In this example, King manufactures logos through the creation of antithetic parallelism, as the structure of his essay provides justification for his argument against the postponement of justice. Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail | ipl.org He needed something, that special something, that would ignite the fire that had somehow died out. Although Dr. Kings exploits are revered today, he had opponents that disagreed with the tactics he employed. The letter is a plea to both white and black Americans to encourage desegregation and to encourage equality among all Americans, both black and white, along all social, political and religious ranks, clearly stating that there should be no levels of equality based upon racial differences., In Letter from Birmingham Jail, author Martin Luther King Jr. confirms the fact that human rights must take precedence over unjust laws. These "parallel" elements can be used to intensify the rhythm of language, or to draw a comparison, emphasize, or elaborate on an idea. 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. Likewise, King creates logos as he employs another antithetical statement that demonstrates the timeliness of his argument: Never voluntarily given by the oppressor must be demanded by the oppressed; Jet-like speed horse-and-buggy pace (518). Dr. King was arrested, and put in jail in Birmingham where he wrote a letter to the clergymen telling them how long Blacks were supposed to wait for their God giving rights and not to be force and treated differently after, In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote Letter from Birmingham Jail from jail in Birmingham, Alabama in response to a public statement issued by eight white clergyman calling his actions unwise and untimely. The Rhetorical Situation of Letter from Birmingham Jail During this letter, King then uses the time to unroot the occasion of nonviolent protests in BIrmingham and the disappointing leadership of the clergy. During a civil resistance campaign in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. King was arrested. King has explained this through many examples of racial situations, factual and logical reasoning, and . Letter From Birmingham Jail and use of Parallel Structure an Its important to note that his initial readers/supporters greatly impacted the scope of his audience, spreading the letter through handouts, flyers, and press, in the hopes that others would be impacted for the better by the weight of the exigence at hand. He goes on to add; I am in Birmingham because injustice is here (King 1). This audience is rhetorical as the social and political ideologies of the American people fuel democracy and are able to change the system around them through collective effort. Parallelism is a figure of speech in which two or more elements of a sentence (or series of sentences) have the same grammatical structure. He displays a great amount of pathos, logos, and ethos in his speech. 1, no. MLK uses both ways to gain the attention and agreement of the audience but, he uses pathos not just more, but in a more relatable way in order to appeal to his audience. All of these factors influence each other to shape rhetoric, which Bitzer describes as, pragmatic; it comes into existence for the sake of something beyond itself (3), with Martin Luther Kings. was initially the eight clergymen of Birmingham, all white and in positions of religious leadership. He shows logos by giving a sense of hope to the people that better things will come in time. In response, King emphasized that justice is never timely, and the refusal to acknowledge equal rights was inhumane and regressive. Letter from Birmingham Jail; McAuley ELA I HON. 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. The "Letter from Birmingham Jail" was written by the African American hero Dr. Martin Luther King in Birmingham back in 1963, addressing the issues that the African Americans faced back in that time. King through this letter tries to express his, "Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter from Birmingham Jail, which was written in April 16, 1963, is a passionate letter that addresses and responds to the issue and criticism that a group of white clergymen had thrown at him and his pro- black American organization about his and his organization's non- violent demonstrative actions against racial prejudice and injustice among black Americans in Birmingham. By stating the obvious point and implying that moderates act as though this was not true, he accuses them of both hypocrisy and injustice. Martin Luther utilizes powerful rhetoric to define his exigence. He approaches his argument with logic and appealing to the people of Birminghams emotions. All of these factors influence each other to shape rhetoric, which Bitzer describes as, pragmatic; it comes into existence for the sake of something beyond itself (3), with Martin Luther Kings Letter From Birmingham Jail being a shining example. His passionate tone flowed through these strategies, increasing their persuasive power on the people and encouraging them to follow/listen to his message on racial injustice. Letter from Birmingham Jail: Repetition - shmoop.com The letter from the Birmingham jail of Martin Luther King, Jr.. 