Many people know about Martin Luther King Jr. because of his famous speech “I have a Dream.” However, not a lot of people know about his great masterpiece, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” which was written on April 16, 1963. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote this letter while he was in jail. He had been arrested in Birmingham, Alabama because he was marching in a peaceful protest for civil rights for African-Americans without a permit. Several local religious leaders were opposed to him and told him not to protest. They said that the segregated problems would move along naturally and that he was only stirring things up. The religious leaders had written a letter called “A Call for Unity,” which was against Martin Luther King Jr.’s protest. They urged
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used in his letter. Some writers like to use ethos in their papers because it can connect themselves or their personal experience to people who are truthful or have a good reputation. In order to support his decision about breaking the law, Martin Luther King Jr. referred to Augustine 's quote, “An unjust law is not a law” to express that the segregation laws were not “just laws.” Therefore, there is no need to follow these laws. Using this quote from Augustine can allow readers to trust King, especially to people who believe Augustine because they respect him. Furthermore, King applied ethos to support his claim about being an extremist by associating many historically well-known people and their behavior with being extreme in his letter. This leads to the conclusion that being extreme does not necessary carry a negative meaning, and it can also have a positive tone because there are also other extremists in history that brought significant changes in our society. For example, he stated “Was not John Bunyan an extremist? – ‘I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a mockery of my conscience.’ Was not Abraham Lincoln an extremist? – ‘This nation cannot survive half slave and half free.’ Was not Thomas Jefferson an extremist? –‘We hold these truths to be self–evident, that all men are created equal.’” By using famous people in his paper, people might think that he was one of them who tried to help people
used in his letter. Some writers like to use ethos in their papers because it can connect themselves or their personal experience to people who are truthful or have a good reputation. In order to support his decision about breaking the law, Martin Luther King Jr. referred to Augustine 's quote, “An unjust law is not a law” to express that the segregation laws were not “just laws.” Therefore, there is no need to follow these laws. Using this quote from Augustine can allow readers to trust King, especially to people who believe Augustine because they respect him. Furthermore, King applied ethos to support his claim about being an extremist by associating many historically well-known people and their behavior with being extreme in his letter. This leads to the conclusion that being extreme does not necessary carry a negative meaning, and it can also have a positive tone because there are also other extremists in history that brought significant changes in our society. For example, he stated “Was not John Bunyan an extremist? – ‘I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a mockery of my conscience.’ Was not Abraham Lincoln an extremist? – ‘This nation cannot survive half slave and half free.’ Was not Thomas Jefferson an extremist? –‘We hold these truths to be self–evident, that all men are created equal.’” By using famous people in his paper, people might think that he was one of them who tried to help people