Sam Romney Mrs.

Vargas Writing 122 2/10/2011 Final Draft Analysis of Letters from Birmingham Jail While peacefully demonstrating, hundreds of African Americans were thrown into jail, fire hosed, and even had dogs unleashed on them. Mr. Kings audience is the white clergymen who wrote this statement, this article is aimed directly at them. Even though they were his intended audience, this article caught the nations attention, and eventually everyone had become his audience. Mr. Kings Letters from Birmingham Jail was a response to a statement that was placed in the Birmingham Post. This statement written by white clergymen, saying that they (the African Americans) should stop protesting and be more peaceful. While the clergymen didnt direct this statement directly towards Martin Luther King, it was obvious they were trying to get his attention because he had so much influence over these peaceful demonstrations. Mr. King uses many different techniques to appeal to the audience. He appeals to all the major areas. This results in one of the most popular arguments in history. When Mr. King wrote this article, his main claim was to point out to the clergymen that the African Americans have a right to protest. He uses most of this article to point out the injustices being done to his people. At one point he mentions how he cant sit by in Atlanta while so many injustices are being done to his people, which is why he came to assist the people of Birmingham with these protests I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not

be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, this statement is really appealing to pathos. He conveys the feeling that everyone should feel the obligation to help this cause.(Pg 625,Par 4). He claims that these injustices done in Birmingham means they could happen anywhere, and he went there to assist them with the issue. He is trying to point out to these clergymen that they are being misunderstood in their protests, and that he has faith that they will be able to push through and fix these injustices saying I have no fear about the outcome of our struggle in Birmingham, even if our motives are at present misunderstood. We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation, because of America is freedom(Pg 633, Par 6). He has reasons for his claim that a great injustice is being done, he paints a vivid picture when it comes to the scene he was a part of. After being arrested on Easter Sunday he is angry about the way people were treating his fellow protestors. He states that the clergymen would not be so quick to defend the policemen if they had seen what they were doing to his fellow protestors; I doubt you would have so warmly commended the police force if you had seen its dogs sinking their teeth into unarmed, nonviolent Negroes(Pg 634, Par 2). He appeals to logos through his testimony of what happened, he doesnt have many numbers or statistics but he presents his argument in such a way that everything seems to be fact. He gives the impression that everything he says is common knowledge, even though injustice can be a very subjective term. He does an excellent job at this because it does its part in convincing the reader of his beliefs.

Mr. Kings creditability comes mostly from his all his education, he was a very good student, smart enough to skip several grades in high school. He graduated from Boston University with a Ph.D , his dissertation was finished in 1955. The other thing that adds to his credibility is the fact that hes an African American. He knew the experiences the black community was going through, this is mostly because he had to live them as well. With his impressive accomplishments in education, and the fact that he was African American, Dr. Kings arguments certainly appealed to ethos. The biggest message this whole argument hinges on is pathos. His use of words to convey emotion is incredible. He knows exactly what will get peoples attention, mostly by referring to biblical stories. He relates to this stories and compares them to himself, saying that this cause is as important and ethical as religious causes dating back thousands of years ago. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their thus saith the Lord far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco-Roman 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(pg 625,par 3). Throughout this entire part of his article he continuously refers himself to the Prophet Paul, which appeals to pathos in such a powerful way by comparing himself to biblical characters. This is genius because by referring to the Bible, he is making a huge connection with a large percentage of his audience. Not everyone, but a large percentage of the educated population have been exposed to this book. This statement would evoke some strong emotions to those who have read it.

Mr. King wrote this article in a jail cell, in Birmingham. Appealing to kairos doesnt get any better than that. He is imprisoned for this exact cause. When people read this argument they had to take notice of the situation because he appealed to karios so well. It was in their face, a current problem still happening as they read the article in the newspaper that an innocent man was imprisoned for trying to peacefully protest. This argument couldnt have been written better, it appealed perfectly to logos, ethos, pathos, and kairos. It had to opened the eyes of the clergyman because it was so direct and made so much sense. Even if it didnt appeal to its intended audience, this argument definitely appealed to the spectators, the people in the country that were on the fence about this issue that was going on. This argument really wiped the glaze from peoples eyes, and really showed them that there was a problem going on. A lot of this was televised too, people witnessed these injustices that were happening in their country for themselves. This is argument works because of the balance. There is a lot of ethos, but Mr. King backs it up, he uses facts and examples to do this. If it had been all ethos and nothing else, this argument would have gone unheard. He finds the right structure to make this work. Mr. Kings decision to refuse to call off demonstrations is another prime example of civil disobedience. During this era, this was a great thing to demonstrate because it was a peaceful way to get the things they wanted. Rosa Parks demonstrated this when she refused to give up for a white man, she was then arrested. Kings ability to publish such a powerful piece of material at this opportune time was vital to the civil rights movement. The message conveyed would definitely have motivated people to do something to show their dislike for these unmoral laws. Kings

argument may have inspired a lot of the civil disobedience events that took place during that time. Besides his immediate audience, this would have definitely have played a huge role in other peoples lives that were struggling with the same oppression as Mr. King. His argument helps show them that they arent alone in this struggle, it shows them that there is someone that is willing to go to jail for this cause and is willing to make sacrifice. He really leads by example in this argument. Mr. King asks people to demonstrate and even says its ok if they go to jail because the sacrifice is worth the reward.

Works Cited

Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson. Writing Arguments:a Rhetoric with Readings. New York: Pearson/longman, 2004. Pg 623-635. 8th ed . King, Martin Luther, Jr. Letter from Birmingham Jail . Print.