Ethos At Work With King A Baptist minister and civil-rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr., was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia, and later became known as an influential activist for civil rights. Inspired by Mahatma Ghandi, King fought for equality for African Americans, the economically disadvantaged and victims of injustice through peaceful protest. He was the driving force behind the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which helped bring about such landmark legislation as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Gaining confidence and courage after the boycott’s success, in 1957 King and other civil rights activists founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a group committed to achieving full equality for African Americans
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We turn to expert Carol Lea Clark to explain ethos and show how writers use ethos to present themselves to their audience. Defined by Clark, “Ethos-The rhetor convinces an audience by means of his character or credibility. In oratory, the speaker projects an air of confidence and authority. In writing, ethos is conveyed by the qualifications of the writer or the authorities that are cited and also by the quality of the writing” (13). Using ethos to create trust and form his credibility, King addresses his audience by saying, “My Dear Fellow Clergymen” (174). In order to create ethos, the author has to claim their authority (Arguments based on the Author’s Character) and this demonstrates that they are trustworthy, smart, and knowledgeable on the topic being discussed. King claims his moral authority by addressing the clergy men as his fellow clergymen because he puts himself on the same level as them, sending them the message that he is no less than them, instead they are equal. By King addressing the clergymen as equals, he is showing his role of a religious leader. Holding the position of a religious leader shows that you are moral, trustworthy, honest and credible. King continues to build upon his credibility by saying, “I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. We have some eighty-five affiliated organization across the South, and one of them is the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights” (174). King continues to express his role as a leader and present his knowledge on the subject of injustice and racial discrimination towards the white moderates and clergymen reading his letter. King looks good to his audience because although he was a black man locked behind bars, he was able to use ethos to show
We turn to expert Carol Lea Clark to explain ethos and show how writers use ethos to present themselves to their audience. Defined by Clark, “Ethos-The rhetor convinces an audience by means of his character or credibility. In oratory, the speaker projects an air of confidence and authority. In writing, ethos is conveyed by the qualifications of the writer or the authorities that are cited and also by the quality of the writing” (13). Using ethos to create trust and form his credibility, King addresses his audience by saying, “My Dear Fellow Clergymen” (174). In order to create ethos, the author has to claim their authority (Arguments based on the Author’s Character) and this demonstrates that they are trustworthy, smart, and knowledgeable on the topic being discussed. King claims his moral authority by addressing the clergy men as his fellow clergymen because he puts himself on the same level as them, sending them the message that he is no less than them, instead they are equal. By King addressing the clergymen as equals, he is showing his role of a religious leader. Holding the position of a religious leader shows that you are moral, trustworthy, honest and credible. King continues to build upon his credibility by saying, “I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. We have some eighty-five affiliated organization across the South, and one of them is the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights” (174). King continues to express his role as a leader and present his knowledge on the subject of injustice and racial discrimination towards the white moderates and clergymen reading his letter. King looks good to his audience because although he was a black man locked behind bars, he was able to use ethos to show