Gudrun Salt

English 1010 Tuesday/Thursday

Rhetorical Analysis

Letter from Birmingham Jail

The question I have is, is this literature or just a letter? I believe this is literature about a

good argumentative statement about two different types of laws. What is Injust and Just? To me

injust is being degraded with no respect and the law does not apply to non-white residence. Just

is knowing what is right and having humanity feelings of equalness in everyones eyes with

dignity. Martin Luther King, Jr. made a point by quoting Saint Augustine An unjust law is no

law at all. How would everyone get along if there were no laws to obey?

Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote to the Clergyman who imprisoned him from his jail cell in

Birmingham, AL. I think its so petty that he got charged for non-violent acts, such as parading

without a permit. However, this gave him a lot of time to think and write. His letter would

explain his thoughts, questions, analogies, comparisons, and answers for the Civil Right

movement and how important it was is for our country. He compared himself with Apostle Paul

who left his village of Tarsus to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Martin Luther King, Jr. also

left his home town to preach the gospel of freedom; by using religious methods, it helped the

people understand what his mission in life is and what he is passionate about.

Growing up, it was pretty hard for me to understand why people were mean to others

because of the color of their skin. Right now as an adult thinking about my childhood, my

mother and father never explained to me why people were cruel to others who were not white. I

went to school in Holiday Township. I was mistreated in school because the color of my skin.

Ive been in many fights and I only had one white friend who would defend me. I remember

another instance when my mother took my sister, brother, and I to a public park and a lady

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accused my five year old brother of stealing her sons shoes. At the end, she found them in the

restroom and apologized to my mother. A few minutes later, I saw a white man swatting my

little brother with a newspaper telling him not to drink from the water fountain because it was for

white people only. My mother ran towards the man and they started to argue. It was like a

cowboy and Indian showdown. He was arguing with my mother how whites will have another

war with the Indians. My mother debated with him, telling him he should go back to his own

country because Native Americans were here first.

The Birmingham letter touched me because I can relate to what he says. Such as, As

you seek to explain to your six year old daughter why she cant go to the public amusement park

that has just been advertised on television and see her tears welling up in her little eyes when she

is told that Funtown is closed to colored children. Martin wanted us to feel and envision, how it

would be to hurt our own childs feeling. For me, I remember going to Lagoon and kids in front

and behind me would make comments about my skin color. They told me I didnt belong here, I

should get out of line, and I smelled like poop. It was hurtful to hear. In regards to respect,

Martin wrote When you are humiliated day in and day out by reading nagging signs white

and colored and when your first name becomes nigger and your middle name becomes

boy and your last name becomes John and when your wife and mother are never given the

respected title Mrs. This is disrespectful by not addressing a person by using their given names.

Martin gives you an example of how they were addressed every day. Its so funny that these days

there are young people who are not black wants to be addressed as niggers or niggas. Just

imagine if their ancestors heard this. They be rolling over in their graves again.

He talked about how the word Wait! to black people meant Never This is a familiar

word they heard over and over. This is a word you dont want to say to a grown adult or an elder.
Gudrun Salt

English 1010 Tuesday/Thursday

Rhetorical Analysis

This makes them feel discouraged and worthless. If you can imagine someone telling you to wait

for an unreasonable amount of time you would be upset and impatient. In this case, black people

waited and wanted equal rights, equality, and freedom. In another words, having patience is not

simple, but waiting is painful.

The question he had for himself, is Martin Luther King Jr. an Extremist? He was being

called an extremist and he felt categorized because he didnt commit a single criminal act. He

only promoted a non-violent protest. He thought about the word extremist and what it really

meant. He compared himself with other well-known people martyrs, such as Jesus, John Bunyan,

Abraham Lincoln, and Thomas Jefferson. He said they were extremist because they had one

thing in common, Love. Everything they did is what they were passionate about in their

righteous ways. He wrote many examples of their quotes. Therefore thinking about what they

labeled him, made him feel more comfortable and accepting to be considered as an extremist.

After reading this literature, I would have to say Martins strongest appeal is Logos. He

explains a lot of reasoning by using Ethos and Pathos. He wanted the readers to vision and

imagine the feelings what black people go through day by day. On top of his head, he knew a lot

of famous quotes and using those quotes in his letter. He knew people would have an enormous

amount of respect from famous leaders and it to help him make his argumentative statement clear

and understandable. He really makes you think of how proud you should be of your heritage and

to be appreciative to all people who fought into making this a free country.

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Works Cited
Martin Luther King, J. (2013). ILetter From Birmingham Jail. In P. a. Paul Allen, It
Begins with Our Questions - A Thematic Introduction to the Humanities (pp.
238-247). Hayen-McNeil Publishing.