parallelism in letter from birmingham jail parallelism in letter from birmingham jail

However King also deliberately wrote his letter for a national audience. Lastly, the exigence of a rhetorical piece is the external issue, situation, or event in which the rhetoric is responding to. To get a high-quality original essay, click here. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust(Barnet and Bedau 742). He uses parallelism by repeating I had hoped to ironically accuse his attackers. Specifically he targeted the clergymen who made laws at that time. Dr. King wrote, This wait has almost always meant never. This is why Dr. king addresses this matter in a letter about the battle of segregation. Martin Luther King Jr. displays pathos by targeting the audiences emotion by talking about his American dream that could also be other peoples too. SophAbs. I am here because I have basic organizational ties here (King 1), after describing his involvement in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference as president. Lines 14-43: King provides three different types of reasons in his letter to justify his presence in Birmingham: Organizational reasons, religious or historical reasons, and moral reasons. His Letter from Birmingham Jail was the match. Get professional help and free up your time for more important things. He had hoped that the white moderate would understand that law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and that when they in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress (King 267). To minimize the possibility of being deemed invalid due to his race, he must choose what he states and how he states it very precisely which correlates to the constraints Martin Luther himself has on his rhetorical situation. The topic of Dr. Kings letters from a Birmingham prison is the nonviolent protest being done in Birmingham, Alabama in the fight for African Americans civil rights. In the beginning of the speech, King goes back to the Constitution and Declaration of Independence stating that .all men, black or white, were to be granted the same rights (Declaration of Independence). Throughout the letter, Dr. King does a tremendous job of supporting his argument with the three elements of Aristotles rhetorical appeal. While this fight had been raging for nearly 10 years, the release in 1963 was shortly followed by the Civil Rights Act in 1964. 114, Jr., Martin Luther King. and may encompass the audience, as seen while analysing, The audience of a rhetorical piece will shape the rhetoric the author uses in order to appeal, brazen, or educate whoever is exposed. However, the racial divide was legislated in 1877 with the implementation of Jim Crow laws, which lasted until 1950. Thus, these essays are of lower quality than ones written by experts. This protest, his subsequent arrest, and the clergymens public statement ostensibly make up the rhetorical exigence, but it truly stems from a much larger and dangerous situation at hand: the overwhelming state of anti-black prejudice spread socially, systematically, and legislatively in America since the countrys implementation of slavery in Jamestown, 1619. These "parallel" elements can be used to intensify the rhythm of language, or to draw a comparison, emphasize, or elaborate on an idea. King understood that if he gained support from the white American, the civil rights movement would reach its goals much faster. He died in 1968. In "Letter from Birmingham Jail", King typically uses repetition in the form of anaphora - repeating the same word (s) at the beginning of consecutive clauses. In the same manner, King believed that people could unite to combat oppression. When King was making his mark in American history, the United States was experiencing great social unrest due to the injustice towards their colored citizens, which would lead to social rights rallies and unnecessary violence. The eight clergymen in Birmingham released a public statement of caution regarding the protesters actions as unwise and untimely (King 1), to which Martins letter is a direct response. In Letter From Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King responds to the subjectivity of law and the issue he paramounts by using precise and impactful rhetoric from inside of his jail cell. Dr. Kings goal of this letter was to draw attention to the injustice of segregation, and to defend his tactics for achieving justice. He displays a great amount of pathos, logos, and ethos in his speech. Lastly, King is constrained by his medium. One of the challenges that he faced included being criticized because of what he believed in concerning the laws of segregation. This period of quiet speculation over the law illuminates the national divide in opinion over the matter, one which King helped persuade positively. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law." , 29 May 2019, https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/letter-birmingham-jail. These circumstances lead us to our next rhetorical focus: audience. Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail.. Ultimately, he effectively tackles societal constraints, whether it be audience bias, historical racism, or how he is viewed by using the power of his rhetoric to his advantage. Despite his support, Martin Luthers audience is one of the largest constraints in his rhetorical situation. In this example, King manufactures logos through the creation of antithetic parallelism, as the structure of his essay provides justification for his argument against the postponement of justice. Malcolm X, on the other hand, grew up in a rather hostile environment with barely enough schooling. Introduction. The letter is a plea to both white and black Americans to encourage desegregation and to encourage equality among all Americans, both black and white, along all social, political and religious ranks, clearly stating that there should be no levels of equality based upon racial differences., In Letter