Martin Luther King, Jr.

In 16 April 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter to his fellow Clergymen in Alabama titled “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” This letter was in response to his Civil rights movement that was being carried out in Birmingham Alabama. On 12 April 1963, eight Clergymen from Alabama wrote a letter that was published in a Birmingham newspaper calling for the local issues on racial injustice to be handled through the courts, as opposed to them being handled through outsiders. In this letter, the Clergymen pointed out that the timing of these non-violent demonstrations were “unwise and untimely.” The city of Birmingham had just concluded with their local elections, where the newly elected officials did not have proper time to look into the issues at hand. The Clergymen believed that with the help of the citizens of the metropolitan area, which included the Negro, and white community, the issues would be able to be resolved peacefully.

Martin Luther King Jr. responded in a letter that was given to his lawyer to be brought back to his movement headquarters. In the letter, Martin Luther King Jr. responded to the article published in the Birmingham News by stating that he is serving as the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference that has over eighty five affiliated organizations across the South. In that statement, we were able to see some of the uses of Ethos. Mr. King used his title as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to show us that he holds a position of respect, authority and credibility. In his letter, Mr. King also gives us a very vivid painting of how desperate the local situation is by using Pathos to paint a picture. He states, “Birmingham is probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States.” (Jr., 1963) “Its ugly record of brutality is widely known.” (Jr., 1963) “There have been more unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than in any other city in the nation.” (Jr., 1963) He also states, “We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God given rights.” (Jr., 1963)“The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jetlike speed toward gaining political independence, but we still creep at horse and buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter.” (Jr., 1963) These are some terrific examples of how Martin Luther King Jr. is trying to connect emotionally with the reader.

Martin Luther King Jr. shows us some use of logos in the following sentences. “In the course of negotiations, certain promises were made by the merchants for example, to remove the stores’ humiliating racial signs.” (Jr., 1963) “As the weeks and months went by, we realized that we were the victims of a broken promise.” (Jr., 1963) In his letter, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote in a peaceful manner merely hoping to appeal to his fellow Clergyman for the greater good of mankind.

Mr. King explained to the Clergyman, that because of the many years of oppression and endless results for equality, it left them no other choice but to take to the streets in a non-violent and peaceful fashion. His use of ethos, pathos, and logos are very apparent throughout his letter. Towards the end of his letter, Mr. King apologizes for writing such a long letter, and assured that it would have much shorter if he had written it from the comforts of his desk. He also writes that even after all that has happened in the past, he was still willing to meet his fellow Clergyman as a Christian brother. His letter was an inspiration to read along with the letter the Clergyman wrote, “A Call for Unity.”