This letter is a prime example of Kings expertise in constructing persuasive rhetoric that appealed to the masses at large. One example of parallelism he uses is, But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick, brutalize, and even kill your black brothers and sisters with impunity (Barnet and Bedau 741). Parallelism, in the way King uses it, connects what seems like small problems to a larger issue. This period of quiet speculation over the law illuminates the national divide in opinion over the matter, one which King helped persuade positively. In A Letter From A Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King Jr defends his use of nonviolent protest in order to accomplish racial equality. Bitzer, Lloyd F. The Rhetorical Situation. Philosophy & Rhetoric, vol. Likewise, King creates logos as he employs another antithetical statement that demonstrates the timeliness of his argument: Never voluntarily given by the oppressor must be demanded by the oppressed; Jet-like speed horse-and-buggy pace (518). Therefore, these other literary devices and figures of speech are specific types of parallelism.. One of the most well-known examples of . Recent flashcard sets. King responds with complete confidence that he is in the right place at the right time, and that his actions are necessary. You may use it as a guide or sample for writing your own . 100% plagiarism free, Orders: 11 An Unjust Law Is No Law At All: Excerpts from "Letter from Birmingham Jail" January 18, 2021 By The Editors In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we're sharing excerpts from King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail," one of the most important moral treatises of the twentieth century. The letter goes on to explain his choice to act directly and nonviolently, stating, For years now I have heard the word wait. It rings in the ear of every Negro with a piercing familiarity. Martin Luther Kings Letter From Birmingham Jail is undeniably effective at responding to the rhetorical situation at hand. In Letter From Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King responds to the subjectivity of law and the issue he paramounts by using precise and impactful rhetoric from inside of his jail cell. Parallelism takes many forms in literature, such as anaphora, antithesis, asyndeton, epistrophe, etc. This audience is rhetorical as the social and political ideologies of the American people fuel democracy and are able to change the system around them through collective effort. MLKs use of pathos and repetition is an effective way to persuade his audience about his position on civil disobedience. King does this in an effective and logical way. The audience of Letter From Birmingham Jail was initially the eight clergymen of Birmingham, all white and in positions of religious leadership. 1, Penn State University Press, 1968, pp. Consequently, Birmingham became the core of the Civil Rights movement, pumping the life-blood of social change into the rest of the country. Because of his skill in creating such pieces of writing, as well as his influential role within the Civil Rights Movement, and the reminder that Letter from Birmingham Jail provides of these trying times, his letter should continue to be included within A World of Ideas. The rhythm and frequent repetition are used to drive home his key points, stressing the importances of his goal. Repetition in "The Letter from a Birmingham Jail" Ethos Example "A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. It is rather for us to be here, As it may do that, it also seems to serve more of a logical appeal because he mentions the evidence of white brotherhood. Lastly he shows ethos by using authority in his speech by using quotes from two very famous documents. Correspondingly, King urges the clergy to reconsider the horse-and-buggy pace of their methods of action through his logos. The main argument Dr. King is making in the letter is the protest being done in Birmingham is "wise" and most important "timely". He shows logos by giving a sense of hope to the people that better things will come in time. Early in his speech, King writes riches of freedom and security of justice and then justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. In these two examples, King is using parallelism to express that the African American wants justice and freedom by repeating them next to each other and mentally connecting them in the readers mind, which is also connected with pathos as the terms King uses subtly emphasize those words and create good feelings in the reader. The following well-known adage is an example of parallelism: "Give a . King had been arrested while participating in a peaceful anti-segregation march although several local religious groups counted on King for support. These purposes can be similar, or different. In Letter from Birmingham Jail, King implements antithesis -- along with his background as a minister -- to demonstrate the hypocrisy of the Southern clergymen, as he attempts to further diverge the two diametric rationales; thus, he creates logos as he appeals to the audiences logical side and urges African-Americans to act punctual in their fight against injustice, prompted by the imprudent words of the clergy. Throughout the essay, King uses several powerful tones to complement his strong opinion, Martin Luther King Jrs Letter from Birmingham Jail is one his many writings on segregation and racial inequality towards blacks in the southern American states. In the "Letter from Birmingham Jail", written by Martin Luther King Jr., King delivers a well structured response to eight clergymen who had accused him of misuse of the law. With his respectful nature, humility, compassion, optimism, and determination, King responded to a group of white Alabama clergymen who had condemned the civil rights protests as extreme in their open letter, A Call for Unity. Although his