At the time, Birmingham was one of the harshest places to live in America for African Americans; white supremacy groups would set off bombs to instill fear in the black community and withhold racial integration, and peaceful protests and sit-ins were met with unjustifiable police violence, in addition to the suffocating social qualms surrounding the black community (Eskew). Later in the letter, parallelism is used to contrast just laws and unjust laws. We believe that King states in the first sentence himself that he does not usually comment upon the criticism of his work. On August 28, 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a famous speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and freedom, this speech was called I have a dream. This speech was focused on ending racism and equal rights for African Americans during the civil rights movement. King uses parallelism to add balance and rhythm to his rhetoric. Identify the parallel structures in the following sentence from Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail," and explain their effect. While there were consistent and impactful efforts made by various groups for equality throughout the civil rights era, the proximity between the public release of the letter, found nation-wide by late 1963, and the passing of the Civil Rights Act in early July 1964 shows the direct impact the letter had on social attitudes following its publicization. In "Letter from Birmingham Jail", King typically uses repetition in the form of anaphora - repeating the same word (s) at the beginning of consecutive clauses. This use of parallel structure emphasizes how just and unjust laws can look deceptively similar. While the Civil Rights movement superseded the dismantling of Jim Crow, the social ideologies and lackadaisical legislature behind anti-black prejudice continued to rack the country far into the 1960s. These encompass his exigence, at its most simple and precise, and validify the importance behind transforming the country in a positive way. While his supporters nation-wide were avid, determined, and hopeful, they were challenged by the opposing, vastly white population, comfortable in their segregated establishments and racist ideologies who would certainly weaponize his viewpoints. Black Americans were forced to sit behind buses and kids were to use old books and uniforms of White Americans. King gives a singular, eloquent voice to a massive, jumbled movement. Lincoln states, We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. What he says means that the soldiers lost their lives to give us freedom. African Americans have been waiting to have there civil rights of freedom, but the social courts has requested them not protest on the street but to take it to court. 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. He said that one day we won 't have to worry about our skin color and segregation and that we 'll all come together as one. While his letter was only addressed to the clergymen, it is safe to assume that King had intent on the public eventually reading his letter, considering his position within the Civil Rights movement, use of persuasive rhetorical language, and hard-hitting debates on the justification of law. 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. Dr. Initially, the eight Birmingham clergymen are the audience and while they were not overtly racist, King uses rhetoric meant to have them understand his urgency. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust(Barnet and Bedau 742). This letter serves as a purpose to apply the need for love and brotherhood towards one another and avoid all the unjust laws. His letter has become one of the most profound pieces of literature of the 20th century, as King uses vivid examples and eloquent rhetorical devices to counter all nine arguments. With this addressed, his audience was truly the population of the United States, especially Birmingham, with a focus on those who withheld and complied with the oppression of African American citizens, even if not intentionally. Constraints bring light to the obstacles this rhetoric may face, whether it be social, political, economical, etc. Wiki User 2013-03-13 02:55:46 Study now See answer (1) Copy "One has not only legal but moral responsibility to obey just. In his "Letter form a Birmingham Jail" and his "I have a Dream speech, Dr. King uses metaphor, repetition and parallel structure to provide visual images which may evoke empathy in the readers and audience and emphasize the ideas he presents: the argument for civil rights and the goal to end segregation. Macbeth) in the essay title portion of your citation. In short, Martin Luther King Jr. includes rhetorical devices in his writing. In sum, all rhetoric has an external situation in which it is responding to. King concludes with optimism about the future of the relationship between the currently segregated blacks and whites. He ended up creating a very persuasive letter, one that effectively uses ethos in establishing his character, logos in providing reason and logic, and pathos in reaching human emotions. This use of parallelism draws on the emotions of personal experiences to persuade that segregation is a problem in a myriad of ways. He uses a large number of rhetorical devices in his letter to reach his goal, including point of view, imagery, and rhetorical questions. Both works utilizes the persuasive techniques of pathos in Dream and logos in Birmingham. Both of the works had a powerful message that brought faith to many. Note: All essays placed on IvyMoose.com are written by students who kindly donate their papers to us. What King discloses in his essay, Letter From Birmingham Jail, displays how the laws of segregation have affected African-Americans. This audience is rhetorical as the social and political ideologies of the American people fuel democracy and are able to change the system around them through collective effort. His passionate tone flowed through these strategies, increasing their persuasive power on the people and encouraging them to follow/listen to his message on racial injustice. "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." - Martin Luther King Jr., "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" "United there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Lastly, King is constrained by his medium. 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. The problem is that this kind of thinking can spread and infect other people to believe this is acceptable. Since Kings arrest he had time to think deeply about the situation; therefore, he decides to reply back to the Alabama clergymen. Abused and scorned through we may be, our destiny is tied with the destiny of America. (Page 9) The sureness King presents in this quote both instills hope in the reader and allows them to relate to Kings passion. The letter was written April third, 1963, it was published for the public in June of the same year, a slower spread than a nationwide address on television or radio. , 29 May 2019, https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/letter-birmingham-jail. He approaches his argument with logic and appealing to the people of Birminghams emotions. The following well-known adage is an example of parallelism: "Give a . 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. Prior to the mid 20th century, social injustice, by means of the Jim Crow laws, gave way to a disparity in the treatment of minorities, especially African Americans, when compared to Caucasians. King establishes his position supported by historical and biblical allusions, counterarguments, and the use of rhetorical devices such as ethos, pathos, and logos. 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. 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). Dr. King was considered the most prominent and persuasive man of The Civil Rights Movement. Any subject. During a civil resistance campaign in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. King was arrested. King implies that one day, all, I Have a Dream, however, played a major step into changing it. How does this comparison appropriately justify. Dr. Malcolm X, on the other hand, grew up in a rather hostile environment with barely enough schooling. Furthermore, exterior events regarding the movement could ultimately reflect on his influence and polarize the audience further. 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. King organized various non-violent demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama that resulted in his arrest. Martin Luther King Jr., with the Rev. 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. you can use them for inspiration and simplify your student life. Additionally, personable elements such as tone, inflection, and overall vindication behind the letter are left to be determined by the rhetorical language. Here, King offers disparate hypotheticals to illustrate the necessity for brevity in his acts. He proves his authority through his explanation of his experience as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every Southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia (King 232), and he emphasizes the importance of addressing the situation to him when he says, seldom, if ever, do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas, referring to the people of Birminghams resistance to the civil protests that he has been leading in Birmingham (King, Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr. mentions the atrocities of racism and describes his endless battles against it. 114, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40236733. Although Kings reply was addressed to the Alabama clergyman, its target audience was the white people. In this way, King juxtaposes his perspective with that of the clergy to demonstrate the depravity of his oppressors. The clergymen along with others are addressed in an assertive tone allowing them to fully understand why his actions are justified. He opens with an explanation to his response, stating, Seldom, if ever, do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideasBut since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I would like to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms(King 1). 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. King says on page. " A just law is man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of the god. Dr. King responded to criticism that was made by clergymen about calling Dr. King activities as "Unwise and Untimely".
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