MLK uses the emotions and wills of the audience to rally his cause by people’s sense of righteousness with an uplifting and unifying tone. These aspects are especially present in his usage of antithesis and pathos. On page 6, on it’s 21st and 22nd lines, MLK says that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”. This line of antithesis is used as a means of rallying people.…
In his letter, “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, leader in the civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., powerfully replies to criticisms regarding his cause and his actions. King’s purpose is to prove to his criticizers that his cause is right and just. He adopts a condemnatory tone in order to convey his disapproval with the clergymen’s criticisms and excuses. It’s Dr. King’s strong use of diction that has the greatest impact on making this piece so powerful and effective.…
Historically, faith has had a massive impact on shaping American culture into what it is today in the modern era. Due to its widespread effect, faith has been a big topic in the realm of American Literature and media. While imprisoned in the Birmingham jail following a repulsed non-violent civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. penned “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” King’s powerful letter written primarily to white Christian leaders of the South utilizes many rhetorical strategies in conjunction with the emotionally charged subject of faith, to effectively present his argument and provoke the audience into action. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. uses personal experiences of the horrors of segregation, allusions to events in Christian…
Rhetorical Essay of “Letter From Birmingham Jail” In Martin Luther King Junior’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, King responds to the criticism of the eight white clergymen by stating that he isn’t affiliated with the problems of racism in Birmingham. He states the he usually never takes the time to respond to criticisms, or otherwise, “his secretaries would have little time for anything other than such correspondence in the course of the day” (King par.1). King believes that his fellow clergymen as equals, and that they are being genuinely sincere about their argument.…
On April 12, 1963, a group of clergymen trivialized the demonstrations held by some Negro citizens as “unwise” and “untimely”. The clergymen dismissed that such actions would incite only violence and hate to build up in the community. Dr. Martin Luther King Junior, the leader of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, articulates that their convictions are wrong. In his response letter, King argues that nonviolent resistance promotes peace, and by using many rhetorical devices but mainly allusions and repetition and imagery, he eloquently justifies that his demonstrations advance camaraderie in the community and a lack of them leads to disparity.…
Although I have read and analyzed this letter previously in my studies many years ago, reading this letter at this time in my life was far more profound this time around. It gave me the feeling that I was reading it for the very first time. I was completely moved emotionally but extremely impressed by the factual and biblical examples that encompassed the entire letter. I knew that Dr. King was a highly passionate and intelligent man, but the factual component of the letter appealed to my reasoning and logic. I believe in quality for all based on my emotions, but what I have learned most recently in an Ethics class is that emotion alone is not a sufficient basis for deciding what we should or should not do.…
Dr. King did not merely state, “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity”, his courageous actions conveyed the message. This quote represents an ideal that every individual should espouse. It drives a person to question the importance of their own “individualistic concerns” compared to more widespread issues. People are constantly consumed by their own minor struggles, while ignoring the serious problems that are ripping through society.…
Martin Luther King Jr. urges his fellow African Americans not to run away from these racial issues, but rather to take up nonviolent resistance and set an audacious example for coming…
I would consider Martin Luther King to have questioning and observation skills based on innovations identified by Dyer, Gregersen and Christensen. With questioning, it is an innovator that asks questions that will create new connections, directions and possibilities. Martin Luther king Jr. wanted to find ways of creating a difference. Martin Luther King Jr. also discussed the situations with people, he studied his mentors and he listened to his followers so that he can come up with ideas to create a better possibility. During that time, there were a great deal of things that Martin Luther King Jr. wanted to change.…
“Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. It is impartial because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all…” I strongly agree with this quote said by Martin Luther King Jr. Violence is a very concerning issue in the past, present and certainly in the film “Do The Right Thing”. It is my personal belief that you cannot achieve anything by violence and that it only brings major unwanted consequences into our lives. The film “Do The Right Thing” illustrates the difference between violence and counter-violence and the diverse consequences they each convey. Violence is the act of physical force toward someone to hurt them and in cases kill them, in order to gain power.…
Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation" King not only preached nonviolence, he practiced it. He used words rather than fists, and marches rather than guns. King's ability to rise above the common misconception of the need to fight fire with fire, and be morally better than his oppressors was mind numbing. To be violent while making a moral stand ruins the moral stand. King's moral courage is so provocative because of his commitment to nonviolence in the face of intense violence every day.…
Throughout the civil rights movement, African Americans received no respect for decades and decades, no matter if you were old or young, man or a woman. Martin Luther King Jr. was an inspirational speaker sticking up for what was right. While dealing with the same disrespect all Negroes were receiving. During the civil rights movement King spoke out his hopes and wishes for the world, hoping to change the ways of many. By using appeals to logic and emotion, it helped people understand Kings work.…
Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is an excellent example of an effective argument; it was written in response to an editorial addressing the issue of Negro demonstrations and segregation in Alabama at the time.…
He uses these words and follows them with things that he knows that people are hoping for. He uses the word dream, because it is such a personal and deep commodity. The phrases he adds to the end of this representation are also very personal. This is so effectual because the target audience of this speech can see these visualizations become reality. This audience probably includes many parents, like King, making his reference to his children universal.…
In his speech “Impasse on Race Relations,” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached nonviolence and peaceful protest to a group of Canadian college students. His arguments, although clear and logical, are now outdated. Black Americans and white people no longer “collaborate for human dignity.” Dr. Martin Luther King was a very wise man. I, along with anyone, could tell that he was intelligent as I read this speech.…