Letter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis Essay

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As a Junior High Student I often looked forward to January 15th, widely known as the Martin Luther King’s day. I always thought this day was just another holiday to rejoice in getting away from a boring day behind a desk, but there was much more to this hero than I knew. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia and has been one of the most leading figures in racial equality. Racial inequality has been around for a long period of time and was intensely focused on the African American ethnicity. To change this unfortunate issue heroes like MLK needed a certain set of rhetorical skills to make sure people were willing to listen and consider their position. In the Letter from Birmingham Jail written on April 16, …show more content…
Martin Luther King uses an appeal of ethos which created credibility, an essential part of an argument because it gives the readers a belief that the author knows what he is talking about In King’s letter he gives a bible reference of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refusing to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar because there was a higher moral law that was at stake(King 384). He also states that non violent protest was practiced very well by the early Christians who were willing to “face hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks rather than submit to certain unjust laws of the Roman Empire”(King 384) King also makes a wise decision to choose this verse because it conveys that civil disobedience was practiced in the early days by fellow Christian brothers. This creates credibility with the Clergymen because as religious leaders it is essential to know the words written in the Bible. He also further applies his knowledge of the bible and talks about how people are telling him to stop the non-violent protest and he implies that “Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from the people of ill will. Lukewarm
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