He uses rhetorical devices such as repetition, analogy, and rhetorical questions. Letter from a Birmingham Jail: The Rhetorical Analysis At the peak of the Civil War Movement in America on April 12th, 1963, eight Alabama . 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. Despite his opposition, however, the letter is truly addressed to those who were not against King, but did not understand the urgency of his movement. In Martin Luther Kings Jr, Letter from Birmingham Jail the letter was a persuasive attempt to get Americans to finally see the inequality in the United States of America. This use of parallel structure emphasizes how just and unjust laws can look deceptively similar. At this time, he is representative of the Black American population and the Civil Rights Movement as a whole he is Martin Luther King Jr., and while this is a powerful position to occupy, the constraints imposed are just as dominant. I am here because I have basic organizational ties here (King 1), after describing his involvement in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference as president. In his tear-jerking, mind-opening letter, King manages to completely discredit every claim made by the clergymen while keeping a polite and formal tone. 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. What King discloses in his essay, Letter From Birmingham Jail, displays how the laws of segregation have affected African-Americans. 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). Amidst the intense Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and put in solitary confinement for peacefully protesting racial discrimination and injustice in Birmingham, Alabama. On the other hand, logical appeals helps to grasp the concept better and provides facts that prove it to be true. He had a great impact on race relations in the U.S. and he made a great impact on many lives. He deliberately tries to make the audience feel as if racial segregation is both wrong and against basic morals. Mistreatment of this kind is labeled as racial discrimination. With this addressed, his audience was truly the population of the United States, especially Birmingham, with a focus on those who withheld and complied with the oppression of African American citizens, even if not intentionally. 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. Lastly, King is constrained by his medium. 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. Ultimately, he effectively tackles societal constraints, whether it be audience bias, historical racism, or how he is viewed by using the power of his rhetoric to his advantage. In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and . As example, King uses I have a dream that one day and Let freedom ring.. to open his points on how Americans should change against racial indifferences. In this way, King asserts that African-Americans must act with jet-like speed to gain their independence. MLKs use of pathos and repetition is an effective way to persuade his audience about his position on civil disobedience. In response to Kings peaceful protesting, the white community viewed [his] nonviolent efforts as those of an extremist, and subsequently imprisoned the pastor (para 27). 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. " Any law that uplifts human personality is just." In the same manner, King believed that people could unite to combat oppression. Wiki User 2013-03-13 02:55:46 Study now See answer (1) Copy "One has not only legal but moral responsibility to obey just. King organized various non-violent demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama that resulted in his arrest. He uses parallelism by repeating I had hoped to ironically accuse his attackers. Explain why the examples fit your chosen reason. He needed something, that special something, that would ignite the fire that had somehow died out. The letter was addressed to clergymen who had criticized King and made many claims against him. Both influential speeches rely heavily on rhetorical devices to convey their purpose. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character. Dr. King uses his own words to describe what he wants the nation to look like in the future. samples are real essays written by real students who kindly donate their papers to us so that Martin Luther King Jr. uses both logical and emotional appeals in order for all his listeners to be able to relate and contemplate his speeches. 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. The amount of original essays that we did for our clients, The amount of original essays that we did for our clients. Prior to the mid 20th century, social injustice, by means of the Jim Crow laws, gave way to a disparity in the treatment of minorities, especially African Americans, when compared to Caucasians. King is saying that if we allow injustice to happen in some places, we risk it happening to everyone. He was able to further interact with the audience; they were able to hear his voice, listen to the intended tone behind his words, see his face, and study his demeanor in the face of adversary. These circumstances lead us to our next rhetorical focus: audience. While his supporters nation-wide were avid, determined, and hopeful, they were challenged by the opposing, vastly white population, comfortable in their segregated establishments and racist ideologies who would certainly weaponize his viewpoints. How does this comparison appropriately justify. 808 certified writers . While his letter was only addressed to the clergymen, it is safe to assume that King had intent on the public eventually reading his letter, considering his position within the Civil Rights movement, use of persuasive rhetorical language, and hard-hitting debates on the justification of law. The constraints surrounding Martin Luther Kings rhetorical situation include the audience, the rhetorical exigence of the situation he is responding to, Dr. King himself, and the medium, all of which are deeply connected. He goes on to add; I am in Birmingham because injustice is here (King 1). He hopes that "[o]ne day the South will know that [the Negroes] were in reality standing up for the best in the American dream" (47), and that "the evil system of segregation" (46) will come to an end. He is placing hope among the Negro community and assuring the white superiority that one day, they will share the same rights as their nation distinctively promised a hundred years earlier. The law was written in 1962, but the powerful response pushed the courts to finalize their decision. His Letter from Birmingham Jail was the match. Who was he truly writing for? Here, King combines divergent interpretations of justice to demonstrate the gravity of the injustice that he confronted in Birmingham. 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. African Americans have been waiting to have there civil rights of freedom, but the social courts has requested them not protest on the street but to take it to court. King uses tone, literal and figurative language to establish structure and language in his letter. He wanted this letter to encourage and bring up a people that will start a revolution. King organized various non-violent demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama that resulted in his arrest. He does an exceptional job using both these appeals throughout his speeches by backing up his emotional appeals with logical ones. Using emotional appeals captures an audience's attention and makes them think about what the narrator is saying. 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. The problem is that this kind of thinking can spread and infect other people to believe this is acceptable. Dr. Kings goal of this letter was to draw attention to the injustice of segregation, and to defend his tactics for achieving justice. His masterful delivery of these metaphors and the frequent repetition makes the speech much like a poem or a part of a song. He died in 1968. Thus, these essays are of lower quality than ones written by experts. Bitzer, Lloyd F. The Rhetorical Situation. Philosophy & Rhetoric, vol. The eight clergymen in Birmingham released a public statement of caution regarding the protesters actions as unwise and untimely (King 1), to which Martins letter is a direct response. 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. Correspondingly, King urges the clergy to reconsider the horse-and-buggy pace of their methods of action through his logos. The eight clergymen in Birmingham released a public statement of caution regarding the protesters actions as unwise and untimely (King 1), to which Martins letter is a direct response. You may use it as a guide or sample for writing your own . Letter From Birmingham Jail One of the most famous documents in American history is the 1963 letter written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from his jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama. The concept of parallelism in letters from birmingham jail by martin luther king jr.. http://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/the-concept-of-parallelism-in-letters-from-birmingham-jail-by-martin-luther-king-jr-Q1aX8ugT Be sure to capitalize proper nouns (e.g. Through the masterful use of analogies and undeniable examples of injustice, Kings disgruntled response to the clergies proves the justification for direct action taking place to establish equality for African Americans., Martin Luther Kings letter from Birmingham Jail was written to respond to white religious leaders who criticized his organizations actions against racial prejudice and injustice among black society in Birmingham. As campaigning, King uses it in his speech in order to express all his points. The way Dr. King constructs his argument is as if he was preaching his argument to his congregation. Who was he truly writing for? But immediately after Dr. King speaks out on how after 100 years Blacks still do not have the free will that is deserved. King's letter from Birmingham Jail addresses the American society, particularly the political and religious community of the American society. While his letter was only addressed to the clergymen, it is safe to assume that King had intent on the public eventually reading his letter, considering his position within the Civil Rights movement, use of persuasive rhetorical language, and hard-hitting debates on the justification of law. He points out the irony of America because Black Americans were still not truly free. : "There can be no gainsaying the fact that racial injustice engulfs this community." . 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.
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parallelism in letter from birmingham jail