Essay Example on Dr Martin Luther King Jr wrote a letter to the eight Clergymen

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Dr Martin Luther King Jr wrote a letter to the eight clergymen while he was incarcerated Dr King wrote this letter to address one of the biggest issues in Birmingham Alabama and other areas within the United States The Letter from Birmingham Jail discussed the great injustices that were happening during that time towards the black community Dr King wanted everyone to have the same equal rights as the white community the he went into further details about the struggles that African Americans were going through for so many years which he felt like it could change Martin Luther King Jr's Letter from Birmingham Jail expressed his beliefs and his actions about the Human Rights Movement Dr King wanted to end segregation and he also wanted equal rights for everyone but he was told by the clergyman that the movement was unwise and untimely King explained that there will never be a right time for change in this society with bringing equality and justice to us all Dr King was told many times to wait which prolonged his protest and marches King became frustrated because people were being mistreated and judged everyday based off the color of their skin Dr King felt that segregation was wrong and he refused to sit back and do nothing 



Throughout King s argument he appealed his own ethos to his opponents by saying I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth Dr King established his own ethos by giving a list of all the organizations that he was involved in like being the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference This was a positive note because he proved his credibility and made it known that he was not an outsider Dr King also expressed how help start a series of workshops on non violence This showed that King and others were interested in having peaceful rallies and expressing their reason on why they wanted their freedom and equal rights Dr Martin Luther King Jr also used his appeals with logos to help communication with his audience For an example When Dr King made it aware that there have been numerous of unsolved bombing to the African American Negros homes and churches in the city of Birmingham more than any other state listed This made a good example on why he needed to be in the city of Birmingham to help turn a negative situation into a positive situation King continued to discuss the horrible events that took place in Birmingham like the bombing citizens being attacked by dogs and one another Dr King wanted to persuade his readers on how important it was to act immediately and waiting no longer King made his audience see the entire situation from his point of view King also felt guilty and ashamed when he addressed the white moderate expressing how he felt they should have known and understood the importance of the non violent action King was very disappointed in the church he described it as 



The judgement of God is upon the church as never before If the church of today does not recapture the sacrificial spirt of the early church it will lose its authenticity and lose the loyalty to millions King also disrespected the church by conveying his point and demonstrating the future of the church if people are not taking action In King s letter he gave his opinion on the praise that some of the folks were giving the Birmingham Police some were addressing them with what they saw in the situation King uses his personal experiences from the situation that he was in to show proof from brutality of the police force By doing this he was able to bring out the emotions and it allowed his readers to feel their strength Throughout his Letter from Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King Jr established himself as a legitimate authority in the eyes of his audience shows trials his people have gone through justifies his cause and argues the necessity of immediate action By using religious examples which appeal directly to his audience the preachers he attempts to gain their support and legitimize his course of action King also alludes to the examples from many philosophers and saints including Socrates and Aquinas

The overall urgency and call for action in the letter is emphasized by his strong appeals to pathos His imagery personal experiences well rounded argument He effectively demonstrates the impact of the trails the African American people have gone through and proves that what they are fighting for is a just cause on both legal and moral grounds By inspiring sympathy through strong emotional appeals King brings hope for positive change that the white clergymen reading his letter will begin to understand the overlying problem and work for change That is the ultimate goal to bring about a better world for those under persecution and create an equal just future for America as a whole In conclusion this letter was very successful in persuading this intended audience because several weeks after it had been published the wheels on the Civil Rights Movement really started to turn This letter was written April 16 1963 and just one short year later the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended all state and local laws requiring segregation Clearly this was effective because we ended all segregation one year after this letter had been published and we are still integrated today This letter really sparked the Civil Rights Movement and really helped people understand the importance to act because time is of the essence and this problem was never going to solve itself by increasing time

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