The letter by Martin Luther King, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” targets the white ministers in the city of Birmingham. King writes this letter to the 8 white ministers who criticized his actions as a clergy in a statement which was published in the newspaper, after he violated the law of the city and had to be jailed. The purpose of the letter is to address issues in the city which subjects African American towards injustices and segregation. The author seeks to address the plight of the Negroes who have suffered under the whites for a long time (Fahey and Armstrong 127). The letter by Martin Luther King uses the three rhetorical appeals with ethos, and logos taking a minor portion of the letter, while the larger part of the letter appeals to the emotional appeal, pathos.
King clearly states that under normal circumstances, he does not care for criticism, but he chose to respond to the clergy since he thought their concerns were genuine and that he intended to explain to the clergy why he acted in the manner that he did. He further explains that from the comfort of his desk, he would have written a shorter letter, but in a narrow and long jell cell, he had a lot of time for long thoughts and long letters as well as long prayers. By explaining that under normal circumstances he does not respond to criticism nor write long letters, he brings the gravity and uniqueness of the matter to the audience. The author uses pathos to appeal to the white ministers.
King was charged with the offense of being in Birmingham without a permit, an offense he tries to defend himself in his letters. He justifies his presence in Birmingham to having been called upon by one of the 85 organizations with which he had close ties with . These organizations which were part of the Southern Christian Leadership had signed a treaty to support each other in nonviolent programs. This is an appeal to ethos. He was in Birmingham to address the injustices that were taking place against the blacks. After having been arrested, he is justified to claim that there was indeed injustice in Birmingham, and he was proof. He readily accepts his offense and takes responsibility for it.
A nonviolent direct action was a program which often involved a four steps procedure; fact collection to determine the authenticity of the claims of injustice, mediation, self-purification and direct action. This is an appeal to ethos. Birmingham had an infamous record of brutality which segregated the people of color even in courts. Negro homes and churches had been bombed on many occasions, and these incidences went unsolved . Efforts by Negro fathers to engage the city fathers in negotiations were always ignored. He builds his case by personally offering his body to be subjected towards the injustice in Birmingham. He makes an emotional appeal by sacrificing himself for the sake of justice just like Jesus Christ made an emotional appeal for the sake love by dying on the cross.
In paragraph 14, he uses rhetorical devices to come up with images of the different scenarios that African Americans are forced to endure on a daily basis. These images support his overall judgment that the Negroes were being treated unfairly. He uses these images to bring out an emotional appeal to the clergymen. In the paragraph, he explains that the Negros had been faced with segregation for a long period of 340 years which he demonstrates with the long sentence .
A just law corresponds with the moral law which is also referred to as the law of God, while an unjust law goes against the law of God. This is an appeal to ethos. By proving that these laws were unjust, he justifies his intention to see these laws broken (Fahey and Armstrong 125). He proceeds to quote Saint Augustine, who stated that an unjust law is no law. This is an appeal to logos. King uses a religious context which is familiar with the white ministers, who had to be convinced to prove that they too were indeed men of the cloth.
At the beginning of his letter, King states that the letter was written as a response to the statement by the 8 clergy men which appeared in the newspaper while he was still in jail criticizing his actions . He clearly states in his letter how he has longed to hear the recipients of the letter, who are the white ministers, fight for the rights of the blacks and term the Negro as their brother. He uses religious contexts on several occasions which can only be relevant to members of the clergy (Fahey and Armstrong 125). An audience not familiar with the religious concept and what the law means to the Christian cannot grasp the argument that King is trying to put across. This is an appeal to logos.
The blacks in Birmingham had been trying to open negotiations with the White dwellers of the city without any luck. The only negotiation that had taken place had ended up in broken promises (King). This is an emotional appeal. King does not care who takes charge of the negotiations. He hopes to prompt the two races to enter into negotiations which will see the injustices against the blacks come to an end.
Having been a pastor, Martin Luther King had mastered the art of speech. Even though writing can be made to resemble a speech, speech has various advantages which make it more efficient than a letter. Speech has immediate feedback, and the orator is able to evaluate the impact of their words on the audience (Fahey and Armstrong). Speech involves a direct relationship with the audience, enabling the speaker to make an emotional appeal to the public.
In conclusion, Martin Luther King employs the use of pathos to a great extent to defend his actions from the white clergy and to get them to understand the plight of the Negroes living in Birmingham, while ethos and logos are used to justify his actions in regard to authority and historical events. The author employs rhetorical devices to create images of the scenarios that the Negroes have to endure in Birmingham in paragraph 14, which creates an emotional appeal. He uses his jailed condition to appeal to the white ministers emotionally. He uses logos on a few occasions when referring to religious people in history who fought for justice. Ethos is also used on a couple of occasions to explain his actions leading to the current situation.
Works cited
Fahey, Joseph and Richard Armstrong. A Peace reader : essential readings on war, justice, non-violence, and world order. New York: Paulist Press, 1992. Print.
King, Jr. Martin Luther. Why we can't wait. Boston: Beacon Press, 2010. Print.
