Logos
King supports his claim that he was entitles to protest for human rights using logical arguments, which represent the key aspect of logos. He discusses about the morality of law and he also motivates with solid arguments why the movement that he coordinated (that lead to his imprisoning) was justified: he conducted a non – violent campaign in Birmingham because the foundation that he initiated and lead, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, activated in that city and informed him that about the unjust treatment upon the Negro. King enumerates the actions that he undertook in organizing this campaign: researching the social problem, identifying that the injustice existed, negotiating with the city’s representatives for eliminating the problems and in the end, proceeding with the direct action. This is a deductive argumentation, meant to demonstrate the fact that there were respected the procedures of a democratic non – violent protest and that the actions that he coordinated were in fact, just and founded. Other arguments that use the rationale power refer to the Negroes frustration, which will be a logical and natural result of the fact that their rights to protest through non – violent direct actions will not be granted. What is similarly dangerous is that the racial discrimination will continue if measures will not be considered, and these might outburst in violent movements. King’s reasoning is original, passionate and extracted from real life facts, which make it so powerful and coherent. The aspects that he points out are inactively known, representing facts that people are used to. However, as the ambassador of the African Americans’ rights, he presents these facts, the Negroes oppression, the racial insults, and the biases from their perspective, creating awareness around their right to fight against all these.
Ethos
King passionately addresses the oppressions that the Black American people face every day. He speaks about the unjust treatment that the society applies for people belonging to this race, as they are segregated throughout the public life from the White people. He underlines the fact that Negroes are treated as inferior people, presenting the dramas that they have to endure day after day: they are often treated with brutality and offended; while men are named “boy”, regardless their age, for women the white people never use the appellative “Mrs.”. Little children are growing in non – inclusive environments, as they are not integrated in the society of white children and they are not allowed to go to public amusement parks. These are some of the appeals to emotions that Martin Luther King mentions in his speech for sensitizing the public opinion regarding the African Americans’ rights to protest for equality, for respect and for their dignity. Moreover, King also uses Christian religion references for promoting ideas such as the brotherly spirit, with the same purpose of sustaining the equality and harmony among people, regardless their race or ethnicity. He aims at directing the white Americans to God’s teaching, according to which we are all equal, we all have the same rights. He compares himself and associates his role with the one of Apostle Paul: “Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: ‘I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.’ Was not Martin Luther an extremist: ‘Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God’”. He stated his creed, of fulfilling God’s will, aiming to persuade his audience and to determine it to help him to achieve his purposes.
