A Rhetorical Analysis Of Dr. Martin Luther King On The Church

A Rhetorical Analysis: Dr. King on the Church Missionary and Professor Charles Porter vocalizes a profound point during a lecture, â€Å"The only person who justifies us is Jesus.† This speaks measures regarding the Church and their responsibility to uphold justice. As people who claim to follow Jesus, the Church should be leading the charge against injustice. However, in the past century it failed to act upon the injustice of segregation. Analyzing Letter from Birmingham Jail, it becomes clear that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave voice to this issue in twentieth century American Christianity. By using the three appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos, Dr. King effectively argues that the Church chose complacency regarding the injustice of†¦show more content†¦King proves his personal qualifications to the audience of his letter. Throughout the introduction of his letter, King lists that he served as President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which held g reat value in the Church community. (1) On top of this, King was a highly-educated man, who earned his undergraduate degree at Morehouse College; his masters from Crozer Theological Seminary; and received a Ph.D. from Boston University. (The New York Times 1) By allowing such information to be known, Dr. King increases the importance of each word penned in his letter. On top of personal competency, King also uses authoritative sources, thus increasing the validity of his argument. The main sources used by Dr. King included the scriptures, revered both by himself and those to whom he spoke to. Adding to the divine authority of the scriptures, King often spoke of the highest, therefore most just, court in the nation, the Supreme Court. By alternating between these two sources of authority, Dr. King makes it clear that segregation is wrong, and by referencing the scriptures, identifies the complacency of the Church in standing for justice. In forming his argument, Dr. Martin Luther Kin g not only appeals to ethos, but also to pathos simultaneously. Again, Alfano and O’Brien offer a definition of pathos, to help in analyzing rhetoric: â€Å"Pathos†¦refers to an appeal to the emotions†¦so that the audience will be more receptive to the speaker’s message.† (51)Show MoreRelated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter From a Birmingham Jail Essays1088 Words   |  5 PagesDr. Martin Luther King Jr.s â€Å"Letter From a Birmingham Jail† In King’s essay, â€Å"Letter From Birmingham Jail†, King brilliantly employs the use of several rhetorical strategies that are pivotal in successfully influencing critics of his philosophical views on civil disobedience. King’s eloquent appeal to the logical, emotional, and most notably, moral and spiritual side of his audience, serves to make â€Å"Letter From Birmingham Jail† one of the most moving and persuasive literary pieces of the 20thRead MoreThe Civil Rights Movement : Martin Luther King Jr. Essay1690 Words   |  7 PagesA civil rights leader by the name of Reverend (PBS, 2016) Martin Luther King Jr. changed the world he occupied and changed the future course of the United States of America by advocating for desegregation. Martin Luther King Junior was on a mission to end the segregation of the African American community. Segregation was the post result of slavery throughout the United States of America which enslaved Africans. He challenged t he status quo of the time. Protesting peacefully and advocating for socialRead MoreBegging From Behind Birmingham Bars1789 Words   |  8 PagesComposition October 6, 2015 Begging from Behind Birmingham Bars Injustice is here. Injustice should not be normal. Injustice is the reason I have been imprisoned. One of the foremost advocators for desegregation and equal rights for all races, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. writes a letter to stress to the world that, while some choose to ignore the injustices being done against the African American race, he will continue fighting for equality no matter what, even when he is in prison for doing just thatRead More Martin Luther King, Jr.: Effective Nonviolence the Multiple Intelligences2987 Words   |  12 PagesMartin Luther King, Jr.: Effective Nonviolence the Multiple Intelligences Introduction Nonviolence can touch men where the law cannot reach them. These words, uttered by the late civil rights leader himself, were the fundamental tenet of Martin Luther King, Jr.s life. These words, though few in number, are great in power. These words, simple, plain, and concise, provide a rubric with which to investigate Martin Luther King, Jr.s creative genius and intelligence. Howard Gardner, eminentRead MoreEssay on Rhetorical Analysis of Artifact: The Ballot or the Bullet2568 Words   |  11 PagesRhetorical Analysis of Artifact: The Ballot or the Bullet Speech Given by Malcolm X I. Introduction: Though almost half a century has passed, the Civil Rights Movement remains one freshly imprinted in not only the history books of US schools but also in the minds of countless Americans. Albeit, American society has come quite a ways in the acceptance of the individual - regardless of sex, age, creed or ethnicity - prejudices of different sorts are still to be foundRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 PagesUniversity v Acknowledgments For the 1993 edition: The following friends and colleagues deserve thanks for their help and encouragement with this project: Clifford Anderson, Hellan Roth Dowden, Louise Dowden, Robert Foreman, Richard Gould, Kenneth King, Marjorie Lee, Elizabeth Perry, Heidi Wackerli, Perry Weddle, Tiffany Whetstone, and the following reviewers: David Adams, California State Polytechnic University; Stanley Baronett, Jr., University of Nevada-Las Vegas; Shirley J. Bell, UniversityRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesLine 58 Understanding and Appreciating Individual Differences Important Areas of Self-Awareness 61 Emotional Intelligence 62 Values 65 Ethical Decision Making and Values 72 Cognitive Style 74 Attitudes Toward Change 76 Core Self-Evaluation 79 SKILL ANALYSIS 84 Cases Involving Self-Awareness 84 Communist Prison Camp 84 Computerized Exam 85 Decision Dilemmas 86 SKILL PRACTICE 89 Exercises for Improving Self-Awareness Through Self-Disclosure 89 Through the Looking Glass 89 Diagnosing Managerial CharacteristicsRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pageslamentable. Taken together, the key themes and processes that have been selected as the focus for each of the eight essays provide a way to conceptualize the twentieth century as a coherent unit for teaching, as well as for written narrative and analysis. Though they do not exhaust the crucial strands of historical development that tie the century together—one could add, for example, nationalism and decolonization—they cover in depth the defining phenomena of that epoch, which, as the essays demonstrate