Before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth, we were here. Before the pen of Jefferson etched the majestic words of the Declaration of license across the pages of history, we were here. Here he identifies himself as part of a group of people who have been in America just as long, and at the same time stresses the repeated nature of the problem. His ancestors suffered downhearted wages, injustice, humiliation, and countless atrocities under the rule of the white man.By writing about such landmark events as the landing at Plymouth, or the signing of the Declaration of Independence, King reveals a new time perspective. He uses history, and the pillars set by the founding fathers of the United States as a means of validating his reputation. We will encourage our freedom because the sacred heritage of our nation and the eternal will of perfection are embodied in our echoing demands, he writes in anundeniably confident, yet at the same time impatient, tone. In alluding to God he is relating to the clergy people by showing that he is a pious person who is genuinely frustrated.King also uses contrast (when the ideas in the second clause is the opposite of the first) as a rhetorical strategy. This creates a logical argument (an appeal to logos) that simplifies some of his main points. Chiasmus, a more specific kind of contrast, is when the disapprobation structure itself is different from the first clause to the second. On the topic of the degree of discipline the police used to handle the dem onstrators, he writes, I have tried to make clear that it is wrong to use mean means to attain moral ends. But now I must affirm that it is just as wrong, or perhaps even more so, to use moral means to preserve immoral ends. The use of logos in this instance goes even further to strengthen his argument because it is inherently true.Perhaps the nigh obvious appeal in Kings letter is the appeal to pathos, or the appeal to emotions. by dint of personalizing his details, he brings the argument to a basic level in which he challenges the clergymens ideals. I dubiety that you would have so warmly commended the police force if you had seen its dogs sinking their teeth into unarmed, nonviolent Negroes, he writes use imagery and graphic details to paint a sickening picture. I doubt that you would so promptly commend the policemen if .you were to observe their ugly and inhumane treatment of Negroes here in the city jail if you were to mark off them push and curse ancient Negro women an d young Negro girls if you were to see them slap and kick old Negro men and young boys. By using pronouns he shows the perverting effect that it actually has. The use of children as an moral always helps in the emotional aspect of the argument.King utilizes the device known a rhetorical question (a question that has no answer) in order to challenge the emotional integrity of those who oppose him. What contribute one do when he is alone in a narrow jail cell, other than write long letters, think long thoughts and pray long prayers?. By explaining his own agony and impatience, he is at the same time giving adescription of the frustration of black people in general, and with the repetition and emphasis of the word long, the duration of the suffering is pounded into the readers head.Letter From A Birmingham incarcerate is a widely read text, but at the same time is a great example of major rhetorical elements. Kings masterful citations of famous historical figures create an outstandi ng appeal to ethos, and build up his authority. His emotional imagery brings out pathos and emotion. His legitimate, logical arguments buffer his argument even more. Through these appeals, and the literary devices used to demonstrate them, one cannot deny that the argument found in Letter From a Birmingham Jail does more than just refute what the clergymen wrote, in that it truly convinces almost every audience.