The Letter From Birmingham Jail, Essay Example

As a clergyman, Martin Luther King, JR. was used to communicating messages through a myriad of means. While in Birmingham Jail he used rhetoric as a means to dictate to the city why his group was having nonviolent demonstrations in the city. In the letter Martin Luther King, JR. used different forms of rhetoric to get his point across: pathos, ethos, and logos (logic). This essay will examine how King used each of these rhetorical devices in his letter.

King used pathos in his letter in order to gain sympathy from his readers/audience. He used this through concrete examples (his daughter) and through appealing to the reader’s/audience’s sense of humanity. One such example King gives in his letter is when he states, “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” (King 3) and how this fact clouds her mental judgment and makes her begin to have resentment, or bitterness to white people. Here, King attempts to persuade the reader to have sympathy for his cause through use of emotional response. No one likes to see a child cry; it’s in our biological makeup, in our empathy. Empathy exists so that mothers won’t harm their children (unlike other species) and as such we care for our children. King smartly uses the example of explaining to his daughter why she can’t go to an amusement park in order to have the reader empathize with his situation on familial ground; or better yet, on biological ground. King smartly uses pathos at the beginning of his letter by also referring to his readers as “fellow” (King, 1) clergyman (thereby connecting and forging a relationship between them) and by calling them “genuine” and “good” (King 1) thereby relying on their own views of themselves. King is formulating an environment in which he compliments his reader, plays on their sense of self-worth, and his respect for them, so that he doesn’t sound abrasive when he asks for them to empathetic toward his reasons and his case.

King also uses ethos in his letter. While King states that his readers are “good” and “genuine” he doesn’t placate them, nor does he offer any obstreperous insults to them, but he does manage to build himself up. He does this through showcasing his own leadership skills. In fact, King makes a list of all of the organizations he’s in charge ofPresident of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference” and that they are an “Organization operating in every southern state,” (King 1) thereby making him an important man, but he doesn’t offer any hubris while he does it (a very difficult thing too; to not let ego into bragging – it’s more like he’s offering up a resume, a statement of facts). This list of facts makes King trustworthy; it also makes him an authority on the subject on which he’s writing. By stating his leadership status, King is also forming more bonds with his reader; thus, he’s connecting them through vocation, action, and respect. This also helps support his case in that he makes his actions justified. The letter speaks to why King didn’t wait to have his protest; King states that they did wait, and the many times they waited, but that action had to come now and fervently in order for progress to begin because oppressors don’t give freedom to the oppressed without being forced to.

Finally, King uses logos as a rhetorical device. King’s logic; his step-by-step instruction as to why they waited to have the protest and why the protest was necessary is matched with his patience in writing the letter and his organization of thoughts. King uses logic in order to persuade his reader not only to the facts, but to the necessity of his action. One of the best examples of logos in King’s letter is his comparison to prophets(King 7): by comparing himself to prophets (a metaphor that works very well considering King’s religious background) he’s subtlety, and through metamessaging, stating that he’s not causing problems, simply to cause problems, but instead he’s trying to prophesize the idea of freedom. More specifically, the idea of freedom for African Americans in America. He states that around the world (in Africa for example) they are moving at “jetlike speed” (King 3) but in America, it’s still horse and buggy to get African Americans the rights to freedom that are in fact their God-given rights.

King uses pathos, ethos, and logos throughout his letter. He uses this technique with great aplomb. King is able to at once speak to an audience that very well may hate him, but approach them on common ground through his rhetorical devices. King’s mastery of rhetoric throughout the letter allows for his point to get across, for him to showcase his intent and his person, and for him to (hopefully) persuade the reader to his side of thinking and to explain how logical his organization is. King’s rise to power and leadership came from his understanding of how to talk to people. He uses common language, keeps it simple, and uses metaphors and examples that are easily understood and translatable between races. King’s use of these rhetorical devices is what makes him a great orator, and what makes him a long-lasting freedom fighter.

Works Cited

King, M. L. (1963, August). Letter from Birmingham jail.