Letter From Birmingham Jail Analysis

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote the Letter From Birmingham Jail in order to
address the biggest issue in Birmingham and the United States at the time. The
Letter From Birmingham Jail discusses the great injustices happening toward
the Black community in Birmingham. In order to justify his desire for racial justice
and equality, Martin Luther King, Jr. uses appeals to emotion, ethical appeals,
and logical appeals. The thesis, which is located in the second and third
paragraphs, states that although Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is not from
Birmingham, he needs to be there because of the many injustices whites do
toward Blacks. By helping the people of Birmingham he helps people from
everywhere because injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere (Pg.
718). Dr. Kings thesis explains the reason for his involvement in the non-violent
direct-action demonstrations. The thesis gives good reason for the Negroes
desire to have equal rights. One way that King supports his thesis is by using
appeals to emotion. In the Letter From Birmingham Jail King writes of all the
terrible things that the whites have done to the Negroes. He also talks about how
tough it is on children to learn the discriminations blacks go through: When you
suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to
explain to your six-year-old daughter why she cant go to the public amusement
park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her
eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see
ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see
her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness
toward white people. (Pg. 720) This use of appeal is very effective because it
give the reader an issue which most can relate to. Parents with children can feel
the pain that Negroes go through every day....
In this essay, I will discuss some examples of ethos, pathos and logos that were
used in Kings letter entitled Letter from Birmingham Jail. The Letter from
Birmingham Jail, was in response to eight clergymen defending his actions.
Kings masterpiece Letter from Birmingham Jail is widely known for its eloquent
and powerful use of the different literary techniques such as ethos, pathos and
logos. He was well versed with the sermons and speeches from the Bible, and
this seems to have helped King create highly emotional writings to appeal to
different audiences. The very first line of Kings letter was appealing and getting
the attention of the audiences. King writes, While confined here in the
Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present
activities "unwise and untimely." (King, 1963) He draws the attention of the
church leaders to the dungeons of the jail. One is forced to imagine the filthy
crowded rooms with little ventilation. This is a symbolic representation of the life
of the Negro people of that period. The blacks were living a life which was no
better than the life in the filthy rooms in the jail. One feels sorry for King from the
very beginning of the letter. And yet, King shows a generous attitude towards the
white clergymen whom he calls men of genuine goodwill. This helped him
gather the support of the people who otherwise would not have supported him.
He used diplomatic criticisms to avoid harsh words against the whites. This soft
tone seems to have appealed to many white audiences. King conveys his
message by appealing to ethos, when he presents evidence that he is credible
by writing, that he follows just laws, but breaks unjust laws. He then compares
breaking unjust laws with what the early Christians did. King writes, "Of course,
there is nothing new about this kind of civil disobedience. It was evidenced
sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach...