Martin Luther King Jr. was definitely an influential speaker and writer. He was able to move people with his ideas and words. In his letter from the Birmingham jail he was trying to inform people of the injustices that African Americans were experiencing at this time. His audience was mainly the clergymen of the church. Since most Americans at this time believed that African Americans were uneducated and not on the same level as white Americans, MLK had to prove otherwise.
MLK did this by using strong rhetoric in his speeches and letters. Two of the rhetoric styles that I feel was most effective were his use of logic and pathos. MLK knew that if he was going to make an impression on his audience he was going to have to bring his A game. On page 182 we see some of MLK first usage of logos.
He states that he is in Birmingham because of the injustice that is occurring there. He compares this to when the prophets in the eighth century B. C. left their homes to spread the word of Christ. He also compares himself to Paul, when he carried the word of Jesus Christ to the Greco-Roman world.
I feel this is important for his letter because most of his audience was clergymen, and it also shows the importance of his message and also him being there in Birmingham. On the next page he breaks down the process and steps in a nonviolent campaign. MLK also does a good job of showing his emotions through pathos. He compliments his readers on page 182 by telling them that they are wise men and men of genuine good will. Another time when MLK uses pathos that stands out at me is on page 186 when he states that he has to explain to his six year old daughter that she cant attend fun world because the color of her skin. He also says “Its hurts him when he can see the clouds of inferiority forming in her little mental sky.” This is important because by hearing his emotion its get to your heart and you can understand why he is so passionate about the injustice that is going on.
The Essay on Analysis of a Letter by Martin Luther King (MLK) Junior
Martin Luther King Jr.: A Question Of EthicsA Letter from Birmingham Jail" was penned as a response to a letter that criticized Martin Luther King Jr. written by eight high ranking clergymen. Although King's letter was addressed as a reply to these clergymen, the real audience was the "white moderate" - otherwise known as middle class America (King et al 106). By gaining the support of this ...
I don’t know if MLK meant for us as students to be reading this letter. He did know that his words would follow him, so he definitely made the appropriate measures to make his words effective.
