Zachary Schechtman
Ethos in L.B.J.

The first showing of Martin Luther King Jr.’s moral character, or ethos, that I noticed was in the first paragraph. King wrote, “Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas.” This statement comes across to me a little cocky and stuck up. Its almost like he’s saying that he doesn’t care about anyone else’s opinion and that whatever he says is correct, because he exclaims that he is too busy to be able to respond to what people have to say. He might strongly believe in what he stands for but constructive criticism never hurts, even if the criticism isn’t as “sincere” as the letter he received from the clergymen. The second sighting of ethos that I came across was in the second paragraph when he wrote, “I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state…” King exemplifies himself by saying he has received the honor to be in the position that he is in, president. He lets them know that this is a respectable position as well as a hard position to acquire. He also says that he is the president of an organization that operates in every Southern State, which shows that he is making it known that this organization is well known throughout the South and has a lot of support. I felt like he added this statement into his letter as an attempt to gain some respect from the clergymen. The third piece of ethos that I came across was in the third paragraph. King wrote, “…and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home.” This statement really shot out to me because he is comparing himself to an Apostle. I’m not saying that he is not a good man that is well respected, but it’s a gutsy thing to do to compare yourself to such godly figures. I feel that King attempts to compare himself to Apostle Paul in order for the clergymen to relate him to someone that helped pass on beliefs that millions of people still follow today. Maybe if they can understand the relation of King to Apostle Paul, they will fully respect the technique he’s using for what he’s trying to achieve.