letter was directed towards a small group of eight men, his words eventually reached the minds and hearts of the entire country. In Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter From Birmingham Jail and I Have a Dream speech he uses many different rhetorical devices. King uses tone, literal and figurative language to establish structure and language in his letter. Metaphors, allusions, and rhetorical questions are used in the most skillful way to support his argument and ultimately convince his audience of the credibility behind his emotional, yet factual, claims. Both their speeches, I Have a Dream and The Ballot or the Bullet may have shared some common traits, but at the same time, differed greatly in various aspects. He uses rhetorical devices such as repetition, analogy, and rhetorical questions. King strategically persuades. Though this letter was intended for the judgemental and condescending men of high faith, his response touched the hearts and minds of the entire U.S. population, then, and for years to come. Martin Luther King's 'Letter From Birmingham Jail' 16 terms. First, King writes that the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. This antithesis makes the audience realize that the Negroes have been left behind and ignored while the rest of modern society has charged forward into prosperity and fortune. Pathos are present more often in the I Have A Dream speech, mainly because he is bravely facing a crowd, speaking from the heart, rather than formality. He seeks to make them see the logic behind their protesting and make them feel ashamed and embarrassed by the way that they have been treating the African Americans. Consequently, King fabricates logos as he urges African-Americans to demand justice from their oppressors, an issue that directly affects everyone across the nation: not just those in specific areas. He takes up for his cause in Birmingham, and his belief that nonviolent direct action is the best way to make changes happen. Furthermore, as King attests to the significance of the Birmingham injustices, he utilizes antithesis to foster logos: Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere; Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly (515). King says on page. Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail.. His mention of involvement and leadership within a Christian civil rights organization, strength of religious analogy, and general politeness are effective rhetorical choices used to shape how he is perceived despite his critical response, racial setbacks, and arrest: a relatable man of faith, rationale, and initiative. 808 certified writers . Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America till the Negro is granted his citizenship rights (King pg. Read these passages aloud, and as you do so, feel their undeniable passion and power. Lastly, the exigence of a rhetorical piece is the external issue, situation, or event in which the rhetoric is responding to. Martin Luther found himself arrested on the twelfth of April 1963 after leading a peaceful protest throughout Birmingham, Alabama after he defied a state courts injunction and led a march of black protesters without a permit, urging an Easter boycott of white-owned stores (Jr., Martin Luther King). Malcolm X, on the other hand, grew up in a rather hostile environment with barely enough schooling. Furthermore, Dr. King had four steps to achieve his goals by collecting facts, negotiation, self-purification, and direct, Dr. Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is a response to Dr. King's follow clergymen criticism. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust(Barnet and Bedau 742). They fought for what they believed in but in vastly different ways. In order to properly convey his response to the questions proposed by the religious leaders of Birmingham, Dr. King uses it to draw comparisons which magnifies an idea, but it also commends one and disparages the other. 1, Penn State University Press, 1968, pp. The problem is that this kind of thinking can spread and infect other people to believe this is acceptable. To truly understand the effectiveness of this letter, one must rhetorically analyse the contents. As King disproves the arguments of the white clergymen, he utilizes antithesis to create logos; furthermore, he calls the reader to take action against injustice across the nation. King specifically wrote to the white clergymen who had earlier addressed a letter to him as to why he was apprehended, in which they argued that his actions were untimely and unconstitutional. One example of Kings use of pathos appeals to the audiences emotions by showing Kings confidence in his endeavors. He uses a large number of rhetorical devices in his letter to reach his goal, including point of view, imagery, and rhetorical questions. This comes to endanger our entire society. Letter From Birmingham Jail and use of Parallel Structure and Anaphora Kirtan Patel Chapter 25 Chapter 24 Parallel Structure- repetition of the same pattern of words or phrases within a sentence or passage to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance. Within the article, the clergymen provide nine different critiques that asserted how Kings protest are invalid, uneffective, and simply unintelligent in the fight for obtaining justice and equity for individuals of color. Lloyd Bitzer describes rhetorical situation as, a complex of persons, events, objects, and relations presenting an actual or potential exigence which can be completely or partially removed if discourse, introduced into the situation, can so constrain human decision or action to bring about the significant modification of the exigence (6). King spins the constraining pressure to properly represent the movement on its head, using his rhetoric to uplift the underprivileged and leave no room in his language for criticism, proven by the continuous adoption