Running head: LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL 1

Rhetorical Analysis: Letter from Birmingham Jail

David Perea

University Of Texas At El Paso

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Rhetorical Analysis: Letter from Birmingham Jail

Letter from Birmingham Jail was written in 1963. It was a difficult time for African

Americans fighting for their rights. One of the main points Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. makes in

his letter is that the Civil Rights Movement should be pursued in a non-violent form and such

form of protest should not be made illegal. Dr. Kings primary audience is white religious leaders

of the South who criticized civil rights demonstrations as levers of public influence, whereas Dr.

Kings secondary audience is all white people opposing his attempts to find a peaceful resolution

of acute social conflicts between white and black population of the US. Throughout Letter from

Birmingham Jail, Dr. King uses both literary and rhetorical devices to explain his position and

justify why his actions were appropriate.

Dr. Kings letter is equally governed by logic and emotions, thus there are numerous

examples of logos and pathos throughout the letter. The former is used to address accusations

filed against Dr. King using argumentation, evidence and logical reasoning, while the latter is

meant to influence the audiences emotions directly. For example, from the outset, Dr. King uses

logos to present a general description of what a nonviolent campaign is and shows that

demonstrations of the Civil Rights Movement can be classified only as nonviolent activities, In

any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether

injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action (King 1). Further, he identifies

the main mission of nonviolent campaigns so that no one could misinterpret their major

objectives or substitute them by false ones, 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. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored (King 2).

Even when replying to a long-term appeal to wait for any improvements in life of African-
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Americans, Dr. King prefers to use logos rather than pathos as one would reasonably expect,

taking into account centuries of oppression directed against African-Americans, We have waited

for more than three hundred and forty years for our God-given and constitutional rights (King

2). Numbers have an immediate disillusioning effect and their influence is much more powerful

as compared with the strongest emotions. Dr. Kings opponents simply do not have a single

argument as to why African Americans should wait any longer.

One of the most memorable examples of pathos in Letter from Birmingham Jail is an

allusion to Adolf Hitler reminding the audience that terrible events in Nazi Germany that

drowned the world in blood were actually legal, while peaceful protests of the Civil Rights

Movement are considered to be illegal actions, We can never forget that everything Hitler did in

Germany was "legal" and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was

"illegal." It was "illegal" to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany (King 3). This example

enables Dr. King to create a special correlation between two awful segregation events and makes

his audience emotionally reflect upon historical consequences of segregation in the past.

Dr. King makes good use of rhetorical questions in his letter. When asking, How can

you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others? (King 3) or Isnt this like condemning

the robbed man because his possession of money precipitated the evil act of robbery? (King 3)

in replying to accusations of breaking segregation laws and holding peaceful protests, Dr. Kings

usage of rhetorical questions is an example of logos because these and similar rhetorical

questions contain a vivid logical argumentation proving absurdity of charges filed. Dr. King also

uses the form of rhetorical questions to appeal to emotions, i.e. as pathos. For example, in Isnt

segregation an existential expression of mans tragic separation, an expression of his awful

estrangement, his terrible sinfulness? (King 3), Dr. King uses figurative language and
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emotionally charged words to give definition of segregation, thus he intends to influence the

emotional aspect of his audiences perception.

Dr. King was a knowledgeable and educated person. The usage of ethos in his letter is

attributable to both his own credentials and references to various historical figures people trust.

In such a way, Dr. King uses his own reputation and an appeal to authority to intensify his

ultimate message. In particular, early in the letter, Dr. King identifies himself as president of the

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (King 1), thus showing his opponents that he also

occupies an important position in a religious organization. Dr. King mentions the Apostle Paul

and compares his own deeds to Paul carrying word of God outside his native land, Like Paul, I

must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid (King 1). Such comparison aims at

emphasizing Dr. Kings sacred mission and powers he is entrusted with to perform it. Other

examples of appeal to authority as ethos include reference to Socrates, St. Augustine, St. Thomas

Aquinas, Martin Buber, Paul Tillich, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and other outstanding

personalities with an indisputable influence on human society development. It is interesting how

Dr. King combines direct references to renowned historical figures and allusions to important

events for people of different religious beliefs. He reminds his audience of unjust laws of the

Roman Empire (King 3) and quotes the first Hebrew prophet Amos, Let justice roll down like

waters and righteousness like a mighty stream (King 4). Such entwinement of allusions to texts

and personalities important for the Christians and the Jewish and addressing his audience as My

Christian and Jewish brothers (King 3) intensify Dr. Kings ethos and make his voice

comprehensive for representatives of different religious beliefs, thus expanding Dr. Kings

audience.
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In general, Dr. Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail is one of the best examples of a

skillful usage of all rhetorical devices, each playing an important role in communicating Dr.

Kings ultimate message to his audience. He demonstrates a tactful use of Ethos, Pathos, &

Logos all with a way of making his letter be used as the vessel of delivery to is audience. Dr.

Kings letter is evidence that when all these rhetorical devices are used in the proper form and

adequately presented through the works, it can have a tremendous impact on the audience, thus

achieving one of the highest levels of persuasion one can reach, enough to move a nation and

write itself in the history books.

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References

King, M. L., Jr. (1963, August). Letter From Birmingham Jail [Letter]. Birmingham Jail,

Birmingham, Alabama.