Martin Luther King Jr. wrote Letter from Birmingham Jail in response to eight white clergymen who did not approve of his nonviolent protests against racial inequality. He was arrested and wrote to them from jail about why he did what he did and why he wanted them to care. Dr King’s I Have a Dream speech moves chronologically through the history of black people in the United States. He points out that 100 years after the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation, black people were still mired in poverty, injustice, police brutality and segregation. He urges people not to turn to bitterness, hatred or physical violence in confronting the injustices. He looks to the future and puts forth his hopes for the years to come. He paints a picture of a
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Martin Luther King Jr. uses a lot of logos in Letter from Birmingham Jail because he is logically speaking to clergymen. He says, “We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was 'legal' and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was 'illegal'” (266-267). Dr. King simply states a fact that supports his argument. He stated to his fellow clergymen to whom the letter was written that he broke laws he felt were unjust and that others should abide by laws that are just. This was not making a distinction between his movement and other people, rather it was stating a difference in reason for breaking the law. Everyone knows what Hitler did was morally wrong and that saving Jews from the Holocaust was morally right, so bringing up this example makes the point clear that sometimes it is better to disobey the law than it is to obey it. Dr King’s I Have a Dream speech uses ethos and pathos but not as much logos because he is trying to emotionally move the audience towards his cause. He says, “In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence” (Para. 8). In this quote, King establishes his character and his moral values. He does not fight wrong with wrong. King promotes peaceful protesting to make the changes that are desired. He also says, “And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality” (Para. 14). Here, King’s use of pathos leaves the audience empowered and
Martin Luther King Jr. uses a lot of logos in Letter from Birmingham Jail because he is logically speaking to clergymen. He says, “We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was 'legal' and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was 'illegal'” (266-267). Dr. King simply states a fact that supports his argument. He stated to his fellow clergymen to whom the letter was written that he broke laws he felt were unjust and that others should abide by laws that are just. This was not making a distinction between his movement and other people, rather it was stating a difference in reason for breaking the law. Everyone knows what Hitler did was morally wrong and that saving Jews from the Holocaust was morally right, so bringing up this example makes the point clear that sometimes it is better to disobey the law than it is to obey it. Dr King’s I Have a Dream speech uses ethos and pathos but not as much logos because he is trying to emotionally move the audience towards his cause. He says, “In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence” (Para. 8). In this quote, King establishes his character and his moral values. He does not fight wrong with wrong. King promotes peaceful protesting to make the changes that are desired. He also says, “And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality” (Para. 14). Here, King’s use of pathos leaves the audience empowered and