of his messages by the public. On the other hand, logical appeals helps to grasp the concept better and provides facts that prove it to be true. Note: All essays placed on IvyMoose.com are written by students who kindly donate their papers to us. IvyMoose is the largest stock of essay samples on lots of topics and for any discipline. Throughout Kings letter, he used various ways of persuasive strategies: pathos, logos, and ethos. However, the racial divide was legislated in 1877 with the implementation of Jim Crow laws, which lasted until 1950. In the letter, Dr. King uses ethos, diction, and allusions when defending nonviolent protest which makes his argument really strong. In Letter From Birmingham Jail, the exigence is the continued condemnation, segregation, and prejudice afflicted against African Americans since the emancipation of the slaves in 1863. Dr. In paragraphs 33 to 44 of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s response to A Call for Unity, a declaration by eight clergymen, Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963), he expresses that despite his love for the church, he is disappointed with its lack of action regarding the Civil Rights Movement. Glenn Eskew, Bombingham: Black Protest in Postwar Birmingham, Alabama, 1997. King's main thesis in writing the Birmingham letter is that, racial segregation, or injustice to the black American society, is due to the continuous encouragement of the white American society, particularly the powerful communities in politics and religions. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. Lloyd Bitzer describes rhetorical situation as, a complex of persons, events, objects, and relations presenting an actual or potential exigence which can be completely or partially removed if discourse, introduced into the situation, can so constrain human decision or action to bring about the significant modification of the exigence (6). In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action. From the very beginning of it , King brings his crowd back to the origin of America when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, that freed all slaves and gave hope to the former slaves. He writes of his own problems that may apply to the daily struggles of the abused African, Parallelism In Speech From Birmingham Jail, Throughout the speech, another scheme King uses frequently is parallelism, the strategy of repeating similar clauses, several times. While the Civil Rights movement superseded the dismantling of Jim Crow, the social ideologies and lackadaisical legislature behind anti-black prejudice continued to rack the country far into the 1960s. King provides imagery to make the audience see what it would be like to be an African American in the united, I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal. Dr. King also states that one day he would like his children to be free as whites were. He deliberately tries to make the audience feel as if racial segregation is both wrong and against basic morals. Black Americans were forced to sit behind buses and kids were to use old books and uniforms of White Americans. Magnifying the differences between two things and repeating statements with similar structure brings about emotion to realize the wrongness of the injustice of civil. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. were both two African American civil rights activists who were very prominent throughout history. , 29 May 2019, https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/letter-birmingham-jail. In order to do this, Martin Luther King uses several techniques in paragraph thirteen and fourteen of his letter such as repetition, personification, as well as allusion, to support his claim that racial unity has taken too long. Letter from Birmingham Jail is addressed to clergymen who had written an open letter criticizing the actions of Martin Luther King, Jr. during several protest in, Letter from Birmingham Jail is a letter written by Martin Luther King, Jr. while he was in jail for participating in peaceful protest against segregation. In order to dispel any misguided ideas that whites have of the Negroes fortune, King tells them directly that Negroes are in poverty as everybody is blocking them from entering the ocean of material prosperity. The second time King uses antithesis is when he states that Nineteen Sixty-Three is not an end, but a beginning, which he aims to express that the revolution will not stop at 1963; rather it will have a new beginning. Not only was this a social division, but those who opposed King were reinforced by the respective legislature that sought to burden him. This is the beginning of King's point-by-point rebuttal of the criticisms leveled against him. His audience ranged between those who his message empowered, a radical positive force, and those who disagreed, made up of southern states, extremist groups, and the majority of American citizens stuck in their racial prejudices. King through this letter tries to express his, "Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter from Birmingham Jail, which was written in April 16, 1963, is a passionate letter that addresses and responds to the issue and criticism that a group of white clergymen had thrown at him and his pro- black American organization about his and his organization's non- violent demonstrative actions against racial prejudice and injustice among black Americans in Birmingham. His writing is respectful and educated, if not naturally, to invalidate the use of his race against him by the largely prejudiced audience. Without King, America would be probably still heavily segregated. His use of diction and syntax would align his mission to Gods, and show that he was in the right and the clergymen were in the wrong. King is saying that if we allow injustice to happen in some places, we risk it happening to everyone. In his letter King effectively