Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail

Words: 356
Pages: 2
Open Document
Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter from Birmingham jail has many rhetorical devices that could have been extremely persuasive for an abundance of people, all being different types of rhetorical appeals but there is one in mind that I feel is quite strong. My thoughts are that the rhetorical device that is most effective is on paragraph 4 where it states “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single government of destiny.” I think that King’s purpose for using this is to explain to everybody that we all have the same mutuality, we are all equal and we are all searching for the same thing which is happiness and satisfaction. The effectiveness of this rhetorical device is somewhat persuasive because along
Show More

Related Documents: Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail

Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail

arrested in Birmingham, Alabama for non-violent protesting, King writes his famous letter “A letter from Birmingham Jail” as a response to the criticism made by eight Alabama clergymen. His use of figurative language mixed with rhetorical devices advances his writing. King eloquently portrays his message to the clergymen by skillfully using ethos, pathos, and logos. King’s letter is a perfectly structured response, and contains multiple examples of building ethos. When he first begins the letter, he opens…

Words 634 - Pages 3

Rhetorical Devices Used In Letter From Birmingham Jail

of equality for his people writes a letter known as the Letter from Birmingham Jail, this letter was written by none other than Martin Luther King, Jr.. In his letter, King inscribed rhetorical devices that prove to be effective. In the case, Martin Luther King, Jr. writes, “I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms.” (SB 206). In the first place, this rhetorical device is known as pathos which is a rhetorical appeal to a person's emotions and when…

Words 266 - Pages 2

Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail

Luther King Jr., a non-violent civil rights activist was arrested in Birmingham, Alabama during a peaceful protest against segregation. His “Letter from Birmingham” was a response to the eight clergymen who had published a letter “A Call for Unity”, in the Birmingham News April 12, 1963. In King’s letter to the clergy, he expresses his sense of urgency towards changing segregation laws through his use of a series of rhetorical devices, such as metaphors, similes, parallelism, irony, pathos in order…

Words 797 - Pages 4

Rhetorical Devices In Mlk Letter From Birmingham Jail

While in jail, Martin Luther King wrote a letter confronting criticism written by the clergyman. The clergyman was telling King not to protest, but King led a protest and was put in jail because he did not have a permit. The clergyman said he was "unwise and untimely." While writing his letter, Martin Luther King used rhetorical devices to develop his argument, that his visit to Birmingham was not unwise and untimely. In the criticism written by clergymen, they said that, Dr. King is an outsider…

Words 856 - Pages 4

Rhetorical Devices In Mlk Letter From Birmingham Jail

While in jail, Martin Luther King wrote a letter confronting criticism written by the clergymen. The clergymen were telling King not to protest, but King led a protest and was put in jail because he did not have a permit. The clergyman said that he was "unwise and untimely." While writing his letter, Martin Luther King uses rhetorical devices to develop his argument. In the criticism written by clergymen, they said that, Dr. King is an outsider. This statement is false. King states that, "anyone…

Words 146 - Pages 1

Dr King Use Of Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail

he/she should not be afraid of the different race. Instead Dr King was trying to make the point that everybody different skin color or not we should all be unified as one nation so we can become stronger as a country.Dr. King used a weapon called rhetorical devices such as propaganda which a statement about an event;although, Dr King used anaphora to make a point.. Dr. King used propaganda to make people who are stereotypical feel disgusted with himself. Dr. King used anaphora to start each paragraph to…

Words 289 - Pages 2

Letter From Birmingham Jail

“I have a Dream” and “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” by Martin Luther King. In these texts, King uses analogies, repetition, and rhetorical questions. He uses analogies in many different ways between the two texts and some compare and contrast to each other. In each of the text he also uses rhetorical questions and repetition that can compare and contrast. Some of the analogies, questions, and repetition are very similar to each other, but others are also very different from each other. Many analogies…

Words 1028 - Pages 5

MLK Essay

Ka-Lai Yeung Ms.Walters English 10 Honors Pre-AP 11 February 2015 In the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” written by Martin Luther King Jr., King uses the three appeals to show credibility by using ethos to convince people he's a reliable or valid source to listen to. King uses logos to convince readers of the soundness of his arguments. King appeals to pathos by his demonstration of the common African-American experience at the time as being segregated and subjected to oppression. King's credibility…

Words 1036 - Pages 5

Essay on Letter From a Birmingham Jail

English 1301 September 23, 2013 Letter From a Birmingham Jail Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote an open letter to his fellow clergymen in April, 1963 after bring arrested for protesting segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. His letter was in response to statements the clergymen had made condemning and criticizing King for his “unwise and untimely”protests (King 1). In “A Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” King used the methods of ethos, pathos, and logos not only to justify the actions…

Words 799 - Pages 4

Letter From Birmingham Jail Metaphors

n the Letter From Birmingham Jail, written on April 16, 1963, Martin Luther king uses a series of rhetorical devices in his letter. He uses this to captivate his audience and give an illustration in his reader's mind. For example, he uses the phrase "dangerously structured dams" to describe the ideal concept of law and order's failure to establish justice. The most significant sections throughout the letter was when Martin Luther King describes why colored people won’t be accepted and also when he…

Words 402 - Pages 2