From Potter's Field

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (King 113). Martin Luther King Jr. seeks to convince his fellow clergymen in “Letter from Birmingham Jail” that using a nonviolent campaign to end the injustice of segregation is politically, economically, sociologically correct, as well as morally right (117). He does this through a series of appeals. Some of his most effective and inspiring appeals are the logical appeals. He uses logic to convince the clergymen on a moral level that while…

letter comes abruptly clear in the third page of his letter when King declares “… last few years I have been gravely disappointed… Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.” (King 3). He uses this page to make the transition from refuting arguments to guiding his fellow clergymen to see the justice of his cause. King begins to guide his fellow clergymen by stating the similarities between his actions and the actions of religious figures that they all know and hold in…

Racial Inequality: Martin Luther King Jr’s Response Racism in 1963 Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, was written to address eight white clergymen who had written statements criticizing King’s nonviolent actions against racial inequality. Through the letter, King expressed his ideas and reasons for his actions. King uses rhetorical appeals, such as ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade readers to agree with his argument of taking on nonviolent actions to deal with racism…

inhibits a person from basic human rights is certainly discordant. King has legally trespassed, but ethically, he has the moral imperative of revolting against the injustice. As fellow members of the Christian community, the clergy should follow the laws that manifest goodwill. King appeals to the audience’s logos by exemplifying this non…

and has no education, he has proven that he was a well-educated man. Now while reading this letter it grabbed my attention the first words when he said “My dear follow clergyman” the ethos appeal is very clear here because the word ethos is coming from the word ethics, and when he said sear fellow he is showing respect for his audience and he made me as a reader want to read more and listen carefully to what is following this words. And an example for giving logo for his audience is when he…

E05 The Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr. talks about the great injustices happening toward the black community in Birmingham. Martin Luther King Jr uses appeals to emotion in order to justify his desire for racial justice and equality. King Jr states that he's not from Birmingham but he needs to be there because of the big injustices white do toward the black. he feels that by helping the people from Birmingham he is helping the people from everywhere else because…

My Scarlet Letter What would it be like to have your greatest flaw branded on you, forever? In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is branded with the letter “A” for adultery after she cheats on her husband, during puritan times. If I was to have a letter that was branded into me, to represent a flaw, it would be “K.” This symbol would be “K” for kindness. Most people would assume that this would be an excellent quality to have in your character. However, it can get bothersome and frustrating…

A Flight of Activism “Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are”. These were the wise words of the reputable, Benjamin Franklin. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” to address the horrendous issue in not only Birmingham, but the United States as a whole as well. Throughout this letter, King exploits many different rhetorical devices such as imagery, while portraying a multitude rhetorical questions all through this…

In “My Dungeon Shook: A Letter to My Nephew” and “A Letter from Birmingham Jail,” James Baldwin and Martin Luther King Jr. write about the racial tension of their time, respectively. It is essential to note that the nephew, James, is a mean through which Baldwin addresses African Americans. In a similar manner, King addresses white moderates by directing his letter towards a particular group of Birmingham clergymen. Both authors utilize allusion and tone to subtly encourage their respective…

World On April 16, 1963, while Martin Luther King Jr. was in jail for participating in a civil rights protest, he wrote a letter to eight clergymen to plead his case why the protests happening in Birmingham and all over the south were just. “Letter from Birmingham Jail” not only took the clergy by surprise, it took the whole nation by surprise. At the time of the letters publication, the nation was still divided by the Mason-Dixon line but for a different reason this time; the south was…