Martin Luther King responds to the subjectivity of law and the issue he paramounts by using precise and impactful rhetoric from inside of his jail cell. The clergymen along with others are addressed in an assertive tone allowing them to fully understand why his actions are justified. Martin Luther found himself arrested on the twelfth of April 1963 after leading a peaceful protest throughout Birmingham, Alabama after he defied a state courts injunction and led a march of black protesters without a permit, urging an Easter boycott of white-owned stores (Jr., Martin Luther King). In the beginning of the speech, King goes back to the Constitution and Declaration of Independence stating that .all men, black or white, were to be granted the same rights (Declaration of Independence). What King discloses in his essay, Letter From Birmingham Jail, displays how the laws of segregation have affected African-Americans. Note: All essays placed on IvyMoose.com are written by students who kindly donate their papers to us. In response, King emphasized that justice is never timely, and the refusal to acknowledge equal rights was inhumane and regressive. King spins the constraining pressure to properly represent the movement on its head, using his rhetoric to uplift the underprivileged and leave no room in his language for criticism, proven by the continuous adoption of his messages by the public. To summarize, Martin Luther Kings rhetoric is effective and ultimately changed the course of the Civil Rights movement for the better. Martin Luther Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail addresses his fellow clergymen and others who critiqued him for his actions during this time. Here, King concedes that the clergy acts with the virtuous goal of justice in mind, which allows him to establish his argument against the manner in which they seek equality. Martin Luther King Jr., with the Rev. Though this letter was intended for the judgemental and condescending men of high faith, his response touched the hearts and minds of the entire U.S. population, then, and for years to come. The use of pathos is effective because it appeals to emotions and the issue of civil rights and civil disobedience. Dr. King was considered the most prominent and persuasive man of The Civil Rights Movement. Repetition in "The Letter from a Birmingham Jail" Ethos Example "A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. When teaching speeches and letters, it's helpful to refresh or introduce students to literary elements that enhance rhetorical strategies. King intended for the entire nation to read it and react to it. 1, Penn State University Press, 1968, pp. Although the letter was addressed to the eight clergymen, the Letter from Birmingham Jail speaks to a national audience. Consequently, King fabricates logos as he urges African-Americans to demand justice from their oppressors, an issue that directly affects everyone across the nation: not just those in specific areas. Parallelism takes many forms in literature, such as anaphora, antithesis, asyndeton, epistrophe, etc. Yes he does criticize the white clergymen but basically he is trying to tell them that they should stop this segregation and that the black are not to be mistreated. Who had criticize Martin Luther King because he was simply doing something that was right and violence was not needed for King. "A Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King Analysis. Good uses of similes, metaphors, and imagery will act on the reader's senses creating a false sense of perception. SophAbs. Identify the parallel structures in the following sentence from Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail," and explain their effect. After reading "Letter from a Birmingham Jail", ask your students to do a scavenger hunt using the storyboard creator. "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice anywhere!" The letter was written April third, 1963, it was published for the public in June of the same year, a slower spread than a nationwide address on television or radio. Martin Luther King, more than any other figure, shaped American life from the mid-"'"50s to the late "'"60s. . The audience of a rhetorical piece will shape the rhetoric the author uses in order to appeal, brazen, or educate whoever is exposed. King had been arrested while participating in a peaceful anti-segregation march although several local religious groups counted on King for support. Finally, King uses antithesis one more time at the end of his speech, when he writes when all of Gods children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands. The pairs he mentions are all the direct opposites of each other, yet he says that they will all join hands together and be friends. An Unjust Law Is No Law At All: Excerpts from "Letter from Birmingham Jail" January 18, 2021 By The Editors In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we're sharing excerpts from King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail," one of the most important moral treatises of the twentieth century. As mentioned before, the social and political ideologies in America surrounding racial equity at this time, specifically in Birmingham, were extremely poor. During this letter, King then uses the time to unroot the occasion of nonviolent protests in BIrmingham and the disappointing leadership of the clergy. 1, no. He uses the rhetorical appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos numerous times throughout his essay to relay his argument about the laws of segregation and the African-Americans that are being cruelly treated.. In Letter From Birmingham Jail, the exigence is the continued condemnation, segregation, and prejudice afflicted against African Americans since the emancipation of the slaves in 1863. While the Civil Rights movement superseded the dismantling of Jim Crow, the social ideologies and lackadaisical legislature behind anti-black prejudice continued to rack the country far into the 1960s. Letter from Birmingham Jail is addressed to clergymen who had written an open letter criticizing the actions of Martin Luther King, Jr. during several protest in, Letter from Birmingham Jail is a letter written by Martin Luther King, Jr. while he was in jail for participating in peaceful protest against segregation. In order to do this, Martin Luther King uses several techniques in paragraph thirteen and fourteen of his letter such as repetition, personification, as well as allusion, to support his claim that racial unity has taken too long. "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." - Martin Luther King Jr., "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" "United there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. The continuous mistreatment of African Americans for over a century was, at last, deeply questioned and challenged nationwide with the growing popularity of the Civil Rights movement, and the topic of equality for all had divided the country. One example of parallelism he uses is, But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick, brutalize, and even kill your black brothers and sisters with impunity (Barnet and Bedau 741). The way Dr. King constructs his argument is as if he was preaching his argument to his congregation. In the letter, Dr. King uses ethos, diction, and allusions when defending nonviolent protest which makes his argument really strong. This is the beginning of King's point-by-point rebuttal of the criticisms leveled against him. you can use them for inspiration and simplify your student life. At this time, he is representative of the Black American population and the Civil Rights Movement as a whole he is Martin Luther King Jr., and while this is a powerful position to occupy, the constraints imposed are just as dominant. However, this constraint did not ultimately halt the spread of Kings message nation-wide, as it became a persuasive landmark of the civil rights movement, likely due to both his impactful position and persuasive use of rhetoric. was initially the eight clergymen of Birmingham, all white and in positions of religious leadership. Not only does he use pathos to humanize himself, but he also uses it to humanize his immediate audience, the eight clergymen. He also wants the readers to realize that negroes are not to be mistreated and that the mistreatment of negroes could have severe implications as in a violent protest against the laws made by the court. The amount of original essays that we did for our clients, The amount of original essays that we did for our clients. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. He had a great impact on race relations in the U.S. and he made a great impact on many lives. Repetition. King uses tone, literal and figurative language to establish structure and language in his letter. Letter from a Birmingham Jail AP.GOPO: PRD1.A (LO) , PRD1.A.2 (EK) Google Classroom Full text of "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. 16 April 1963 My Dear Fellow Clergymen: While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely." This exigence is rhetorical because it can be improved if enough people are socially cognizant, whether that be in legislature or the streets of Birmingham, through creation and enforcement of equitable laws and social attitudes. The answer is found in the fact that there are two types of laws: there are just laws, and there are unjust laws Any law that uplifts human personality is just. His goal is to make the clergymen help him fight racial equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America till the Negro is granted his citizenship rights (King pg. Original: Apr 16, 2013. Divided there is little we can dofor we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder." - John F. Kennedy, "1961 First Inaugural Address" Who was he truly writing for? He wrote the letter in response to criticisms made by white clergymen. Here are more examples of parallel structure within "Letter from Birmingham Jail" that I find especially powerful. Throughout the work, Letter from Bimingham Jail, Martin Luther constantly uses examples from historical figures in order to unite his argument that action must be taken in order to end discrimination and segregation. King says on page. Furthermore, exterior events regarding the movement could ultimately reflect on his influence and polarize the audience further.
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