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

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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. <http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html> .

Public Statement by Eight Alabama Clergymen 1963. Web. <https://www.massresistance.org/docs/gen/09a/mlk_day/statement.html>.

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

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