Theodore Larkin

Mary Grabar
Class Time 2:30
4/10/13
Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail was drafted to answer
criticism from eight white clergymen, who objected his protesting in Birmingham. This
letter allowed King to not only propose a rebuttal but to justify his own civil
disobedience, as well as explain the indecency of racial segregation. After stating the
general purpose of his letter, Dr. King effectively crafted his counterargument by first
directly addressing his audience, the clergymen and then through the use of logos, pathos
and, egos presents his own perspective.
King begins his counterargument by pointing out that he does not normally take
the time to respond to criticisms of his work, but he is doing so because he feels like the
men who wrote the article are good people who deserve a response. In explanation, King
retorts: If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, I would have no time
for constructive work, conveying that work, not criticism, are what he values. With this
reasoning in mind, Kings sentence is a proposal that this letter is much more than a
reaction and response, but a further effort towards the Civil Rights Movement.
King skillfully weaves various rhetorical strategies, mainly logos, pathos and
ethos, into his message so his thoughts are vivid, understood and appealing to a wide
audience. For example, after the sentence described above, King proceeds by developing
a logical argument on the foundations of any nonviolent campaign. He explains the
existence of an injustice; the intense segregation present in America and how it is tearing

both African American communities and the general public apart. King provides several
examples to properly support his argument on the present injustice to make sure that no
one can disagree.
Kings arguments are also logical in many other cases. In the beginning of his
letter he gives a response to the clergymens claim that the demonstrations were unwise
and untimely. He states that the African American community had no alternative except
to prepare for direct action. He vividly recounts situations that he and other African
Americans have encountered, along with multiple references to the Bible and American
history. Each reference gives Kings argument more affirmation, compels sympathy from
a wider audience, and forces the eight clergymen, along with others outside the African
American community, to relate to and associate with the current injustice.
Martin Luther King goes on to demonstrate his religious ethos by tracing his own
heritage of ministerial ancestors and discussing his own church leadership. He also makes
biblical references by comparing his struggle to that of the Apostle Paul, St. Thomas
Aquinas, and the prophets who spread their message to neighboring villages. A specific
element of ethos used in Kings letter is definition, more specifically the definition of just
and unjust laws in the judicial system of the time. According to King, a just law is a
man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. However, an unjust
law is considered: "a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. These definitions
are then used in context with segregation, and how it is vitally wrong and unnecessary.
Throughout the piece, King always resorts back to pathos, always a key appeal to
a large audience. King invokes anger, sympathy, empathy, and love to emphasize his
thesis that injustice has seized the Civil Rights Movement and, thus, why he is writing

from Birmingham City Jail. In a passion, King even compares his work to that of Jesus,
and asks his readers: "So the question is not whether we will be extremist but what kind
of extremist will we be." By comparing his work to the work of the Lord's apostles, the
audience feels the grandeur of injustice. "Isn't this like condemning Jesus because His
unique God-Consciousness and never-ceasing devotion to His will precipitated the evil
act of crucifixion?" By using these religious examples, King is relating to and also
chastising the clergymen who are seemingly known for their devotion to the Church, and
in doing so, strengthening his argument against them.
To strengthen the sympathetic pathos in his letter, King discusses other tragic
historical events to further emphasize his notion that legality does not always make an
action right. His example is Hitler, a man hated by all, who committed horrific crimes
and genocide, that were, at the time, perfectly legal: "It was illegal to aid and comfort a
Jew in Hitler's Germany. But I am sure that if I had lived in Germany during that time I
would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers even though it was illegal." King
takes the legality of American segregation and compares it to the legality of Hitler's
horrifying anti-Semitic Germany.
Throughout his letter, King uses several strategized rhetoric strategies to create a
powerful tone to back up his opinions and ideas. King effectively explained his beliefs to
the eight, white, clergymen, but also, to an entire generation as well. He was truly a
master of rhetoric; for he managed to incorporate the three appeals of rhetoric, make
them evident, and still managed to have an entire argument flowing smoothly.