manipulates language and tone to strengthen his argument against the complaints of the clergyman and successfully address the white people. Martin Luther King, more than any other figure, shaped American life from the mid-"'"50s to the late "'"60s. The letter was addressed to clergymen who had criticized King and made many claims against him. Dr. King was considered the most prominent and persuasive man of The Civil Rights Movement. By clicking Receive Essay, you agree to our, Essay Sample on The Effects of the Atomic Bomb, Essay Sample: The Development of the Braille System in Nineteenth-Century France, Constitution of The United StatesResearch Paper Example, Hippies In The 1960's (Free Essay Sample), Positive And Negative Impacts Of The Columbian Exchange, Essay Sample on Early River Civilizations. : "There can be no gainsaying the fact that racial injustice engulfs this community." . However King also deliberately wrote his letter for a national audience. Martin Luther leading peaceful Birmingham protest, AP News. On April 12, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and nearly 50 other protestors and civil rights leaders were arrested after leading a Good Friday demonstration as part of the . By using it, you accept our. parallelism really etches into the audience's mind the seemingly never-ending hardships blacks face and the repetition makes it seem like a regular routine they endure. While in solitary confinement for nearly 8 days, reverend and social justice activist, Martin Luther King Jr., wrote his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail in response to the criticism he received for his non-violent protests. When Dr. King first arrived in Birmingham, trouble occurred when he and fellow activists were . Lincoln says, The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. He didn 't know if people would remember what Lincoln said on November 19, 1863 but he said don 't forget that the soldiers lost their lives. It elucidated the exigence behind his letter as his presented rationale behind his arrest only made unjust laws appear more asinine and questionable by relation. There are three main considerations to make while analysing a rhetorical situation: the constraints, the exigence, and the audience. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and, Martin Luther King Jr. was a strong leader in the Civil Rights movement, the son and grandson of a minister, and one heck of a letter writer. samples are real essays written by real students who kindly donate their papers to us so that and may encompass the audience, as seen while analysing Letter From Birmingham Jail. Furthermore, exterior events regarding the movement could ultimately reflect on his influence and polarize the audience further. Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King, Jr. a civil rights activist that fought for the rights of African Americans in 1963. Here, King concedes that the clergy acts with the virtuous goal of justice in mind, which allows him to establish his argument against the manner in which they seek equality. Any deadline. He proves his authority through his explanation of his experience as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every Southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia (King 232), and he emphasizes the importance of addressing the situation to him when he says, seldom, if ever, do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas, referring to the people of Birminghams resistance to the civil protests that he has been leading in Birmingham (King, Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr. mentions the atrocities of racism and describes his endless battles against it. In the letter, King appeals for unity against racism in society, while he wants to fight for Human Rights, using ethos. In addition, King is also in Birmingham because he feels compelled to respond to injustice wherever he finds it. King organized various non-violent demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama that resulted in his arrest. It was important for King to address this audience as their support would ultimately make the largest difference in the movement. He does an exceptional job using both these appeals throughout his speeches by backing up his emotional appeals with logical ones. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This protest, his subsequent arrest, and the clergymens public statement ostensibly make up the rhetorical exigence, but it truly stems from a much larger and dangerous situation at hand: the overwhelming state of anti-black prejudice spread socially, systematically, and legislatively in America since the countrys implementation of slavery in Jamestown, 1619. However, the racial divide was legislated in 1877 with the implementation of Jim Crow laws, which lasted until 1950. Kings arguments induce an emotional response in his readers. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. Parallelism is a figure of speech in which two or more elements of a sentence (or series of sentences) have the same grammatical structure. This use of parallel structure emphasizes how just and unjust laws can look deceptively similar. On August 28, 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a famous speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and freedom, this speech was called I have a dream. This speech was focused on ending racism and equal rights for African Americans during the civil rights movement. Throughout the letter critics are disproved through Kings effective use of diction and selection of detail. Later in the letter, parallelism is used to contrast just laws and unjust laws. During the era of the civil rights movements in the 60s, among the segregation, racism, and injustice against the blacks, Martin Luther King Jr. stood at the Lincoln Memorial to deliver one of the greatest public speeches for freedom in that decade.