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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). 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/. In "Letter from Birmingham Jail", King implements antithesis -- along with his background as a minister -- to demonstrate the hypocrisy of the Southern clergymen, as he attempts to further diverge the two diametric rationales; thus, he creates logos as he appeals to the audience's logical side and urges African-Americans to act punctual in their King was the figurehead of the Civil Rights movement, infamous for his I Have a Dream speech and substantially impactful rhetoric promoting social and political change, peaceful indignation, and calls to awareness. He uses parallelism by repeating I had hoped to ironically accuse his attackers. Parallelism is useful to emphasize things and ideas to the audience, which, like all the other tropes and schemes. To get a high-quality original essay, click here. 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. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character. Dr. King uses his own words to describe what he wants the nation to look like in the future. Just as well, King uses his aspirations to create ideas within the listeners. This special lyrical and parallel structure helped get his main points across and allows a large audience to understand simple but powerful words (Layfield) . : "There can be no gainsaying the fact that racial injustice engulfs this community." . In Letter From Birmingham Jail, the exigence is the continued condemnation, segregation, and prejudice afflicted against African Americans since the emancipation of the slaves in 1863. Parallelism In Letters From Birmingham Jail 172 Words1 Page Martin Luther King Jr. uses pathos and parallelism frequently throughout "Letters from Birmingham Jail," to persuade the clergyman to support his actions in the civil rights movement. 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. Engels . He needed something, that special something, that would ignite the fire that had somehow died out. Explain why the examples fit your chosen reason. Martin Luther in Birmingham Jail, The Atlantic. In parallel structure, a writer repeats the same pattern of words or/and pattern of grammatical structure. In his letter King effectively manipulates language and tone to strengthen his argument against the complaints of the clergyman and successfully address the white people. Egypt) and titles (e.g. This evidence, revealing MLKs use of pathos, was used to reach out to the emotional citizens who have either experienced or watched police brutality. The constraints surrounding Martin Luther Kings rhetorical situation include the audience, the rhetorical exigence of the situation he is responding to, Dr. King himself, and the medium, all of which are deeply connected. Additionally, personable elements such as tone, inflection, and overall vindication behind the letter are left to be determined by the rhetorical language. Though this letter was intended for the judgemental and condescending men of high faith, his response touched the hearts and minds of the entire U.S. population, then, and for years to come. 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. The Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute. In paragraph 15 of his "Letter from Birmingham Jail", Martin Luther King uses parallel structure to compare just and 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. From this revelation, the audience will also realize that it is no fault of the Negro that they have been left behind in contrast, modern society have been dragging them back through racism. Find step-by-step Literature solutions and your answer to the following textbook question: Identify the parallel structures in the following sentence from Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail," and explain their effect. 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. As example, King uses I have a dream that one day and Let freedom ring.. to open his points on how Americans should change against racial indifferences. 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. Despite this, the clergy never questions whether or not segregation is unjust. We believe that King states in the first sentence himself that he does not usually comment upon the criticism of his work. Throughout Kings letter, he used various ways of persuasive strategies: pathos, logos, and ethos. Emotional appeal uses intense words and charged language to grab listeners to get them to keep listening. Moreover, King juxtaposes contradictory statements to bolster the legitimacy of his argument against injustice -- in stark contrast to the racist beliefs held by the clergy -- which creates logos that he later capitalizes on to instill celerity within the audience. It elucidated the exigence behind his letter as his presented rationale behind his arrest only made unjust laws appear more asinine and questionable by relation. This use of parallel structure emphasizes how just and unjust laws can look deceptively similar. 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. He wanted this letter to encourage and bring up a people that will start a revolution. King responds with complete confidence that he is in the right place at the right time, and that his actions are necessary. MLKs use of pathos and repetition is an effective way to persuade his audience about his position on civil disobedience. Repetition in "The Letter from a Birmingham Jail" Ethos Example "A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. In the Gettysburg Address Lincoln talks about how people fought the war and how people should honor their soldiers. Lastly he shows ethos by using authority in his speech by using quotes from two very famous documents. Active Themes. As campaigning, King uses it in his speech in order to express all his points. 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. 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. Constraints bring light to the obstacles this rhetoric may face, whether it be social, political, economical, etc. Furthermore, exterior events regarding the movement could ultimately reflect on his influence and polarize the audience further. What are some examples of parallelism in letter from Birmingham jail? Some clergymen, mostly white American men, believe the nonviolent protest Dr. King and African Americans were during was "unwise" and "untimely". In each writing, he uses the devices for many different purposes. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law." He begins strongly by explaining why he is in Birmingham in the first place, stating, So I am herebecause we were invited here. " Any law that degrades human personality is unjust." Despite his support, Martin Luthers audience is one of the largest constraints in his rhetorical situation. Several clergy who negatively critiqued Kings approach of seeking justice, wrote A Call for Unity, arguing that his protests were senseless and improper. When teaching speeches and letters, it's helpful to refresh or introduce students to literary elements that enhance rhetorical strategies. Although King was arrested for a nonviolent protest, he still found a way to justify his actions with the use of logos and pathos. King understood that if he gained support from the white American, the civil rights movement would reach its goals much faster. Similarly, King uses pathos to trigger the emotional . 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. Here are more examples of parallel structure within "Letter from Birmingham Jail" that I find especially powerful. His Letter from Birmingham Jail is a work that he wrote while incarcerated in the Birmingham City Jail in response to criticism from Alabama clergymen. MarkAHA. 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. 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. He died in 1968. In addition, King is also in Birmingham because he feels compelled to respond to injustice wherever he finds it. King organized various non-violent demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama that resulted in his arrest. Your email address will not be published. This website uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. were both two African American civil rights activists who were very prominent throughout history. King intended for the entire nation to read it and react to it. Letter From Birmingham Jail and use of Parallel Structure and Anaphora Kirtan Patel Chapter 25 Chapter 24 Parallel Structure- repetition of the same pattern of words or phrases within a sentence or passage to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance. This is the beginning of King's point-by-point rebuttal of the criticisms leveled against him. 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.