ipl-logo

Rhetorical Devices In Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

150 Words1 Page

Rhetorical devices are a use of language that is intended to have an effect on its audience. Either to persuade them or to make them see something from their own view, like metaphors, or rhetorical questions. In Martin Luther King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” he uses several rhetorical questions and metaphors. That was used to help people understand how he feels about the resistance to racism but in a nonviolent way. Furthermore he was trying to express his thoughts about what had happened but he was doing it in a civilized non violent or forced manner. Out of his many rhetorical devices one really stood out to me, “help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding a brotherhood.”(MLK Letter

Show More
Related

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail By Martin Luther King Jr

    543 Words  | 3 Pages

    “ I have a dream”, said MLK in his argumentative speech. Why you ask? He is trying to fight for African American rights. The speech “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther king Junior, is one of the speeches, trying to change the future of African Americans. This speech was presented at the Washington Monument to the public.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Mlk Letter To Birmingham Jail

    413 Words  | 2 Pages

    Martin Luther king wrote the letter from Birmingham jail and discuss the biggest issues in the black community of Birmingham. In order to justify his desire for racial justice and equality, martin Luther king uses knowledge and potential thoughts given toward to his letter transcending to his people and the churches and he made very important valid statement that gave his audience and open mind and to encourage American society desegregation and having equality among all Americans with no stratification according to racial differences. His letter addresses the American society, political and religious community of America. King uses metaphors saying “ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning

    Read More

  • Letter From Birmingham Jail Primary Sources

    232 Words  | 1 Pages

    Others might say all leaders are rebels because they perform illegal actions to get what they want. For example, King, Martin Luther Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail, states, “But I am sure that if I had lived in Germany during this time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers even though it was illegal.” This means Mr.King would’ve helped unexplored Jews in Hitler 's Germany even if it meant going against the law. This shows Mr.King, a leader representing rebellion as he states he wouldn 't have a problem braking authority. Nevertheless not all leaders are rebels.

    Read More

  • Ethos In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    396 Words  | 2 Pages

    Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” has an amazing and also very extensive use of rhetorical devices in order to make the reader relate. Martin Luther King Jr. was very good with his words and as a preacher, he knew how to get to people's hearts. There were plenty of rhetorical devices that he could have used. Martin Luther King Jr. knew exactly which ones were gonna get to the people. Martin Luther King Jr. used ethos pathos and logos.

    Read More

  • Persuasion In Dr. Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

    376 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” he uses different methods of persuasion throughout his letter to help the eight white religious leaders understand why he has paid a visit to Birmingham. Starting with Ethos, King uses this to justify that he is not an outsider as they may think. King is a part of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference that has various facilities spread out across the South including Birmingham. King and many of his staff members were requested to visit Birmingham it is not as if they were planning to raid the city and disrupt the peace if there was any to begin with. To top it off the invitation that King and his staff received was sent months ago before they arrived at Birmingham.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Analysis Of Martin Luther King's Letter From A Birmingham Jail

    563 Words  | 3 Pages

    Essay #2: Argumentative Analysis Martin Luther King Jr. introduced a very controversial argument about why he believed that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”(264). In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” King stated that justice is never given by the oppressor and the reason why his protests were very relevant and wise was because the issues needed to be addressed right then and not later. Moving along throughout his entire letter his primary thesis seemed to be that if the people wanted to be free from racial injustice they needed to participate in nonviolent protests. Given his setting and atmosphere, MLK did an extremely impressive job of using kairos and other rhetorical techniques in his piece.

    Read More

  • Letter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Devices

    466 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” and “I Have a Dream” speech he uses many different rhetorical devices. He uses rhetorical devices such as repetition, analogy, and rhetorical questions. In each writing, he uses the devices for many different purposes. These purposes can be similar, or different. In short, Martin Luther King Jr. includes rhetorical devices in his writing.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter From Birmingham Jail

