Revised MLK Rhetorical Analysis

Martin Luther King’s letter from Birmingham Jail is considered to be one of the most important literary works of our time. The purpose of this text was to justify the protest against segregation. One of the ways he does this in his letter is by warning of the consequences of continued segregation. In his argument, King portrays himself as an intermediate between the white suppressors and the angry black community. “I have tried to stand between these two forces saying that we need emulate neither the “donothingism” of neither the complacent nor the hatred and despair of the black nationalist.” Up to this point in his letter, King is speaking more directly to the clergymen rather than to everybody else.

Throughout the letter, there can be seen various elements of ethos. There are various places, where king gives the reader an image of himself and establishes and supports his credibility. One of the reasons he does this is to also appeal to the white community. For example there are many places in his letter where he uses the term “our white brother.” Portraying himself as an intermediate boosts his credibility, because people would see him more as a level headed person capable of looking at various sides of an issue, rather than a staunch extremist.

His letter also contained numerous examples of pathos. Due to the persuasive nature of the letter, King relies a lot on appeals to emotion to help justify that segregation must be stopped. When king warned about the possible consequences of violent action over non-violent direct action, he appeals strongly to people’s fears. For example, King says, “If this philosophy had not emerged, by now many streets of the South would, I’m convinced be flowing with blood.” King talks about the anger and impatience of African Americans and how their pent up rage must be released in a peaceful manner, rather than a violent manner. “The Negro has many pent-up resentments and latent frustrations and he must release them.”

A third element present in his letter is the element of Logos. King uses appeals to one’s logic as a way to argue his point. He does this primarily when he explains how his protesting does not break the law. King argues that many of the White man’s laws are not laws at all because of their unjust nature. He appeals to logos by defining a just law and an unjust law. “Let us consider a more concrete example of just and unjust laws. An unjust law is a code that a numerical or power majority group compels a minority group to obey but does not make binding on itself. This is difference made legal. By the same token a just law is a code that a majority compels a minority to follow itself. This is sameness made legal.” By arguing with a definition, King also raises his credibility by striping the argument of emotional appeal. Another form of logical appeal king makes use of is in historical references. For example, King says, “We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was “legal” and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was “illegal.”

Overall King’s letter was successful in utilizing the elements of ethos, pathos, and logos together to justify protesting segregation. The success of his letter is evident in its impact an influence on the civil rights movement.