Composition I Rhetorical Analysis of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail

English Composition I

02 July 2011

Rhetorical Analysis of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail

            In Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. responds to the criticism of his fellow clergymen and defends his actions as a civil rights activist. Throughout Dr. King’s letter, he effectively uses rhetorical appeals to make his position on civil rights and his actions in defense of his position seem justified. One type of appeal that Dr. King uses in his letter is ethos, or ethical appeal.  Ethos is clearly represented in the second paragraph of the fifth page of the letter.

            One way Dr. King uses the ethos appeal is by making comparisons using sources that he knew his audience would consider credible.  He compares a criticism made by his fellow clergymen, that his actions precipitated violence, to the law, to a classical Greek philosopher, and to a biblical story. In each example, Dr. King shows that the logic used in his critics’ argument does not hold up in other lessons that they believe to be true. By making comparisons with sources his audience respects and believes, Dr. King further establishes his credibility and dispels the argument of his critics.

            Another way Dr. King uses the ethos appeal is by acknowledging beliefs that he and his critics would share in common and stating them in support of his point. Knowing his critics will respect and look to the federal courts and to a person’s “basic constitutional rights,” he tries to show how his beliefs are consistent with them. In showing that his beliefs are consistent with something else his critics already believe in, he is making the case that they already agree with him.  Finally, Dr. King closes the paragraph with a belief that the majority of Americans would agree with, “society must protect the robbed and punish the robber.”  In just this paragraph, Dr. King not only dispels one of his critics’ arguments, but also uses persuasive language to show that his beliefs are consistent with beliefs that they already have.