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. In the letter "Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. writes to the Clergyman to express his idea on the racial discrimination and injustice going on in Birmingham Alabama. "Letter From a Birmingham Jail," written by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963, describes a protest against his arrest for non-violent resistance to racism. Who was he truly writing for? To summarize, Martin Luther Kings rhetoric is effective and ultimately changed the course of the Civil Rights movement for the better. Parallelism, in the way King uses it, connects what seems like small problems to a larger issue. He hopes that "[o]ne day the South will know that [the Negroes] were in reality standing up for the best in the American dream" (47), and that "the evil system of segregation" (46) will come to an end. If your first two elements are verbs, the third element is usually a verb, too. Greater importance is placed on his tone, choice of words, choice of argument, and credibility, for better or for worse, and he must carefully make rhetorical decisions, not only because of his race. Martin Luther King then goes on to make an analogy to the Bible, portraying Apostle Pauls proliferation of the gospel of Jesus Christ in parallel to his own efforts, stating, I too am compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my particular hometown (1). In the letter, King appeals for unity against racism in society, while he wants to fight for Human Rights, using ethos. In Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter From Birmingham Jail and I Have a Dream speech he uses many different rhetorical devices. In Letter from Birmingham Jail, King implements antithesis -- along with his background as a minister -- to demonstrate the hypocrisy of the Southern clergymen, as he attempts to further diverge the two diametric rationales; thus, he creates logos as he appeals to the audiences logical side and urges African-Americans to act punctual in their fight against injustice, prompted by the imprudent words of the clergy. A letter, as a medium, is constraining as there is one definitive original copy, it is addressed to a small specific group, and since it cannot be directly broadcasted widely, opposed to television or radio, it must be printed or passed along analogically. Just as well, King uses his aspirations to create ideas within the listeners. "Letter from Birmingham Jail" Allusion Essay. With the use of King's rhetorical devices, he described the ways of the Birmingham community and their beliefs, connected to the reader on an emotional level, and brought to light the overall issues dealing with segregation., The letter was ostensibly conceived in response to a letter that had recently run in a local newspaper which had claimed that the protest were "unwise and untimely." Dr. King wrote 2 famous works, Dream and Birmingham and each had a different audience and purpose. In Letter From Birmingham Jail, 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. Example: Is not segregation an existential expression of man's tragic separation, his awful estrangement, his terrible sinfulness? These two techniques played a crucial role in furthering his purpose and in provoking a powerful response from the audience that made this speech memorable and awe-inspiring. In A Letter From A Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King Jr defends his use of nonviolent protest in order to accomplish racial equality. Any deadline. 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. His goal is to make the clergymen help him fight racial equality. While there were consistent and impactful efforts made by various groups for equality throughout the civil rights era, the proximity between the public release of the letter, found nation-wide by late 1963, and the passing of the Civil Rights Act in early July 1964 shows the direct impact the letter had on social attitudes following its publicization. After reading "Letter from a Birmingham Jail", ask your students to do a scavenger hunt using the storyboard creator. Despite this, the clergy never questions whether or not segregation is unjust. King intended for the entire nation to read it and react to it. This essay was written by a fellow student. Your email address will not be published. Therefore, as King fabricates antithetic parallelism, he constructs logos and persuades the audience to take prompt action against injustice through the careful juxtaposition of inverse statements. In this way, King asserts that African-Americans must act with jet-like speed to gain their independence. Parallelism is a literary device in itself, but it is also a category under which other figures of speech fall, such as those mentioned previously. Who was he truly writing for? The clergymen along with others are addressed in an assertive tone allowing them to fully understand why his actions are justified. Parallelism/ Juxtaposition. We believe that King states in the first sentence himself that he does not usually comment upon the criticism of his work. A seminal text of the Civil Rights Movement, King's, "Letter from Birmingham Jail," defends the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism, justifies the measures that brought about his arrest, and asseverates that the segregation laws against blacks in the south must be repealed.