Nick Genaris
Professor Ngoh
Protest Literature
21th October 2015
Letter from Birmingham Jail-Rhetorical Analysis Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in order to address the biggest issue in Birmingham and the United States at the time (racism) and to also address the critics he received from the clergymen. The letter discusses the great injustices happening toward the Black community in Birmingham and although it is primarily aimed at the clergymen King writes the letter for all to read. In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr. uses logos, alliteration/repetition, and ethos to back up his belief that nonviolent protesting and disobedience is the most effective means to protest anything that needs to be changed, in this case segregation. After reading King’s letter I, and almost anyone, would come to the conclusion that King is deeply motivated to help against any injustice in the US. Who else would go to such lengths if they didn’t? He knows how persuasive he can be by using his knowledge of the English language, and he uses this to speak out against people who doubt him (clergymen) and to incite a different way of thinking into the people in hopes of change.
Dr. King’s letter is extremely effective because it provides an enormous amount of evidence to the reader that he and his company are being treated unjustly and also that King truly cares about making a change for the good of the city. It also re-directs attention to the wrongdoings of the city’s government, and then it concludes, peacefully, reminding all readers that King simply desires justice and equal treatment. Also by maintaining a tone that makes him seem calm and collected, using repetition subtly yet forcefully to convey his points, and by humbling himself before his audience, King effectively convinces you that he is right.
One of the big way’s King convinces the reader is through his use of logos (reasoning). King’s main way of using this reasoning is through syllogisms. A syllogism is an argument that uses facts that you lay out before your audience in order to convince them of something. King does this very well in the first half of the letter. He uses the first seven sentences of paragraph 13 to build up his argument and then follows it with a justified claim in the eighth.
For example: "A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God." "Any law that uplifts human personality is just." "To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law." “Any law that degrades human personality is unjust." All of this works to support his final claim that he wants readers to acknowledge. After building up his idea he presents the audience with the final point he wants them to take away: "All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality." This gives the audience a structured, easy way to understand the points that King is trying to make. By using Syllogism and logos he efficiently guides his audience through his thoughts. Ultimately the audience will be taking away the message that King wants to spread. That segregation is wrong no matter how you look at it
King also uses many people as examples of logos. In his examples he uses extremes from both spectrums. He uses Abraham Lincoln (known as good, honest person) as an example to show that extremism can be important as long as you use it for love and not hate. King then suggests that the South is in need for an extremist. This positive correlation is very effective in the order he used it. It gives the audience a logical, structured way to interpret his example.
He then uses Hitler (known as one of the worst humans in history) as an example of how just because something is legal it can still be immoral. King shows that doing the moral thing and doing the legal thing don’t always go hand in hand. With these examples he shows the readers that civil disobedience isn’t a new concept and is therefore not something to be feared. (King realizes people fear change) Ultimately using examples of people so drastically different from each other but still getting the same message across is an effective way to show the audience that extremism doesn’t have to have the negative connotation that it has been associated with.
Another device he uses in order to guide his audience is alliteration/repetition. King repeats the word "when,” in order to emphasize the problem about discrimination and injustice. This in turn makes it seem like a more current and pressing issue. It also appeals to people's emotions. Every time he repeats the word it makes the audience feel that the problem is always happening which arouses more sympathy.
In paragraph 31, King also repeats the word "extremist." This is in response to being called an extremist and he does an excellent job of turning it around in his favor. By repeating this word, he potentially diminishes the negative connotation associated with being an extremist. He embraces it and is confident in doing so. King also calls biblical figures extremists. For example he calls Jesus an extremist, and by doing, so King makes it seem that everyone goes to extremes to fight for their goal. By doing this he also points out that the highest authority in terms of men was an extremist, giving him a certain amount of respect.
He also uses alliterations very well. For example: “…only to give birth to an ill-formed infant of frustration.” King uses phrases like “at will,” ‘at whim” and “forever fighting,” close to each other to give his letter a feeling of flow. Some may argue that this wasn’t needed but King truly understood the English language. He knew that he needed to use as many devices as he could in order to secure as many readers (for the whole letter not just the first couple of pages) as he could. King knew that in order to facilitate real change he would need people across the country to read his letter and this would only come about if they were compelled to share his letter.
Most people only listen to someone who they deem worthy of their time and this is exactly where King’s use of Ethos comes in. By imposing authority, or using ethos, King presents himself as a qualified black person to speak even against the clergymen. He states that he has a duty as the President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of changing the wrongdoings into right. This is very important because it stops anyone from diminishing his claims, which would halt King’s efforts immediately. It is also very important he did this in the order that he did. If people didn’t know who he was (his qualifications) they would most likely stop reading before ever getting to the most important parts of his letter.
Because he has solidified himself as a figure of importance he can then goes on to explain what is wrong in Birmingham, giving the exact reason as to why he is there. He says that his presence, the riots and the general uneasiness in the city is because “injustice is here.” He proves he not only needs to bring justice, but also to help his brothers that are "tied in a single garment of destiny.”
King also uses the Bible and the history of Christianity as a way to validate his cause. He talks about the prophets who went and proclaimed God's words. He says that he is like the prophets and must travel beyond his hometown to proclaim the gospel of freedom. For example: “Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their "thus saith the Lord" far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, 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 town.” This solidifies his position in a way that the people can relate to, especially seeing as most of his readers are going to be of religious descent.
In addition, in paragraph 16, King also mentions Paul Tillich, a Christian existentialist philosopher, who said that separation was a sin. By mentioning Tillich, King makes a connection for the readers. Because separation is a sin, he implies that segregation and discrimination (a form of separation) is also a sin. Furthermore, King justifies his actions against unjust laws by mentioning that early Christians didn't submit to the unjust laws of the Roman Empire. In paragraph 31, King states, "Was not Jesus an extremist for love... Was not Amos an extremist for justice...? Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel...? Was not Martin Luther an extremist...And John Bunyan?" By making connections to these men whom are held in high regards, his audience is more likely to take his words to heart and not just read with their hearts and mind closed. King needed his message to reverberate throughout the people. After reading that Jesus would’ve been on the side of the extremists, he wanted them to raise questions.
Even in the final parts of his letter King's conclusions were very rhetorically effective. King concluded his letter with Pathos instead of Ethos. If he had ended it by showing authority, ethos, and again stated his qualifications the Clergymen possibly could’ve interpreted the letter wrong, seeing King as headstrong. But King knew how important the ending message needed to be and because King ended his letter with pathos, he arouses the clergymen's sympathy. It also shows his respect towards the clergymen. Instead of finishing the essay with boasting and threats he does the Christian thing and acts out his message that everyone is equal.
King also says “I beg you to forgive me,” and because of this humility the clergymen don’t go against him or get mad at him. King didn’t do anything wrong so the clergymen don't have an excuse to go against him. By saying this he sets it up so that if the clergymen do go against him, they would be seen as failed Christians with no sympathy for other people. In the end King truly was a master of using rhetoric to guarantee his message and guarantee change/progression for the good of Birmingham.

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