Professor Craig Case
ENGLISH 124.04
3 February 2017
Injustice in Birmingham In an era of unprecedented racial injustice, one man stepped up to the plate. Martin Luther King Jr. led several peaceful protests, gave several speeches defending minority rights, and served as a true example of Christ. Much like the apostle Paul and his colleague Silas, Martin Luther King Jr. was imprisoned for standing up for his beliefs. Just as Paul wrote, so did King. While he was imprisoned in Birmingham jail, he wrote a letter to the clergymen who were against his peaceful protests. In his letter, King addresses the racial injustice across the nation by using the three most commonly referred to rhetorical appeals: ethos, logos, and pathos. …show more content…
King was a man committed to the church, and serving Christ. His faith was at the center of everything he did. Everything he spoke, he spoke as a minister of the gospel. Nobody could doubt his love for the church. He gives the church credit for nurturing him, sustaining him, blessing him, and promising to remain true to it as long as he is able. After establishing his credibility, King began addressing the next rhetorical appeal: …show more content…
King was not only disappointed; his dreams had been shattered. He explained his hope for the white religious leadership of Birmingham, and the longing for them to understand his cause. He made several comments and statements similar to this, almost convicting the clergymen of their actions. King was portraying not only his feelings and disappointments, but that of all African-Americans being oppressed. All throughout King’s letter to the clergymen, he spoke against the injustices occurring in the city of Birmingham. He did so in a patient, educated, and passionate manner. He could have easily gotten mad, bitter, and hateful because of the clergymen’s words. Instead he made Christ-like comments regarding the issues occurring in Birmingham, and across the country. King effectively used ethos, logos, and pathos to connect, explain, and address the clergymen’s responses to the non-violent protests. This letter was a beautiful and thorough attack on the injustice that was occurring in that