Birmingham Letter - MLK; Appeals

In The Letter from Birmingham Jail, King is efficiently persuasive through the use of the three appeals, syntax, and diction.

USE OF ETHOS:
The first appeal King uses is ethos. He begins the letter with “My dear Fellow Clergyman” which exemplifies his respectful character. He continues to show his character throughout the introduction. King takes the time to explain himself, despite his claim stating that he usually does not respond to people’s disapproving of him. King describes these clergymen as “men of genuine good will”, that being the reason for his response to their sincere criticism.
As the letter progresses, we see a more intellectual aspect of his character. His reference to intelligent and philosophical idols, such as Socrates, Martin Buber, and St. Thomas Aquinas enhance his assertion. It demonstrates his ability to be knowledgeable beyond what most would assume, despite his current circumstances.
King excels at distinguishing himself from the “Average Joe”; his unique character separates him from those who would immediately become angry at the Clergymen. However, because King sees these men as his brother, he is not angry but instead is only disappointed. His reiteration of his disappointment emphasizes the forgiving demeanor of King and it also appeals to his audience’s emotions.
Finally, King opts to write with an aggressive word choice demonstrating his assertive personality. He confidently states, “We will win our freedom because the sacred heritage of our nation and the eternal will of God are embodied in our echoing demands” (751).

USE OF PATHOS:
Much of King’s emotional appeal appeals on its own. It’s crucial to engage his audience by evoking emotions and King succeeds just by stating facts. On page 751, he vividly describes the violent and inhumane treatment of Negroes: “angry violent dogs literally biting six unarmed, nonviolent Negroes … their ugly and inhumane treatment of Negroes here in the city jail … [they] push and curse old Negro women and young Negro girls … [they] slap and kick old Negro man and young Negro boys”. The factual description appeals to his audience’s emotions, because it is filled with a vivid and compelling vocabulary.
King intentionally uses words like “mother”, “father”, “brother”, and “sister” to appeal to his audience emotionally: “when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim” (742). His use of these relationships allows him to bring his audience down to the same level as him. Just as King has family; the white clergymen have family that they care about.

USE OF LOGOS:
As an established intellectual man, King’s reasoning behind his argument makes sense. He logically explains the difference between a just law and an unjust law and to enhance his explanation, he inserts a quote by well renowned Saint Augustine.
In response to the church’s promise to the Negroes freedom in the future, King reasonably argues that they’ve misinterpreted the value of time. While they believe time will eventually “cure all ills”, King argues that time can either be constructive or destructive.

USE OF SYNTAX:
King’s words are deliberately arranged in a specific fashion to emphasize his major points.
His use of juxtaposition on pg. 742: describes the nations of Asia and Africa (jet-like speed) as ironically more progressive than America (creep at horse and buggy pace). Another example on pg. 750.
His use of a periodic sentence on pg.742: He continually uses a semicolon to continue his thought process and build up to the conclusion. Opposed to building up to the conclusion, King also uses Cumulative sentence on pg. 748 where he states his point at the beginning.
In attempts to anticipate his counterpart's arguments, King asks rhetorical questions throughout the letter: ex. on pg. 740; pg. 741; pg. 751
Also, King frequently arranges his sentences in a parallel structure; pg. 749, pg. 752.

USE OF DICTION:
King’s use of diction is rather compelling. His intentional choice of words and descriptions paint a vivid picture of what he is speaking of and they also evoke many different emotions.
“we were the victims of a broken promise … with blasted hopes, and the dark shadow of the deep disappointment settled upon us” (740). Appeals to emotion b/c he uses the word victim.
“[I hope] that he [Mr. Boutwell] will be reasonable enough to see the futility of massive resistance to desegregation” (741). His aggressive choices of words support his assertive character and ultimately capture his audience’s attention.
Because King has established himself as an intelligent individual, he is able to use words like “do-nothing-ism” and it still has the compelling effect of the words before or after it.