Throughout the work, Letter from Bimingham Jail, Martin Luther constantly uses examples from historical figures in order to unite his argument that action must be taken in order to end discrimination and segregation. (https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/10.1386/ejac.28.3.245_1?crawler=true). King also uses anaphoras throughout his letter and he uses this to build emphasis on the grievances he and other african americans had to endure: When you have seen vicious mobs lynch you mothers and fathers When you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick, and even kill your black brothers and sisters (King par.14). King presents a solid legal argument in this section, while still focusing on morality in a Christian context. The repetition of if you seek to evoke emotions in the readers to have empathy based on the situations he was presenting to agree with his argument. However, he wishes that they would have lived up to his respect, and continues to hope that they will do so in the future. (1992). As a Baptist minister, King has a depth of knowledge of the Bible and history of Christianity, which he uses to his advantage in this letter. The use of anaphora emphasizes the meaning and adds rhythm and emotions as a rhetorical style. Instrumental and Constitutive Rhetoric in Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail. King forces the clergymen to think about the morally correct course of action. Providing these concrete ideas, King leaves his listeners no room for questioning his validity with his statements. To export a reference to this article please select a referencing style below: By clicking Send, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement. He decides to own the label, and points out that Jesus could be regarded as an extremist because, out of step with the worldview of his time, he championed love of ones enemies. By mentioning important historical and religious figures such as Jesus Christ, Martin Luther, and Thomas Jefferson, King makes the unmistakable point that if those people were doing the right thing, he is too. King became frustrated because people were being mistreated and judged everyday based off the color of their skin. Do we blame a man who is robbed because his possession of wealth led the robber to steal from him? As King observes, privileged people seldom give up their privileges voluntarily: hence the need for nonviolent pressure. Anaphora is a rhetorical term for the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses. The phrase makes the audience feel sad, pitiful, and sympathize with the children and agree with King Jrs stand regarding the matter and his argument. "Letter from Birmingham Jail" (1963) written by Martin Luther King, is the most important civil rights text, because it inspired people to fight for freedom and their rights during the civil rights movement. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. Similarly, it would have been illegal to come to the aid of a Jew in Nazi Germany, but King states that he would have done so, even though, by helping and comforting a Jewish person, he would have been breaking the law. Enter your email address to subscribe to this site and receive notifications of new posts by email. Letter from Birmingham Jail rhetorical devices. King uses anaphora in the multiple use of the phrases I doubt that you. Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail answers the white clergymens criticisms about his nonviolent protests, accusing him of inciting violence in Alabama. Get your 100% original paper on any topic done in as little as 3 hours Learn More This essay on King's Allusion in "Letter From Birmingham Jail" was written and submitted by your fellow student. Devices in "Letter from Birmingham Jail". Before the protest a court ordered that protests couldnt be held in Birmingham. His critics vehement condemnation of the protests, then, is a sign that they are, indeed, creating the pressure needed to spark change. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/274640), Miller, J. The merchants disingenuous dealings with African American leaders only exacerbates that humiliation. King was imprisoned by Bull Connor, a police chief in Birmingham, Alabama in the 1960s for not having a license to parade or protest. Dr. [], During the peak of the Civil War Movement in America, on April 12th, 1963, eight Alabama clergymen released a public statement condemning Dr. Martin Luther King's protests in the streets. King demonstates this by saying, In deep disappointment, I have wept over the laxity of the church. Verified answer. (a) Using a chart like the one shown, analyze Walter's motivation in the scene from A Raisin in the Sun. One of Kings central points in this letter is that moderation is not a politically prudent tactic, especially when African Americans find themselves in the kind of physical, emotional, and psychological danger that he described earlier. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. The letter uses a deliberate choice of words intended to evoke emotions in the audience. Kings use of religious knowledge gave him the tools he needed in order to not only castigate the stance of his opposition, but to show them that they lost the meaning of the religion they devoted their lives. Martin Luther King, Jr. was arguably the most influential activist in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. He uses his personal experiences from his situation to back up his argument and show the brutality of the police force. Pathos, an appeal to emotion, is, Martin Luther King Jr. promotes allusion in many different paragraphs of. In beginning his letter by complimenting his critics, King establishes a tone of cordiality and rational dialogue. King uses the example of the black nationalist parties as real extremists, especially due to their lack of Christian values. