Coretta Scott King uses many rhetorical devices to convince others to support her claims in her speech, “The Death Penalty is a Step Back.” She takes advantage of the persuasive techniques known as pathos, logos, and ethos. King uses pathos, messages intended to trigger an emotional response from listeners, to raise feelings of inspiration to fight against the death penalty. She achieves this by using powerful vocabulary. “An evil deed is not redeemed by an evil deed of retaliation.” (King 1) By taking advantage of people's morals, she provides a strong point concerning the balance of good and evil in the world. King also uses logos to add a logical element to her argument. “The death penalty reflects an unwarranted assumption that the wrongdoer
