Rhetorical Analysis: "Letter From Birmingham Jail"

So my Composition professor had my class discuss rhetorical strategies and appeals, and we wrote our first essay with those things in mind. As a refresher, ethos means to appeal to an audience’s sense of credibility or trustworthiness, pathos appeals to emotions, and logos appeals to the intellect or logical facts and figures. Since it is Black History Month, I decided to share this. Enjoy. “Letter from Birmingham Jail” can be found here: https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articl... My essay is as follows:

Our great nation has a checkered past of tensions between different groups, and one recurring theme that still resounds today is that of civil rights. One of the foremost leaders of the civil rights movement of the 50’s and 60’s was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. After a protest in 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. King was arrested and subsequently wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. This essay seeks to reveal both the rhetorical situations and appeals - of ethos, pathos and logos - within the letter in order to better clarify the meaning and intent of Dr. King’s actions. In his addressing those eight clergymen - who published a statement in which his methods of non-violent activism were being questioned - King justifies both the need to create tension that leads to negotiation, as well as the fact that non-violence is preferential and more effective than violent activism.

In discussing why such action was necessary, let us first begin by examining the rhetorical situations present regarding this now historical account. First, we have Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, as the author – known widely for his civil rights activism, doctorate in theology, and he was also a pastor who headed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Having been asked to participate in a sit-in within his conference, he felt obliged, and his presence was not simply of his own accord. Dr. King wrote this letter, I believe, with the intention it would be read by critical clergymen, disaffected African-Americans, and the “moderate whites”.

Situationally, the purpose of this letter was multi-tiered. “Letter from Birmingham Jail” distinguishes King’s tactics from violent extremist groups, provides a response to clergy, and serves as a call-to-action on the part of both minorities and white allies. The topic ranges from covering the moral righteousness of these actions to those injustices being faced every day. All of these situations are within the context of a time of great unease and tensions between racial groups. You have the majority oppressing African-Americans by writing laws that are unequally applied, depriving them of educational and career opportunities, as well as an environment that reinforces the idea of non-white inferiority – imposing life-time psychological complexes on those relegated to living the life of a lesser. So now that we have an idea of the rhetorical situations present in this letter, let us move on to discuss the rhetorical appeals that Dr. King employs to embolden his argument.

Since without ethos the other rhetorical appeals are pointless, let us begin our discussion by recognizing King’s credibility and trustworthiness. His sincerity and fair-minded approach is immediately obvious in the first paragraph, “But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms”. From the start, he establishes that he is level-headed and capable of reaching reasonable conclusions. He maintains a consistent argument in that laws and justice should be equally applied, and this is seen in paragraph 4 where he states, “Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds”.

In addition to his sincerity and consistency, another dimension to his writing suggesting his credibility includes his ability to concede to opposition. One area he concedes to opposition regards the preference of negotiation to direction action. “Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.” In this excerpt, King clearly explains that negotiation is not always possible, and that sometimes direct action is essential to bring forth the tension that will allow for negotiations to take place. Additional bolsters to King’s ethos appeal include his critique of the church in paragraphs 34 and 35, despite loving it so dearly, and he also ends with paragraph 49 offering an apology if he was “hyperbolic or unreasonably impatient”.

Having made a case for the credibility of Dr. King, let us now move on to his appeals to pathos. As a pastor and leader in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, King had a way with words and the ability to move and inspire countless souls with his heartfelt words. Most notably in this letter are the multiple references to Biblical allegory, and this is to be expected given his commitment to the church. He begins in paragraph 3 by discussing the plight of Paul, “and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus”… King will go on to relate the ethical journey of Paul to carry the gospel to his own journey, one that would lead to further liberation of the oppressed. In paragraph 21, he references the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in disobeying the unjust laws of King Nebuchadnezzar.

Also peppered throughout this letter to the clergy, King placed several varying descriptions of the plight of African-Americans. There is the story of bombing negro churches referenced in paragraph 6 and also the vivid descriptions in paragraph 14 regarding lynching, segregation and poverty. Paragraph 30 invokes imagery using diction like “promised land”, and paragraph 31 is emotionally-charging to some in questioning whether, “Was Jesus not an extremist for love?” Our beloved civil rights father had a way with church members and protest bystanders, alike; he could remind us of stories that relate to our present conditions, and suggests a morally upstanding solution to overcome current obstacles by invoking others passions and spirits.

While discussing rhetorical strategies, let us also define ways in which King made appeals to Logos. Paragraph 2 begins with a logical explanation of why he was in Birmingham in the first place, and it had to do with his Christian affiliations and leadership in both spiritual communities and civil rights activism. In paragraph 5, King challenges the clergymen logically to move beyond superficial analysis of those events to examine the root issues at fault. He effectively argues the necessity of just laws in paragraphs 16-20. In paragraph 19, he also contrasts between the laws are just on their face and those not in their application – referencing his right to peacefully assemble and protest. His reference to his Constitutional rights serves to bolster his air of academia as well as remind that he is entitled to those same protections.

Paragraph 31 is one of the best examples of logical evidence and reasoning in this whole essay. King references the likes of several prominent historical figures such as Jesus Christ, Paul, Martin Luther, Abraham Lincoln, and even Thomas Jefferson saying, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” King further asserts his ability to reason, that he is fully human, and he claims the rights that so many others seem to take for granted. Also in paragraph 40, King reminds Christian readers that their kin in the past were often known as “disturbers of peace” – which eventually led to ending injustices at that time such as infanticide and gladiatorial contests. He reiterates that sometimes causing a disturbance is the moral high-ground, and causing a tension can lead to the gaining of rights and cessation of suffering.

King possessed the unique ability to contrast himself with violent activist tactics while still creating tension, and this led to the liberation of many individuals across the years. Being a credible individual with both education and coalitions, King led the charge to highlight injustices that African-Americans faced for hundreds of years. Though he was jailed for a short time in that Birmingham jail, I would argue that his tactics in this essay were a success that led many others to take charge in his wake – answering injustices with a more evolved approach than “an eye for an eye”. No, this man embodied his ideals in turning the other cheek, in treating others how he wanted to be treated, in being an “extremist for love”. His memory lives on in the eyes of all colors, and his legacy lives on to this day as more are realizing their dreams of becoming a doctorate, an engaged citizen, or even a president.