from Birmingham Jail, author Martin Luther King Jr. confirms the fact that human rights must take precedence over unjust laws. Letter From Birmingham Jail One of the most famous documents in American history is the 1963 letter written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from his jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama. It was during this time that Dr. King, refusing to sit idly by, wrote his Letter from a Birmingham Jail, one of the most inspiring documents in history. Wiki User 2013-03-13 02:55:46 Study now See answer (1) Copy "One has not only legal but moral responsibility to obey just. This exigence is rhetorical because it can be improved if enough people are socially cognizant, whether that be in legislature or the streets of Birmingham, through creation and enforcement of equitable laws and social attitudes. King through this letter tries to express his, "Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter from Birmingham Jail, which was written in April 16, 1963, is a passionate letter that addresses and responds to the issue and criticism that a group of white clergymen had thrown at him and his pro- black American organization about his and his organization's non- violent demonstrative actions against racial prejudice and injustice among black Americans in Birmingham. Similarly, King uses pathos to trigger the emotional . All of this accumulates into an unwavering social constraint placed on Martin Luther Kings rhetorical text. On August 28, 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a famous speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and freedom, this speech was called I have a dream. This speech was focused on ending racism and equal rights for African Americans during the civil rights movement. While in jail, King received a letter from eight Alabama clergyman explaining their concern and opposition to King and his non-violent actions. In his letter he uses examples like when you have seen hate-filled policeman curse, kick, and even kill your black brothers and sisters. and when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and gathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim to make his audience envision and feel what many negroes felt while watching their families put up with this mistreatment. Martin Luther King's 'Letter From Birmingham Jail' 16 terms. When Dr. King first arrived in Birmingham, trouble occurred when he and fellow activists were . He is a firm believer that Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere (262). To achieve this, he used rhetorical strategies such as appeal to pathos and repetition. In response to Kings peaceful protesting, the white community viewed [his] nonviolent efforts as those of an extremist, and subsequently imprisoned the pastor (para 27). Because of his skill in creating such pieces of writing, as well as his influential role within the Civil Rights Movement, and the reminder that Letter from Birmingham Jail provides of these trying times, his letter should continue to be included within A World of Ideas. Early in his speech, King writes riches of freedom and security of justice and then justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. In these two examples, King is using parallelism to express that the African American wants justice and freedom by repeating them next to each other and mentally connecting them in the readers mind, which is also connected with pathos as the terms King uses subtly emphasize those words and create good feelings in the reader. He shows logos by giving a sense of hope to the people that better things will come in time. Martin Luther King then goes on to make an analogy to the Bible, portraying Apostle Pauls proliferation of the gospel of Jesus Christ in parallel to his own efforts, stating, I too am compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my particular hometown (1). His audience ranged between those who his message empowered, a radical positive force, and those who disagreed, made up of southern states, extremist groups, and the majority of American citizens stuck in their racial prejudices. Good uses of similes, metaphors, and imagery will act on the reader's senses creating a false sense of perception. Martin Luther King Jr. was born to a middle class family and was well educated. The audience of Letter From Birmingham Jail was initially the eight clergymen of Birmingham, all white and in positions of religious leadership. Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail. The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 29 Jan. 2021, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/02/letter-from-a-birmingham-jail/552461/. Dr. King fought against segregation between Black Americans and White Americans. They fought for what they believed in but in vastly different ways. It was important for King to address this audience as their support would ultimately make the largest difference in the movement. King strategically persuades. Black Americans were forced to sit behind buses and kids were to use old books and uniforms of White Americans. Not only was this a social division, but those who opposed King were reinforced by the respective legislature that sought to burden him. King addressed these communities as the primary groups wherein racial segregation is continuously proliferated (the white American political and religious community) and points much of his arguments to and for his fellow black Americans in the society. Letter from Birmingham Jail; McAuley ELA I HON. Parallelism is a figure of speech in which two or more elements of a sentence (or series of sentences) have the same grammatical structure. Martin Luther Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail addresses his fellow clergymen and others who critiqued him for his actions during this time. