Ethos, pathos, and logos, are vital elements of oratorical, written works, and argumentation. In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr. greatly employs the use of pathetic appeal to communicate his ideas to the public with the view of persuading them to defend his cause. The use of pathos is evident in a number of sections with the most powerful being in the fourteenth paragraph where King mentions, "We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights." Besides, he asserts in the fourth paragraph that injustice is responsible for his incarceration at Birmingham. The use of pathos is extremely powerful since it inspires other civil rights advocates, and arouses empathy in the hearts of the eight clergyman, as well as sympathy from the white moderates. Throughout the novel, one is feels heartbroken by the turmoils the African American community has faced without being judgemental thanks to the use of pathos in the letter.
With regards to argument, King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is effective in moving the audience to action. In the letter, King proves himself a genuine authority to his audience by making use of religious figures that appeal unequivocally to them. The main argument put forward by Martin Luther is the impact of the sufferings African Americans have endured during their history, which ascertains that they are fighting for a just cause founded on moral and legal grounds. With his arguments and strong emotional appeal, he inspires empathy. The letter, therefore, gives hope for progressive change – that the white clerics reading it will start understanding the overlying issues and fight for change. This is the vital objective; to create a better society for disenfranchised and persecuted persons while creating a just and equal future for America in its entirety.
