Rhetorical Analysis Of A Call For Unity By Martin Luther King

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When physical action fails to provide genuine equality for the African American community, Martin Luther King Jr. relies on the power of rhetoric to persuade. In early April of 1963, Dr. King and the civil rights organizations, Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights, organized physical action with a non-violent campaign in the form of sit-ins and marches. When Circuit Judge W. A. Jenkins issues an injunction against boycotting, trespassing, and picketing, leaders of the campaign decide to disobey the ruling. This results in King’s arrest on April 12th, where he was held at Birmingham Jail. During his stay, King is disgruntled by an open letter, “A Call for Unity,” published by eight local clergymen …show more content…
proceeds to justify his campaign in order to sway the audience’s opinions through his use of logos. He first explains that just because he is not a resident of Alabama, doesn’t mean he cannot care about the lives there. He is a citizen of America, and therefore, should care about all citizens. He argues, “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly” (MLK, 4). This ideal is logical because it implies to the audience that they should care about the treatment of African Americans because it affects all of society. King also employs the use of logos through the theme of just and unjust laws. He provides logic for asking people to disobey segregation laws by declaring them ‘unjust’: “One may well ask: "How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?" The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the last to advocate disobeying just laws” (MLK, 15). Unjust laws must be fought. Thus, resulting in King’s request for fighting the injustices together. “A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law” (MLK, 16) King is utilizing logos because he is appealing to the clergymen’s belief of God to explain that just laws align with those of God. He passionately states that a Christian cannot sit by and watch as injustices take place to their brothers and sisters. King goes on to provide a compelling …show more content…
The entire letter is almost full of appeals to emotion. “We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God given rights” (MLK, 14). King is evoking sympathy through asserting that no man should have to wait that long for a right he/she is born with. King refutes the clergymen’s request for negotiation by explaining that the African American community attempted to solve the inequalities through negotiations. However, their cries went unanswered, and the problems went unsolved. He states that in order to force the unwilling party to change, tension must exist. He quotes Thurgood Marshall in saying that a justice delayed too long is a justice that is denied. He strongly discourages waiting, and speaks to the African American community, urging them to stand with him and fight. King speaks to how a white man could not understand until he has been through the struggles a black man
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