Response to "Letters From a Birmingham Jail"

Response to "Letters From a Birmingham Jail"

         If there was ever an essay that deserved to be displayed and its author honored for his work, it would be Letters From a Birmingham Jail". 

         In this essay, there was an inordinate amount of evidence, warrants, interpretation, backing, and support, all of which supported his claims clearly and directly. Nearly every sentence had a purpose in supporting his argument. His claims followed his argument. His evidence supported his claims. His warrants and interpretation connected his evidence to his claim. His backing supported his warrants and interpretation. And so forth.

         Martin Luther King's argument contains so many elements that it would be difficult to analyze and explain them all. It contains elements from classical oration, Rogerian argument, and every subject from Tuliman arguments. Therefore, it will be explained using logos, pathos, ethos. 

         

         Logos. Most of his logos derives from his establishing precedent and citing authorities and experts. King also uses much good reasoning and simple logical and moral plays in his essay to persuade his readers. He cites figures such as Jesus, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Socrates, etc. With each figure, he supports his example with a statement that explains his citation and connects it to his main argument. For example, when he stated that he was an "extremist for love" and compared himself to Jesus, who was also an "extremist for love", he plants the question of whether Jesus was an "extremist for love" in the reader's mind and compares his actions to those of Jesus, which, according to simple logic, results in Martin Luther King being an "extremist for love". Civil disobedience, King's main weapon against the anti-abolitionists, was also justified based on precedent such as the civil disobedience practiced by the American colonists before the American Revolution. His evidence is well-founded and his support is excellent. 

     

        Ethos too. Not only does Martin Luther King build his argument by citing his credentials as a minister and credits his own experience on this matter, but he quotes several renowned individuals and cites various examples of precedent in history from his jail cell. By doing so, he bolsters his credibility and authority on the subject of abolition and impresses his readers with his knowledge merely off the top of his head. 

      

        Finally pathos. Perhaps the least defined of the three tools in his argument, ethos is present constantly throughout King's entire essay. Its most direct use occurs in his vivid descriptions of the treatment of African Americans, who were often set upon by dogs, beaten by police, sent to jail, restricted from civic duties and community activities, and looked down upon by whites. He continually mentions how disappointed he is in the white moderate, the clergymen of the church, and anyone else who failed to recognize the severe need for abolition. This heavy tone of disappointment, combined with his horrid details of the treatment of the African Americans and the corresponding indifference of the white population, strikes a chord in the heart of the American people, or so he aims to do. 

        What an essay.