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like anaphora, antithesis, analogy and more. . and if you were to see. It is assumed that as good Christians, they would have given aid to any person in need. Both Christianity and America have personal significance for King, who was a reverend as well as a political campaigner and activist. King begins by addressing his fellow clergymen who wrote the statement published in the newspaper. He also uses this rhetorical question, So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kinds of extremists we will be. He also paints Birmingham as an evil unjust place by saying things like I am in Birmingham because injustice is here (king 1)., The Non-Proclaimed Guilt of the White Christian Moderate Click the card to flip . King Jr has extensively and effectively used pathos in his letter to appeal to his audience. The question of time comes up often in the struggle for civil rights, and King dedicates a large portion of his letter to responding to this issue from the African American perspective. When Marting Luther King calls God an extremist he goes on saying the question is not whether we will be an extremist, but what kind of extremist these two follow after one another because some not all people think it is insane to love your enemies, to bless them because they are bringing you down but people go by it because it is the right thing to do so with that being said Martin Luther King Jr. is claiming he might be considered an extremist now for doing something out of the ordinary but soon his extreme actions will no longer be considered extremebut will be considered doing something good. Instant PDF downloads. His anecdote about his daughter presents the human side of a heavily politicized issue. Dr. King was arrested for violating the anti-protest junction and was placed in solitary confinement. Another way Martin Luther King Jr used his words to exploit the wrongs of the Birmingham authority, was how he used a logical approach to explaining the methods of twisting the law of the land to unlawfully arrest King and a few members of his staff. Order an original, fully referenced and formatted paper. Letter from Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis, Nikola Tesla and theoretical significance of his work, Historical developments of moral and political philosophy, How does Jane Austen present marriage within Pride, Choose a Historical Figure that Reminds You of. He points out that everything Hitler did in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s was legal, because the Nazis changed the laws to suit their ideology and political aims. He then goes on to say, I am here because I have organizational ties here. In his Letter from Birmingham Jail, Dr. King incorporates biblical and historical allusions to give him credibility with his target audience, the clergymen. Letter from Birmingham Jail rhetorical devices. The Letter from Birmingham Jail was important in the history of the civil rights movement. King Jr used pathos by pointing to personal perspectives of the situations that have occurred that would make the audience have some emotions over the same. . Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from the Birmingham Jail. 20-30 XX . Martin Luther King, Walker v. City of Birmingham, and the Letter from Birmingham Jail. PDF downloads of all 1725 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. anticipation and rebuttal of counterargument, general to specific logic To illustrate the white moderate perspective. King structures his language that conflicts with the oppression against human rights. King describes the white moderate as complacent, hypocritical, and condescending toward African Americans, agreeing on the surface with their overall goals (freedom, political participation, and equality) but unwilling to take any steps to fulfill them. At the time segregation was still a part of the culture in the United States and Martin Luther King Jr. and his followers were working diligently and peacefully to try and make a change in peoples hearts about segregation. Because segregation encourages one group of people to view themselves as superior to another group, it is unjust. In the letter King gives his opinion on the praise that some were giving the Birmingham police force by directly addressing them with what he saw in the situation. There are two main frames of reference in the letter. We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. Just as Kants magnum opus, Critique of Pure Reason, attempted to completely upend a previously accepted mode of thought, so also was Kings work devoted to a single objective: the protection of civil disobedience as a form of protest such that the Civil Rights Movement could continue in uncompromised form. King and his followers are preparing for direct [], The Letter from Birmingham Jail played a very vital role in the civil rights movement. By using religious examples which appeal directly to his audience, the preachers, he attempts to gain their support and legitimize his course of action. Carson_Walker797. According to Wrbel (2015), pathos is used as an emotional appeal that persuades the audience to evoke emotions and feelings the author wants to achieve. will we be extremist for hate or will we be extremists injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Will we be extremists for hate or for love?
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