Letter from Birmingham Jail: Analysis of Logos, Ethos, Pathos, and Kairos
Letter from Birmingham Jail refers to an open letter written by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963 as a response to an article in a newspaper titled “A Call for Unity" authored by white Alabama clergymen. The article heavily criticized King and his call for peaceful demonstrations against injustice instead advocating for activism through the judiciary. In the letter, King defends the nonviolent protests which he views as one of the most effective ways of combating racism in Birmingham, Alabama. In its fundamental sense, the letter was a literary defense of the objectives, methodology, and action during Birmingham campaign and the Civil Rights Movement spearheaded by Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR) and Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). In the letter, King utilizes logic and emotional appeal throughout the paper. Elements of author credibility coupled with the time, setting and place relevance of the literature make the letter appealing to the target audience. This essay provides an analysis of logos, ethos, pathos, and kairos as utilized by Dr. King to effectively communicate the message to the reader.
Logos: Facts and Logical Reasoning
Martin Luther King refers to facts and utilizes logical reasoning throughout the letter to appeal to the reader. The author cites the severity of segregation which was an accurate representation of the social injustice across Birmingham, Alabama. In his defense for direct action against racism King accurately points out the existence of judicial injustice and how long a judicial process would take to achieve justice. This argument is factual as given credence to the decision of Circuit Judge W. A. Jenkins to prohibit "parading, demonstrating, boycotting, trespassing and picketing." Logical reasoning is also displayed in the statement "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." The statement is not only rational with regards to basic interaction in any civilized society but also represents a fundamental principle of a country’s justice system. The facts and logical reasoning applied by King in the letter evokes intellectual doubt in the reader regarding the sanity of the social legal, and political systems in Alabama at the time of authorship. It is the rationality of his arguments that displays elements of favor across the religious outfits and thus justifies King’s call for direct action against racism.
Pathos: Emotional Appeal
Another critical element displayed throughout the letter is emotion appeal (ethos). The author continually writes statements that evoke feelings of both pity for the victims and anger towards the perpetrators of injustice. One such statement is “…segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority.” This statement provides an emotional appeal for all citizens to engage in civil disobedience against injustice. King thus declares that individuals are both legally and morally responsible for obeying just laws and disobeying unjust laws. This appeal to people’s inner self to scrutinize the policies regarding African Americans at the time not only inspired the readers to advocate for the fight for justice but also created valuable insight into why demonstrations and acts of civil disobedience were necessary at the time. Also, King writes, “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed," This statement is a blatant emotional appeal and encouragement to activists and fighters for justice to continue their fight fearlessly.
Ethos: Author's Credibility
An analysis of the author’s credibility also gives literary validity to King’s letter. King was the leader of SCLC, and a dedicated a fighter for justice and equality for all. As a minister and head of a Christian organization, the author gets the moral authority to criticize the clergymen especially when they praised the Birmingham police for their "nonviolent" approach in maintaining law and order. The clergymen were biased in the statement as police brutality against African Americans was predominant. His imprisonment at Birmingham City Jail also gives his letter literary validity. Finally, King’s letter has time, place and setting relevance popularly referred to as Kairos in literary analysis. The letter was written by King when he was in jail for fighting for justice and equality for African-Americans. The historical setting and time depicted in the letter in 1963, paints a picture of a period characterized by high levels of racism and injustice towards the black community.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail effectively utilizes logos, pathos, ethos, and Kairos throughout to engage with the reader actively. The author employs rationality to point out the injustice in the society and how demonstrators and fighters for equality were justified in using peaceful demonstrations and civil disobedience in their quest for justice. As elaborated herein, King also uses emotional appeal to advocate for justice, encourage activism, and criticize the clergy. The validity of the author is given credence by his status as the head of a Christian organization, a fighter for injustice, and the fact that he was in jail for advocating for equality. Finally, an analysis of the setting, time, and place of the letter’s authorship also reveals adequate relevance to the purpose and content of the letter.
Work Cited
King Jr, M. L. (2012). Letter from Birmingham jail. Liberating Faith: Religious voices for justice, peace, " ecological wisdom, 177-187.
