Martin Luther King Jr.’s “A Letter From Birmingham Jail” falls into the expository genre but disguised as a letter. King wrote to the religious leaders in the South to inform them about the civil rights movement and to persuade them to join. His letter addresses concerns they may have; it also shows how they have not shown the proper support that a man of God would. King tries to show that apathy towards injustice is equal to the injustice itself. King’s central message is that the religious community must support the peaceful civil rights movement or else they are betraying their beliefs. King divides the world into three groups: supporters of injustice, opponents of injustice, and people that are ambivalent. He shows that people who are ambivalent and do not fight against injustice are as bad as those who commit injustices. King believes that to advance a moral cause you have to use moral methods; this is why he only endorses peaceful protest. King also believes that religion supports equality, and if you are true to your faith, you must support justice and equality. King uses several tools of rhetoric. He uses his own credibility as a Christian man to support his claims. He mentions his heritage as priest, his achievements, and his peaceful record to show that his cause is just. King quotes from Socrates and other philosophers and calls on the credibility of others to support his argument. King utilizes a strong appeal to emotion. His imagery and figurative language evoke a strong response. He shares stories about explaining to his kids about racism and inequality to persuade his audience. In his writing, King introduced his opponents’ arguments and then showed their faults. This tool was especially effective.
I really enjoyed this piece, although when I read writings from such intelligent people I find myself getting confused occasionally haha but I really thought that it was a good piece. I also think that Martin Luther King, Jr. is a great writer, and did a very good job of arguing his side. I thought he did an extremely good job of using the tools of pathos, an appeal to emotion, and logos, an appeal to logic. I am not very excited to write a rhetorical analysis though, I am convinced I will get a bad grade on it haha
ReplyDeleteThis man can really argue. He has to be one of the most persuasive people who ever walked the earth. Just look what he did for are society, so many people of been influenced by the way he lived his life and for the example he set as well.
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