    1302 Words  | 6 Pages

    I believe that paragraphs 9 and 12 from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” are the strongest paragraphs in this letter of his. These paragraph is so profound and truly explain why segregation is unjust in two short paragraphs. They don’t go into a lot of detail on why segregation is unjust, because they don’t need to. They’re argument is strong enough with how short they are. Since these paragraphs give an easy to understand and short reasoning as to why segregation is unjust, explains what makes a law just or unjust, and show that just laws can be unjust when applied to situations such as segregation, I believe they are the strongest paragraphs in this letter.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Strategies Of Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham

    621 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shortly afterwards he was both criticized and applauded for his actions in the protest. During this time, King decided to write a letter to address those who questioned his actions. In his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King effectively used the rhetorical strategy of describing to achieve his purpose of defending his reason for protesting, a model that can be applied to the upcoming portfolio project. Rhetorical Strategy In his letter, King uses several rhetorical strategies, however one that stood out to me if the strategy of describing.

    Read More

  • Historical And Biblical Allusions In Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

    804 Words  | 4 Pages

    JoAnna Guzman AP English Period 4 Mrs. Solis 5 February 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. letter “ Letter from Birmingham Jail” was a response to eight Alabama clergymen of 1963. The clergymen had accused King of being an “outsider” and interfering with the racial issues of the community of Birmingham. When writing in response to the eight clergymen from Alabama Martin Luther King Jr. uses the rhetorical device of historical and biblical allusions.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter To Birmingham City Jail

    726 Words  | 3 Pages

    Civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr, in his Letter from Birmingham City Jail, argues against criticism from eight Alabama clergymen, and addresses their concerns. He defends his position, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), against accusations of disturbing the peace in Birmingham, as well as explaining his values and opinions. Throughout the letter, King adopts a strong logical and credible tone, and reinforces his position through the use of strong emotional justifications, in order to appeal to the clergymen and defend his public image. Martin Luther King opens up his Letter from Birmingham City Jail by appealing to the clergymen's emotions, and assuring his peaceful response, which he describes in "patient and

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King's Allusion In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    168 Words  | 1 Pages

    Martin Luther King uses allusion in “Letter from Birmingham Jail” to add greater meaning to the cause he is defending. Dr. King includes many biblical references in his writing to compare the similarities between actions in the bible and his. For instance, Martin Luther King says “like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid.” Since Martin Luther King King is writing his letter to clergymen, his religious allusions are used to appeal to them; specifically, Dr. King brings up the point that certain tension is caused by people who have been subjected to grievances and believe “...that the white man is an incurable ‘devil.’” In saying this, Martin Luther King tells the clergymen that their sanctimonious acts and racial

    Read More

  • Summary Of Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

    895 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. led a peaceful movement in Birmingham, Alabama. The purpose of the demonstration was to bring awareness and end to racial disparity in Birmingham. Later that night, King and his followers were detained by city authorities. While in custody, King wrote the famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” This letter voiced out his disappointment in the criticisms, and oppositions that the general public and clergy peers obtained.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Martin Luther King Letter From Birmingham Jail

    1522 Words  | 7 Pages

    A Letter From Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King Jr. is a name that will never be forgotten, and that will go down in the books for all of time. He was foremost a civil rights activist throughout the 1950s and 1960s. during his lifetime, which lasted from January of 1929 to April of 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and a social activist and was known for his non- violent protests. He believed that all people, no matter the color, have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws and to take a direct action rather than waiting forever for justice to come through and finally be resolved. In the Spring of 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. stated in a speech that Birmingham was among one of the most segregated cities in the world.

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Martin Luther King's A Letter From A Birmingham Jail

    1119 Words  | 5 Pages

    In Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “A Letter From a Birmingham Jail,” he provides answers to fundamental metaphysical questions regarding the nature of the human soul. Though his letter is addressed to a group of eight clergymen criticizing his direct action campaign in Birmingham, his ultimate aim is the uplifting of human personhood. Underlying King’s letter is a philosophical, hylemorphic anthropology which puts an anchor deep into a certain conception of personhood, and binds all people who are to read it. He looks deeply at the nature of human beings, as rational creatures who are made to love and be loved, and from thence, deliberates that there is a universal Gospel of Freedom and Justice. Martin Luther King, Jr. asserts that there are universal principles justifying what actions are morally right and wrong, just and unjust.

    Read More

More about Rhetorical Devices In Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

Open Document