There are three main considerations to make while analysing a rhetorical situation: the constraints, the exigence, and the audience. Parallelism is a figure of speech in which two or more elements of a sentence (or series of sentences) have the same grammatical structure. While the Civil Rights movement superseded the dismantling of Jim Crow, the social ideologies and lackadaisical legislature behind anti-black prejudice continued to rack the country far into the 1960s. Its important to note that his initial readers/supporters greatly impacted the scope of his audience, spreading the letter through handouts, flyers, and press, in the hopes that others would be impacted for the better by the weight of the exigence at hand. you can use them for inspiration and simplify your student life. 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. was initially the eight clergymen of Birmingham, all white and in positions of religious leadership. 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. King defends his primary thesis all throughout the length of his letter, and the arguments that he has made to prove that his thesis is true and valid will be the focus of this rhetorical analysis. Dr. Throughout the Letter from Birmingham Jail, ethos, pathos, and logos are masterfully applied by Martin Luther King. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law." " Any law that degrades human personality is unjust." Emotional appeal uses intense words and charged language to grab listeners to get them to keep listening. He writes of his own problems that may apply to the daily struggles of the abused African, Parallelism In Speech From Birmingham Jail, Throughout the speech, another scheme King uses frequently is parallelism, the strategy of repeating similar clauses, several times. Active Themes. The way Dr. King constructs his argument is as if he was preaching his argument to his congregation. All of these factors influence each other to shape rhetoric, which Bitzer describes as, pragmatic; it comes into existence for the sake of something beyond itself (3), with Martin Luther Kings Letter From Birmingham Jail being a shining example. MLKs use of pathos and repetition is an effective way to persuade his audience about his position on civil disobedience. Introduction. What are some examples of parallelism in letter from Birmingham jail? In each writing, he uses the devices for many different purposes. 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. This use of parallel structure emphasizes how just and unjust laws can look deceptively similar. This letter occasioned his reply and caused King to write a persuasive letter "Letter from Birmingham Jail," justifying his actions and presence in Birmingham. 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. 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). King goes on to write that he is disappointed that white moderates care less about justice and more about order. In addition, King is also in Birmingham because he feels compelled to respond to injustice wherever he finds it. I am here because I have basic organizational ties here (King 1), after describing his involvement in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference as president. In parallel structure, a writer repeats the same pattern of words or/and pattern of grammatical structure. In A Letter From A Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King Jr defends his use of nonviolent protest in order to accomplish racial equality. Although Dr. Kings exploits are revered today, he had opponents that disagreed with the tactics he employed. Martin Luther King, more than any other figure, shaped American life from the mid-"'"50s to the late "'"60s. He takes up for his cause in Birmingham, and his belief that nonviolent direct action is the best way to make changes happen. 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. This letter serves as a purpose to apply the need for love and brotherhood towards one another and avoid all the unjust laws. With his respectful nature, humility, compassion, optimism, and determination, King responded to a group of white Alabama clergymen who had condemned the civil rights protests as extreme in their open letter, A Call for Unity. Although his letter was directed towards a small group of eight men, his words eventually reached the minds and hearts of the entire country. King has explained this through many examples of racial situations, factual and logical reasoning, and . 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). Your email address will not be published. Specifically, King's letter addresses three important groups in the American society: the white American political community, white American religious community, and the black American society. In the "Letter from Birmingham Jail", written by Martin Luther King Jr., King delivers a well structured response to eight clergymen who had accused him of misuse of the law. Furthermore the Kings parallel structure clarifies and highlights his intent by building up to a more important point. Lastly, King is constrained by his medium. In the Letter from Birmingham Jail written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., King addressed the concerns of the white clergy and gave support to the direct action committed by African Americans. Fred Shuttlesworth, defied an injunction against protesting on Good Friday in 1963. One example of Kings use of pathos appeals to the audiences