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. were both two African American civil rights activists who were very prominent throughout history. His use of diction and syntax would align his mission to Gods, and show that he was in the right and the clergymen were in the wrong. In this way, King juxtaposes his perspective with that of the clergy to demonstrate the depravity of his oppressors. As King disproves the arguments of the white clergymen, he utilizes antithesis to create logos; furthermore, he calls the reader to take action against injustice across the nation. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from a Birmingham Jail is a letter that illustrates oppression being a large battle fought in this generation and location. Consequently, King fabricates logos as he urges African-Americans to demand justice from their oppressors, an issue that directly affects everyone across the nation: not just those in specific areas. Martin Luther King Jr. uses both logical and emotional appeals in order for all his listeners to be able to relate and contemplate his speeches. Throughout the work, Letter from Bimingham Jail, Martin Luther constantly uses examples from historical figures in order to unite his argument that action must be taken in order to end discrimination and segregation. This is the beginning of King's point-by-point rebuttal of the criticisms leveled against him. Engels . Martin Luther in Birmingham Jail, The Atlantic. 1, no. Since Kings arrest he had time to think deeply about the situation; therefore, he decides to reply back to the Alabama clergymen. Finally, King uses antithesis one more time at the end of his speech, when he writes when all of Gods children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands. The pairs he mentions are all the direct opposites of each other, yet he says that they will all join hands together and be friends. The letter goes on to explain his choice to act directly and nonviolently, stating, For years now I have heard the word wait. It rings in the ear of every Negro with a piercing familiarity. Choose one type of reason and cite an example from these lines. Martin Luther King responds to the subjectivity of law and the issue he paramounts by using precise and impactful rhetoric from inside of his jail cell. An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and Not only does he use pathos to humanize himself, but he also uses it to humanize his immediate audience, the eight clergymen. In response, King emphasized that justice is never timely, and the refusal to acknowledge equal rights was inhumane and regressive. King writes the letter to defend his organization's actions and the letter is also an appeal to the people, both the white and black American society, the social, political, and religious community, and the whole of American society to encourage desegregation and encourage solidarity and equality among all Americans, with no stratifications according to racial differences. Analysing a rhetorical situation clarifies why a text was created, the purpose in which it was written, and why the author made specific choices while writing it. While the Civil Rights movement superseded the dismantling of Jim Crow, the social ideologies and lackadaisical legislature behind anti-black prejudice continued to rack the country far into the 1960s. King intended for the entire nation to read it and react to it. Despite this, the clergy never questions whether or not segregation is unjust. Here, King concedes that the clergy acts with the virtuous goal of justice in mind, which allows him to establish his argument against the manner in which they seek equality. They were arrested and held in . Martin Luther King Jr. writes his letter while being held in Birmingham Jail after being arrested for participating, in a non-violent anti segregation march. While in solitary confinement for nearly 8 days, reverend and social justice activist, Martin Luther King Jr., wrote his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail in response to the criticism he received for his non-violent protests. Lastly, the exigence of a rhetorical piece is the external issue, situation, or event in which the rhetoric is responding to. As the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s unfolded, Martin Luther King Jr. had, perhaps, the most encompassing and personal rhetorical situation to face in American history. Martin Luther Kings "letter from Birmingham Jail" strives to justify the desperate need for nonviolent direct action, the absolute immorality of unjust laws together with what a just law is. First, King writes that the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. This antithesis makes the audience realize that the Negroes have been left behind and ignored while the rest of modern society has charged forward into prosperity and fortune. He wanted this letter to encourage and bring up a people that will start a revolution. Dr. King wrote 2 famous works, Dream and Birmingham and each had a different audience and purpose. Despite his support, Martin Luthers audience is one of the largest constraints in his rhetorical situation. Ralph Abernathy (center) and the Rev. Lloyd Bitzer describes rhetorical situation as, a complex of persons, events, objects, and relations presenting an actual or potential exigence which can be completely or partially removed if discourse, introduced into the situation, can so constrain human decision or action to bring about the significant modification of the exigence (6). This protest, his subsequent arrest, and the clergymens public statement ostensibly make up the rhetorical exigence, but it truly stems from a much larger and dangerous situation at hand: the overwhelming state of anti-black prejudice spread socially, systematically, and legislatively in America since the countrys implementation of slavery in Jamestown, 1619. " Any law that degrades human personality is unjust." "A Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King Analysis. Read these passages aloud, and as you do so, feel their undeniable passion and power. In parallel