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MLK Rhetorical Analysis

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On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave a very important speech amongst the clergymen to protest against the Jim Crow laws and racial violence. King's reasoning for his speech was to argue for change and to justify his actions. While writing his letter, King uses rhetorical devices and appeals to develop his argument.

In the beginning of MLK's speech he mentions that while being in jail, Martin Luther King Jr. said that their recent activities were "unwise and untimely". Ethos is shown being used when King makes a claim that he is not an "outsider". Martin Luther King Jr. established his credibility by mentioning that he and several members were here because they were invited. Paragraph 2, MLK states, "So I, along with several members of my staff, am here because I was invited here. I am here because I have organizational ties here." Furthermore, King expresses his biblical duties and says he is "compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town." …show more content…
MLK quotes St. Augustine, who is an expert at law, and says that "I would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all." By the same token, King also speaks up about how "the answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying the law." King strengthened his claim by citing another

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