What rhetorical devices are used in the Letter from Birmingham Jail?

His letter used the three rhetorical appeals ethos, pathos, and logos, while also utilizing the literary device of kairos in an attempt to explain his actions and change the opinions of his audience.

What famous letters did Martin Luther King wrote that are said to turn the tide of the civil rights movement?

King, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” in Why We Can’t Wait, 1964. Reverend Martin Luther King Writes from Birmingham City Jail—Part I, 88th Cong., 1st sess., Congressional Record (11 July 1963): A 4366–4368. “White Clergymen Urge Local Negroes to Withdraw from Demonstrations,” Birmingham News, 13 April 1963.

What is the thesis of Letter from Birmingham Jail?

King’s main thesis in writing the Birmingham letter is that, racial segregation, or injustice to the black American society, is due to the continuous encouragement of the white American society, particularly the powerful communities in politics and religions.

What makes MLK credible?

In my mind, the largest and most credible part of King’s speech was the idea that Civil Rights and the advancement of racial equality was part of American History. Throughout the speech, Dr. Dr. King’s references to both Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence as well as the Constitution are also notable.

What tone does Dr King use in his argument?

King maintains an overall passionate tone throughout the speech, but in the beginning, he projected a more urgent, cautionary, earnest, and reverent tone to set the audience up for his message.

How many words is Letter from a Birmingham Jail?

The handwritten letter consists of 7,000 words in which he passionately responds to religious leaders, which criticized King and others who had been demonstrating to bring attention to racist treatment in Birmingham, Alabama.

Did Martin Luther King write on toilet paper?

In April 1963, Clarence Jones, the legal counsel for Martin Luther King Jr, took scribbled bits of newspaper and toilet paper he had smuggled out of King’s Birmingham jail cell and passed them to Wyatt Tee Walker, King’s chief of staff. …

What is the main argument in the Letter from Birmingham Jail?

King disagreed and penned his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” arguing that black Americans had waited long enough for equal rights, and that unjust laws were invalid laws.

What did the letter from Birmingham jail accomplish?

Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is the most important written document of the civil rights era. The letter served as a tangible, reproducible account of the long road to freedom in a movement that was largely centered around actions and spoken words.

Why does MLK welcome extremist?

He also argues that taking an extreme position on a matter is absolutely superior to complacency, and that if the label extremist will apply to anyone who is not complacent, then he will gladly take it, because even the complacent help to enable extreme forms of violence.

Who are the Souths real heroes?

One day the South will recognize its real heroes. They will be the James Merediths, with the noble sense of purpose that enables them to face jeering and hostile mobs, and with the agonizing loneliness that characterizes the life of the pioneer.