The Rhetorical Analysis Of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.

While sitting in a jail cell, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. uses this time of reflection to write a letter to the 7 white church leaders in the south in rebuttal to their recent criticisms of the Civil Rights Movement. The letter comes after the recent protest in Birmingham, and the criticisms of his work form the Southern leaders. King crafts his argument in a cause and effect style to illustrate the direct problems or criticisms, and refutes these claims with substantial support in favor of his movement. He builds his persuasive argument through ethos and logos, to present the validity of the cause, and then he calls for reflection from the church leaders. While his tone does not stroke any of the leader’s ego, he appeals to their†¦show more content†¦King argues that â€Å"oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever† and when he addresses his complaints, he is dismissed as an extremist (6-7). By using comprehensive facts to refute the criticisms, logo s builds King’s argument against the church leaders, and advocates for the need for a change in mindset. Although pathos takes the background in this piece, it is due to the disconnect between the church leaders and the black experience. King does not attempt to describe how racism feels because the white men have no idea, or sympathy, towards the people. King knows his audience, and discerns that this type of argument would not be effective. Instead, he uses facts and situations to create an emotional bridge between him and his audience. MLK draws on his own experience when he has â€Å"seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (4). The explicit situations of brutality strike a nerve with even the hardest audience, and the emotion proves that the violence is not an overreaction. Another way King uses pathos is through likening his work as well as the injustice of laws to other prominent groups to make the reader predetermined into thinking a certain way about the subject. To discredit the claim that his protests are illegal, he juxtaposes the situation through a forensic argument that â€Å"everything Hitler did in Germany was ‘legal’ and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary wasShow MoreRelatedEssay on Letter from Birmingham Jail Brief Analysis850 Words   |  4 PagesJail’ Rhetorical Analysis Martin Luther King Jr., the leader of the Civil Rights Movement, was arrested and placed in Birmingham jail after leading a non-violent march to protest racism in the streets of Alabama- a highly segregated state at the time. There he received a newspaper containing â€Å"A Call for Unity,† which was written by eight white Alabama clergymen criticizing King and his movement’s methods; this prompted King to write a letter in response to the critics. 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