Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail By Dr. Martin Luther King

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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 …show more content…
This emotional response from the reader is provoked by King intentionally to strengthen the rhetoric of the piece and ultimately lead the readers to accept his call to action. Further down the list of horrors, King illustrates the crime against innocence segregation has committed: “when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park that has been advertised on television.” This experience in which King had to attempt to explain the insensible inequality of races to his innocent daughter is sickening and heart wrenching. This feeling provokes the reader to take action towards the end of this injustice of the innocent and hearken to King’s dream of the end of racial segregation and establishment of freedom for blacks. King’s utilization of his personal experiences highlighting the terrors of racial segregation has a strong emotional effect on the reader and in turn strengthens the pathos rhetorical appeal of his argument. The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” includes allusions to events in Christian and American history to rally the audience against racial oppression. In his seventh paragraph, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. alludes to events in Christian and American history in an effort to provide justice and reasoning for civil

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