Letter from Birmingham Jail Essay Example for Free

Letter from Birmingham Jail EssaySince ancient times, promoters of justice accommodate brought into tomboy rhetorical strategies to persuade their opp nonp beilnts. On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter regarding the criticism several clergymen made, stating that the movements of nonviolent resistance to racism from Dr. King were unwise and awry(p). In this letter King uses several rhetorical strategies but mainly he makes use of 3. In the first one, King uses an outside authority (Religion), devoted the fact that he is trying to persuade delivererians. Second, Dr.King appeals to emotion (Ethos), he tries to appeal to their human and goodness side. Third, King employs analogies to emphasize his argument against racism. With these three rhetorical strategies he tries to persuade the clergymen to take action on the injustice that is upon Birmingham against the Negroes. As stated previously, outside authority was used by Dr. King to appeal the clergymen of th e racism taking action. Religion has the power to move such an enormous amount of mass and this has been proven since the dawn of time.He know that this man obey the laws of God, acute this he mentions he came to Birmingham for a good reason by saying 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. (King, 819) With this quote he is making a religious analogy to make the clergymen understand that he is there for a good cause, a cause that is as good as Apostle Pauls. afterward on the letter, King compared his actions with Jesus Christs when he was called an extremist. But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus an extremist for cognise? (826) This is also a religious analogy , and here he wants to deliver the message of peace by comparing his actions with the ones Jesus did. He wants to make the clergymen understand that the one they follow would have done the same.Subsequently, Dr. King employs the rhetorical strategy called Ethos, which means emotion. He uses this tactics to make the clergymen see that the ones theyre segregating are not little than any other human being he tries to appeal to their good side. King says Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging fleet of segregation say wait(821) And he then proceeds to quote his son who says Daddy, wherefore do white people treat colored people so mean?To make a point make him see what an innocent mind thinks and how it affects him. He then proceeds to say When you take a cross country drive and find it necessary to sleep night after night in the uncomfortable corners of your automobile because no motel will submit you when you are humiliated day in day out by nagging signs read ing white and colored when your first name becomes nigger and your substance name becomes boy and your last name becomes John, and your wife and mother are never given the respected title Mrs.Then youll understand why we find difficult to longer willing to wait. (King, 821-822) These are one of the most powerful words this letter has to offer, he emphasizes what a negroe has to suffer day by day. King mentions this to make the clergymen see what it feels like to be segregated, to make them see how unjust it is. Throughout the entire essay Dr. King uses analogies to make his argument reasoned stronger and emphasize it. Not only does he uses religious analogies he uses historical analogies and geographical.He compares the USA with Africa and Asia The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jetlike speed toward gaining independence, but we still crazy at horse-and-buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter. (King, 821) he makes this analogy so they understand that other continents are already far beyond them, that this should have been dealt long ago. Later on he defends himself of the accusations of breaking the law for a good cause. He says We should never pull up stakes that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was legal and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was illegal.With this analogy he tries to let them know laws are not always correct and thus they have to be changes, and therefore the prohibition of segregation. In conclusion, King uses several rhetorical strategies to convince the clergymen that his actions are not unwise and untimely but the opposite. He gives them reasons to take care to him and convince them. The most important rhetorical strategies where religious appeal, emotion appeal and analogies. With this mix of rhetorical strategies he makes this letter one of the most important blame for the civil right movement.