Separate but Equal: “Letter From Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. Analytical Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

Martin Luther King greatly contributed to the development of civil rights movement in the United States; in his books and essays, he was able to shape public views on the ethical aspects of civil disobedience and protests against social injustice and laws. This paper is aimed at discussing his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail.

In particular, it is necessary to analyze this work in terms of ethos, pathos, and logos and the way in which King balances these three appeals in order to convince the readers. It should be taken into consideration that King’s letter was a response to the Public Statement by Eight Alabama Clergymen or Call for Unity.

To a great extent, its authors disapproved demonstrations against segregation and urged African-American community to withstand their rights in courts, rather than organize public protests. This suggestion was hardly acceptable for Martin Luther King. Overall, it is possible to argue that King is able to show that civil disobedience is a legitimate way of bringing social change. This is the main thesis that should be analyzed.

At first, Martin Luther King makes an explicit appeal to ethos or credibility of the speaker. In other words, he tries to demonstrate that he is competent and knowledgeable enough in order to represent the black community. For instance, he points out that he was “president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference” (King unpaged).

Furthermore, he speaks about the work of this organization and its principles, especially the avoidance of violence and crime (King unpaged). It is important to remember that King’s letter was a response to the statement made important clergymen of Alabama (Public Statement by Eight Alabama Clergymen).

By appealing to ethos, King attempts to demonstrate that he was equally suitable for the positions of leadership in the community. Furthermore, he appeals to the credibility in order to challenge the ideas expressed by his opponents who accused him of extremism (Public Statement by Eight Alabama Clergymen unpaged).

For example, he notes that Martin Luther, who was the leading figure, could also be called an extremist (King unpaged). In this way, the author wishes to show that activism is vital for overcoming injustice. One can argue that Martin Luther King successfully appeals to credibility and his claims appear to be more substantiated.

Additionally the author pays much attention to the use of pathos or emotions that prompt readers to feel empathy for the black community. In other words, he makes readers experience the challenges faced by African-Americans.

In particular, the author describes the injustice of segregation laws and their impact on the life of a human being. For instance, he speaks about the feelings of a father who has to tell his daughter that “she can’t go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television” (King unpaged).

This is a direct reference to the segregation laws established in the United States; these rules prohibited black people from entering parks, restaurants, and so forth. Such an example can convince every person that segregation laws can hardly be called just. On the whole, Martin King does make readers empathize with the suffering with the black people who were deprived of many opportunities. This is one of King’s major achievements.

Finally, the author appeals to the rationality of the readers in order to highlight the necessity for public protest against the segregation and discrimination. For example, he argues that community has to take action in order to bring improvements or change legislation that is considered to be unjust (King unpaged).

Furthermore, Martin Luther King notes that social progress is possible only because some people decided to challenge the authority of the state. For instance, he mentions Socrates who insisted on the intellectual freedom of philosophers and educators (King unpaged).

To a great extent, his behavior could be viewed as disobedience to the law, but nowadays, no one can say that his actions were unethical. Furthermore, King speaks about the famous Boston Tea Party that was an important event in history of the American Revolution. People, who were engaged in this protest, were regarded as criminals or rebels, but later they turned into national heroes.

Each of these examples is rather eloquent and convincing. In this way, King succeeds in disputing the arguments expressed by the clergymen of Alabama. His letter shows how citizens are obliged to protest against laws deny people their rights. It is possible to say that he succeeds in explaining his ideas to the readers.

On the whole, King’s Letter is a good example of public rhetoric. The author is able to use ethos, logos, and pathos in order to make his arguments more convincing. He appeals to credibility, emotions, and logic to show that segregation laws can hardly be called just, and that individuals have a right to protest. The author was able to give a response to the critics of civil disobedience. Even now this letter is worth attention, because it enables readers better understand the ethical aspects of public protest and civil disobedience.

Works Cited

King, Martin 1963, Letter from Birmingham Jail. Web. <> .

Public Statement by Eight Alabama Clergymen 1963. Web. <>.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2018, June 18). Separate but Equal: "Letter From Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King Jr. https://ivypanda.com/essays/separate-but-equal/

Work Cited

"Separate but Equal: "Letter From Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King Jr." IvyPanda, 18 June 2018, ivypanda.com/essays/separate-but-equal/.

References

IvyPanda. (2018) 'Separate but Equal: "Letter From Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King Jr'. 18 June.

References

IvyPanda. 2018. "Separate but Equal: "Letter From Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King Jr." June 18, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/separate-but-equal/.

1. IvyPanda. "Separate but Equal: "Letter From Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King Jr." June 18, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/separate-but-equal/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Separate but Equal: "Letter From Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King Jr." June 18, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/separate-but-equal/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1