Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. was definitely an influential speaker and writer. He was able to move people with his ideas and words. In his letter from the Birmingham jail he was trying to inform people of the injustices that African Americans were experiencing at this time. His audience was mainly the clergymen of the church. Since most Americans at this time believed that African Americans were uneducated and not on the same level as white Americans, MLK had to prove otherwise. MLK did this by using strong rhetoric in his speeches and letters. Two of the rhetoric styles that I feel was most effective were his use of logic and pathos. MLK knew that if he was going to make an impression on his audience he was going to have to bring his A game.

On page 182 we see some of MLK first usage of logos. He states that he is in Birmingham because of the injustice that is occurring there. He compares this to when the prophets in the eighth century B.C. left their homes to spread the word of Christ. He also compares himself to Paul, when he carried the word of Jesus Christ to the Greco-Roman world. I feel this is important for his letter because most of his audience was clergymen, and it also shows the importance of his message and also him being there in Birmingham. On the next page he breaks down the process and steps in