Martin Luther King Jr. has changed America as we know it, and has brought tremendous change to our country and influenced many. He was a pioneer in civil rights and changed America’s society and the way functions. One of his most famous works, A Letter from Birmingham Jail, is an excellent example of his brilliance. In A Letter from Birmingham Jail, Dr. King uses ethos, logos and pathos to construct a sound and convincing argument.
Dr. King appeals to the ethos of the reader with his tone, word choice, length of sentences, concerns, fairness to other opinions, and statements of emotion. He demonstrates a true interest in responding to the clergyman' letter, showing he is really vested in the issue. Dr. King begins his letter with a statement discussing the reason why he has replied to the clergyman's letter. He says, “I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statements in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms,” which establishes his credibility as not only a reasonable man, but also one who is passionate about the problem of segregation. By quoting religious leaders like St. Augustine, "an unjust law is no law at all", Dr. King creates the ethos of a spiritual leader. He further develops this ethos by demonstrating his knowledge of the conditions and circumstances of early Christian leaders, and even quoting Jesus. Dr. King states, "Just as the Apostle Paul left his village... and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the... world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid." Dr. King uses the comparison to shows his knowledge of the gospel and Paul's response to the Macedonian, as well as to show that he too is on a spiritual mission.
Strong appeals to emotion also help influence the reader, and Dr. King emphasizes this
with a passionate voice. Dr. King uses powerful phrases to show the “.... hopes that had been blasted, and the shadow of deep disappointment settled upon us”, and to help convey the feelings toward treatment of the black community. He further develops this pathos by demonstrating the influence of segregation on a personal level. At home, Dr. King’s familiy struggles with segregation, and he gives scenarios that frequently occur, like,“...when you suddenly find your tongue twisted... as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can't 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 it beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people.” These scenarios conjure a strong mental image, and helps give a sense of how segregation effects many people emotionally. In concluding his letter, an extended metaphor of a storm is used to move readers through the turbulent emotions of the "dark clouds of racial prejudice... deep fog of misunderstanding... and the fear-drenched communities" to the future he hopes to achieve with non violent protesting in "the radiant stars of love and brotherhood" that in some not too distant future will "shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty". He associates of the ending of a rainstorm with the ending of segregated life, and Dr. King hopes others will see the emotional trial pains of segregation, and the feelings that would come from being relieved of that burden.
Logos is also used by Dr. King to help explain the reason behind the protests, and the reason why segregation is so harmful. He explains that, “Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality.” He uses this logic to explain why he would break laws in order to prevent segregation. He continues this train of logic that segregation is harmful in all sense throughout the letter. Dr. King discusses segregation, and tell the readers of his letter that the black community has “...waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights.” He uses this powerful language to help appeal to the audience about how serious this issue is, and why he is so invested in it.
A world without segregation, where people are judged by their content, not their appearance was Dr. King’s goal, and it has been achieved, due to this historic and life changing letter. Ethos was used to appeal to Dr. Kings integrity, Pathos was used to convey his emotions about the issue of segregation, and appeal to the reader, and Logos was used to make clear to the reader through reason the difference between what is just and wh
Dr. King appeals to the ethos of the reader with his tone, word choice, length of sentences, concerns, fairness to other opinions, and statements of emotion. He demonstrates a true interest in responding to the clergyman' letter, showing he is really vested in the issue. Dr. King begins his letter with a statement discussing the reason why he has replied to the clergyman's letter. He says, “I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statements in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms,” which establishes his credibility as not only a reasonable man, but also one who is passionate about the problem of segregation. By quoting religious leaders like St. Augustine, "an unjust law is no law at all", Dr. King creates the ethos of a spiritual leader. He further develops this ethos by demonstrating his knowledge of the conditions and circumstances of early Christian leaders, and even quoting Jesus. Dr. King states, "Just as the Apostle Paul left his village... and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the... world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid." Dr. King uses the comparison to shows his knowledge of the gospel and Paul's response to the Macedonian, as well as to show that he too is on a spiritual mission.
Strong appeals to emotion also help influence the reader, and Dr. King emphasizes this
with a passionate voice. Dr. King uses powerful phrases to show the “.... hopes that had been blasted, and the shadow of deep disappointment settled upon us”, and to help convey the feelings toward treatment of the black community. He further develops this pathos by demonstrating the influence of segregation on a personal level. At home, Dr. King’s familiy struggles with segregation, and he gives scenarios that frequently occur, like,“...when you suddenly find your tongue twisted... as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can't 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 it beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people.” These scenarios conjure a strong mental image, and helps give a sense of how segregation effects many people emotionally. In concluding his letter, an extended metaphor of a storm is used to move readers through the turbulent emotions of the "dark clouds of racial prejudice... deep fog of misunderstanding... and the fear-drenched communities" to the future he hopes to achieve with non violent protesting in "the radiant stars of love and brotherhood" that in some not too distant future will "shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty". He associates of the ending of a rainstorm with the ending of segregated life, and Dr. King hopes others will see the emotional trial pains of segregation, and the feelings that would come from being relieved of that burden.
Logos is also used by Dr. King to help explain the reason behind the protests, and the reason why segregation is so harmful. He explains that, “Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality.” He uses this logic to explain why he would break laws in order to prevent segregation. He continues this train of logic that segregation is harmful in all sense throughout the letter. Dr. King discusses segregation, and tell the readers of his letter that the black community has “...waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights.” He uses this powerful language to help appeal to the audience about how serious this issue is, and why he is so invested in it.
A world without segregation, where people are judged by their content, not their appearance was Dr. King’s goal, and it has been achieved, due to this historic and life changing letter. Ethos was used to appeal to Dr. Kings integrity, Pathos was used to convey his emotions about the issue of segregation, and appeal to the reader, and Logos was used to make clear to the reader through reason the difference between what is just and wh