Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” on April 16, 1963. King was a civil rights activist and minister. As an advocate for nonviolence, he became known as one of the greatest leaders in history. He worked towards the progress of racial equality. In 1957, King was elected to serve as the leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a civil rights organization for African-Americans. In 1963, King, along with the SCLC led a nonviolent campaign against segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. As a result, there was countless actions of police brutality, and King was taken into police custody. On the day of his arrest, eight clergymen wrote a statement that was published in the local newspapers called “A Call for Unity” openly criticizing King and the SCLC for their actions. King then wrote his response, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, four days later. He used rhetorical devices, such as ethos, pathos, and logos to thoroughly discuss the acts of racial injustice in the time period, and convey his opinion on the topic. …show more content…
It became known as one of the most important documents of the Civil Rights Movement. Although, it did set positive effects on the movement, they were not immediate. It took several weeks before King’s letter was published in the newspapers. In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, King stated that African-Americans had been patient for too long, and they weren’t going to stop until they got equality. Many people, of course, did not agree with King’s words. Fortunately, however, some did. The majority of our country was influenced by his eloquent and powerful