structure, a writer repeats the same pattern of words or/and pattern of grammatical structure. He points out the irony of America because Black Americans were still not truly free. for only $11.00 $9.35/page. In addressing and confronting the problem of injustices among the black Americans in the American society, particularly the violence that had happened in Birmingham, and, Martin Luther King Jr. faced many challenges during his life. While this fight had been raging for nearly 10 years, the release in 1963 was shortly followed by the Civil Rights Act in 1964. In Martin Luther Kings Jr, Letter from Birmingham Jail the letter was a persuasive attempt to get Americans to finally see the inequality in the United States of America. King uses tone, literal and figurative language to establish structure and language in his letter. Who was he truly writing for? He said that one day we won 't have to worry about our skin color and segregation and that we 'll all come together as one. Letter from Birmingham Jail: Repetition BACK NEXT This guy knew how to write a speech. While his letter was only addressed to the clergymen, it is safe to assume that King had intent on the public eventually reading his letter, considering his position within the Civil Rights movement, use of persuasive rhetorical language, and hard-hitting debates on the justification of law. However, Martin Luther King Jr is an extremely influential figure in the field of oration and rhetoric. Ethically most people believe that it is necessary to keep a promise. Furthermore, as King attests to the significance of the Birmingham injustices, he utilizes antithesis to foster logos: Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere; Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly (515). How does this comparison appropriately justify. His writing is respectful and educated, if not naturally, to invalidate the use of his race against him by the largely prejudiced audience. There are people in the white community that are already standing hand-in-hand with them and their dreams. . By clicking Receive Essay, you agree to our, Essay Sample on The Effects of the Atomic Bomb, Essay Sample: The Development of the Braille System in Nineteenth-Century France, Constitution of The United StatesResearch Paper Example, Hippies In The 1960's (Free Essay Sample), Positive And Negative Impacts Of The Columbian Exchange, Essay Sample on Early River Civilizations. Explain why the examples fit your chosen reason. He ended up creating a very persuasive letter, one that effectively uses ethos in establishing his character, logos in providing reason and logic, and pathos in reaching human emotions. Likewise, King creates logos as he employs another antithetical statement that demonstrates the timeliness of his argument: Never voluntarily given by the oppressor must be demanded by the oppressed; Jet-like speed horse-and-buggy pace (518). During this period in the 1960s, King was disappointed by the way the white clergy was not in support of the religious civil rights movement and Kings goal of equality as a whole. Identify the parallel structures in the following sentence from Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail," and explain their effect. The clergymen along with others are addressed in an assertive tone allowing them to fully understand why his actions are justified. the exigence is the continued condemnation, segregation, and prejudice afflicted against African Americans since the emancipation of the slaves in 1863. African Americans have been waiting to have there civil rights of freedom, but the social courts has requested them not protest on the street but to take it to court. Firstly, and most daunting, is the constraint of the letters audience. To truly understand the effectiveness of this letter, one must rhetorically analyse the contents. Martin Luther King, more than any other figure, shaped American life from the mid-"'"50s to the late "'"60s. We allow people to think that it is okay to act unjustly towards some individuals. Martin Luther King Jr. was an American baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the Civil Rights Movement in 1954. Both works utilizes the persuasive techniques of pathos in Dream and logos in Birmingham. Both of the works had a powerful message that brought faith to many. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. Additionally, personable elements such as tone, inflection, and overall vindication behind the letter are left to be determined by the rhetorical language. He uses a large number of rhetorical devices in his letter to reach his goal, including point of view, imagery, and rhetorical questions. Correspondingly, King urges the clergy to reconsider the horse-and-buggy pace of their methods of action through his logos. King chose to write this for a reason; to resonate with those who were not his enemies but who held back the movement through compliance. Other than the speechs heartwarming and moving content, Kings effective structure along with the usage of all three rhetorical modes and certain rhetorical tropes and schemes has revealed the reason I Have a Dream as a masterpiece of rhetoric and it persuades hundreds of thousands of people support the blacks instead of treating them. Civil rights is an emotional subject for those who were affected by it, and MLK is proving his argument on civil disobedience. In paragraphs 33 to 44 of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s response to A Call for Unity, a declaration by eight clergymen, Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963), he expresses that despite his love for the church, he is disappointed with its lack of action regarding the Civil Rights Movement. The problem is that this kind of thinking can spread and infect other people to believe this is acceptable. Despite his opposition, however, the letter is truly addressed to those who were not against King, but did not understand the urgency of his movement.