emotions by showing Kings confidence in his endeavors. King uses pathos to invoke anger, sympathy and empathy, his impeccable use of logos makes his argument rational to everyone, and his use of ethos, especially the use of biblical references, makes his opinions more reliable. To summarize, Martin Luther Kings rhetoric is effective and ultimately changed the course of the Civil Rights movement for the better. Martin Luther King Jr. was an important figure in gaining civil rights throughout the 1960s and hes very deserving of that title as seen in both his I Have a Dream speech and his Letter from Birmingham Jail letter. He points out the irony of America because Black Americans were still not truly free. He seeks to make them see the logic behind their protesting and make them feel ashamed and embarrassed by the way that they have been treating the African Americans. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., along with many other civil activist, began a campaign to change the laws and the social attitudes that caused such a disparity. 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. As he sits in a cell of Birmingham Jail in 1963, he responds to criticism from eight white clergymen. In short, Martin Luther King Jr. includes rhetorical devices in his writing. The Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute. MLK uses both ways to gain the attention and agreement of the audience but, he uses pathos not just more, but in a more relatable way in order to appeal to his audience. Furthermore, good usage of these rhetorical device . Its important to note that his initial readers/supporters greatly impacted the scope of his audience, spreading the letter through handouts, flyers, and press, in the hopes that others would be impacted for the better by the weight of the exigence at hand. 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. A seminal text of the Civil Rights Movement, King's, "Letter from Birmingham Jail," defends the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism, justifies the measures that brought about his arrest, and asseverates that the segregation laws against blacks in the south must be repealed. In Kings letter, he states, We must use time creatively, and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right. Funny thing is he had lots of time to think about and write this letter. Martin Luther King Jr. twists the perspective of his audience -- Southern clergymen -- to create antithetic parallelism in Letter from Birmingham Jail. Engels . Martin Luther King Jr., with the Rev. King uses parallelism to add balance and rhythm to his rhetoric. This website uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. These circumstances lead us to our next rhetorical focus: audience. Through powerful, emotionally-loaded diction, syntax, and figurative language, King adopts a disheartened tone later shifts into a determined tone in order to express and reflect on his disappointment with the churchs inaction and his goals for the future. 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. Besides the use of pathos, King uses repetition to enhance the effectiveness of his argument. At this time, he is representative of the Black American population and the Civil Rights Movement as a whole he is Martin Luther King Jr., and while this is a powerful position to occupy, the constraints imposed are just as dominant. One example of parallelism he uses is, But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick, brutalize, and even kill your black brothers and sisters with impunity (Barnet and Bedau 741). It managed to inspire a generation of blacks to never give up and made thousands of white Americans bitterly ashamed of their actions, forging a new start for society. King understood that if he gained support from the white American, the civil rights movement would reach its goals much faster. From the very beginning of it , King brings his crowd back to the origin of America when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, that freed all slaves and gave hope to the former slaves. This period of quiet speculation over the law illuminates the national divide in opinion over the matter, one which King helped persuade positively. Read these passages aloud, and as you do so, feel their undeniable passion and power. In both of these writings Dr. King uses logos - logical persuasion - and pathos - emotional appeal - to change the opinions of people who were for segregation and against civil rights. IvyMoose is the largest stock of essay samples on lots of topics and for any discipline. King establishes his position supported by historical and biblical allusions, counterarguments, and the use of rhetorical devices such as ethos, pathos, and logos. One of the challenges that he faced included being criticized because of what he believed in concerning the laws of segregation. Take for instance when the part of the letter when Dr. King talks about different men, both biblical, Martin Luther King Jr.s goal in Letter From Birmingham Jail is to convince the people of Birmingham that they should support civil disobedience and the eventual end to the segregation laws in Birmingham. Back then, people were ready to oppose unjust laws that were causing inequality and preventing progress. The rhetorical choices referenced above are riddled with pathos, also known as language utilized to persuade the audience emotionally. 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.