![]() He has to temper the ugliness of the situation with at least a few moments of unabashed righteousness and monumental calls to hope. Abused and scorned though we may be, our destiny is tied up with America's destiny (34).This passage is as much directed at his followers and fellow-travelers as it is to whites who are on the fence or unaware of what was going on. We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation, because the goal of America is freedom. For example: I have no fear about the outcome of our struggle in Birmingham, even if our motives are at present misunderstood. King was famous for, reminding us of the beautiful possibilities for America's future. It could have been their mothers, daughters, and grandfathers.Even though he uses a lot of what we might call "painful pathos," there are also the signature rhetorical flourishes Dr. He might have been hoping that whites would read his accounts and imagine if the word "N****" had been left out. King had to use his platform to set the record straight. Back in the 1960s, the only recourse victims of police brutality had was to get their accounts published in the newspaper or tell someone important. (34)Nowadays, because cellphone cameras are everywhere and social media is so popular and accessible, a lot of police misconduct has come to the public's attention. King is allowing white people a highly relatable glimpse into the pain of the Black community.Likewise, he goes on to offer a glimpse into the way the criminal justice system treated African Americans:I doubt that you would so quickly commend the policemen if you were to observe their ugly and inhumane treatment of N****es here in the city jail if you were to watch them push and curse old N**** women and young N**** girls if you were to see them slap and kick old N**** men and young boys if you were to observe them, as they did on two occasions, refuse to give us food because we wanted to sing our grace together. ![]() So he gives a vivid picture of what Black Americans have to go through in the segregated South.…when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six year old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people when you have to concoct an answer for a five year old son who is asking: "Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?" (12)This bit really gets to the heart of any parent-or anyone who loves children, really. ![]() In order for MLK's argument to make sense, you have to understand why the situation is unjust. ![]() King's other speeches and works were specifically anchored on appeals to emotion and inspiration, the major moments of pathos in "Letter from Birmingham Jail" come in the parts about the suffering of the African American community. Talk about the ethical high ground.He also acknowledges the sincerity and status of the clergymen who wrote the letter he's responding to, respecting their credibility as men of good will who are all knowledgeable about Bible teachings.PathosAlthough many of Dr. He takes America's highest cultural ideals seriously.He also references a dozen historical heavyweights, from Abraham Lincoln (24), to Paul of Tarsus (3, 24), to Socrates (9, 17, 21), to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (17) (they don't make names like they used to), arguing that he and his followers are in this lineage of freedom fighters, countercultural visionaries, and righteous sufferers of persecution. But his ethical standing is implied by the way he frames his argument and stakes his claim on a moral truth higher than local laws and ordinances. He doesn't claim to be the foremost authority on Jesus or the greatest political strategist of all time, for instance. King makes an appeal to his readers' hearts and heads while alluding to the moral authority of the Christian tradition, American ideals, and the collective suffering of the African American community.Let's check out each one more closely.EthosAside from introducing himself as the president of the SCLC, Dr. There's a little bit of everything in "Letter from Birmingham Jail": Dr. King knew how to rhetoric the you-know-what out of speeches. RhetoricEthos, Pathos, and LogosMaybe it was all the preachin'.
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