Rhetorical Analysis of King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”
Martin Luther King Jr. begins his essay by explaining the circumstances he is in at the time. King states that “Seldom, if ever, do I pause to answer criticism of may work and ideas. If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would be engaged in little else in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work.”(Para. 1). He says that to state, without being rude, that normally he wouldn't answer a statement such as this one but given that he has an abundance of time will do so. King writes this letter to respond and ultimately refute the claims made by his fellow clergymen concerning his recent actions. King writes “...I believe …show more content…
(Para. 13) Almost all people respond to an appeal made where children are involved as this appeals to protective instincts. Humans see a child upset or in some type of danger they want to address the issue.
King makes his appeals to logic when he explains why he has traveled from Atlanta to Birmingham. He does this as he simply states “...injustice is here.” (Para. 3) King also demonstrates a keen awareness that nothing occurs in a vacuum when he states “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” (Para. 3) King's other reasons for being in Birmingham are more pragmatic than altruistic as he notes “Whenever necessary and possible we share staff, educational and financial resources with our …show more content…
He refutes this by stating that the laws he is violating are unjust and says “I would agree with Saint Augustine that 'An unjust law is no law at all.'”(Para. 14) King goes on to define an unjust law when he says “To put it in the terms of Saint Thomas Aquinas, an unjust law is is a human law that is not rooted in eternal or natural law.” (Para15) King goes on to exemplify this by citing that throughout Alabama the Negro population has been silenced concerning the enacting of laws to which they are held. King continues on by stating that even just laws can become unjust if they are unjustly applied. This is stated best when King
Martin Luther King Jr. begins his essay by explaining the circumstances he is in at the time. King states that “Seldom, if ever, do I pause to answer criticism of may work and ideas. If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would be engaged in little else in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work.”(Para. 1). He says that to state, without being rude, that normally he wouldn't answer a statement such as this one but given that he has an abundance of time will do so. King writes this letter to respond and ultimately refute the claims made by his fellow clergymen concerning his recent actions. King writes “...I believe …show more content…
(Para. 13) Almost all people respond to an appeal made where children are involved as this appeals to protective instincts. Humans see a child upset or in some type of danger they want to address the issue.
King makes his appeals to logic when he explains why he has traveled from Atlanta to Birmingham. He does this as he simply states “...injustice is here.” (Para. 3) King also demonstrates a keen awareness that nothing occurs in a vacuum when he states “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” (Para. 3) King's other reasons for being in Birmingham are more pragmatic than altruistic as he notes “Whenever necessary and possible we share staff, educational and financial resources with our …show more content…
He refutes this by stating that the laws he is violating are unjust and says “I would agree with Saint Augustine that 'An unjust law is no law at all.'”(Para. 14) King goes on to define an unjust law when he says “To put it in the terms of Saint Thomas Aquinas, an unjust law is is a human law that is not rooted in eternal or natural law.” (Para15) King goes on to exemplify this by citing that throughout Alabama the Negro population has been silenced concerning the enacting of laws to which they are held. King continues on by stating that even just laws can become unjust if they are unjustly applied. This is stated best when King