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Daniel Bower
Dr. Farr
ENC 1101-288
3 February 2015
Humans speak to express how they interpret their surroundings and to communicate with
other humans. Language has gone from simple expression to a complex system of
communicating the thoughts people have. Language can be used in two different ways. There is
spoken language, and there is written language. Written language can do many things that spoken
language cannot. Written language is not inhibited by a persons ability to speak, but rather a
persons ability to write to communicate their ideas. An extraordinary example of written
language being used in a masterful way comes from a man known as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,
a civil rights activist of the 1950s and 60s. On many occasions Dr. King wrote extensively on
the pressing topic of that time- civil rights. Using neo-aristotelian criticism, a form of criticism
used by Aristotle that addresses the ethos, logos, and pathos of an idea, it is possible to dissect
and analyze Dr. Kings writings extensively. One of his most famous writings, A Letter From
Birmingham Jail, uses ethos, logos, and pathos to convey his ideas about civil rights. It can be
asked, how is Dr. Kings use of language important in his situation, and what parts of his letter
use ethos, logos, or pathos? Most of his letter uses these literary techniques, so there are several
examples to look at to determine how they affect the letter and the readers interpretation.

On the 16th of April, 1963, we find Martin Luther King J.R. in a Birmingham, Alabama
jail. In Dr. Kings letter, he starts off by addressing his fellow clergymen, who had not supported
his actions in Birmingham. The reason Dr. King is in jail is because he was protesting and
marching without a permit, but the process to obtain a permit, however, is difficult and racially

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biased. This racial prejudice and bias is a normal part of life for the black community of
Birmingham, but just because it is normal does not mean it is wanted. Dr. King states that the
black community was pushed to the action of protesting nonviolently, but he also talks about the
process he uses to determine if such nonviolent action is needed. Dr. King describes this process
in the fifth paragraph of his letter my saying, In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic
steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustice exists; negotiation; self purification;
and direct action. This whole process, and each individual step, uses logic, or logos. In the first
step, determining whether injustice is present using facts, is a case of observation and analysis.
The first step does involve bias, due to Dr. Kings race and ideology, but it would be unjust to
treat it without bias. This is not a court case where facts need to be looked at objectively. The
prejudice against an entire race does involve malicious feelings on both sides, and those need to
be taken into account. Dr. King and his colleagues did determine that Birmingham was riddled
with injustice. An example of this occurred when store owners in Birmingham did not live up to
their promise to remove racially discriminatory signs from windows, in return for Dr. Kings
promise to postpone protests. Once the injustice was determined to be present using simple logic,
the process moved on to the negotiation phase. As previously stated, negotiations were made
between Dr. King and the store owners of Birmingham, but the store owners did not live up to
their promise. Negotiation is necessary and logical because it avoids unwanted direct action, the
last step in the process, which consumes more time and effort, is more dangerous, and is more
inconvenient for all parties. After it was realised that the negotiations made were void, the
process again moved on to the third phase, self purification. Many people would ask, What does
self purification mean in this scenario? This stage involves workshops, taught by Dr. King and
his colleagues, on nonviolence and how to act in the face of violence. This stage is necessary to

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prepare for the last stage, direct action. In this case, direct action meant marching in
Birmingham. Other nonviolent direct actions include sit ins, speeches and gatherings, and of
course the famous picket signs as another form of protest. All of these actions are logical ways to
inconvenience the oppressor in order to force negotiations. Negotiation is the desired effect of
direct action, making this whole process a big circle. Just one quote from this letter contains an
ample amount of logos, and some ethos as well. Logically, non violence is the more reasonable
way to obtain a desired result. Although violent action can be quicker and more effective, it is not
only an unstable result and impractical in this situation, but it goes against the morals of Dr.
King.
Dr. King goes on to describe the kind of prejudice the black community faces, using large
amounts of ethos, logos, and especially pathos. In the thirteenth paragraph, Dr. King talks about
unjust laws and defying them. When there is a higher moral stake at hand than the one being
enforced, then it is a persons moral obligation to follow that higher moral standard. Dr. King
gives an appropriate example of such action when he stated, It was evidenced sublimely in the
refusal of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar, on the ground
that a higher moral law was at stake. This is a comparison by Dr. King of disobedience as
exemplified in the Book of Daniel by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. This analogy resonates
with its recipients of who Dr. King is addressing, his fellow clergymen. These men have spent
their lives studying biblical texts and know the importance of what Dr. King is saying here, and
in several other points of the letter where he references the Bible. Ethos is being applied here,
since the topic of laws and rules being morally and ethically justifiable and unjustifiable. Dr.
King says, One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to

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accept the penalty. Dr. King follows these words in regards to his actions with civil rights, and it
is important he does so in order to maintain a higher moral standard than his oppressors.
Due to Dr. Kings stimulating understanding and use of logic and ethics in his arguments,
there leaves less room for pathos, or the emotions of pity and sadness, to be communicated to the
readers. However, Dr. King does find appropriate areas to efficiently and effectively transmit his
feelings to his audience. This is needed because, although many will understand and accept his
logical and ethical arguments, many others may not be completely convinced without receiving a
glimpse of the pain the black community experiences relentlessly. In paragraph twenty six, an
emotionally evoking section details how the black community feels by saying, For more than
two centuries our forebears labored in this country without wages; they made cotton king; they
built the homes of their masters while suffering gross injustice and shameful humiliation -and yet
out of a bottomless vitality they continued to thrive and develop. If the inexpressible cruelties of
slavery could not stop us, the opposition we now face will surely fail. This excerpt gloriously
expresses Dr. Kings optimism about the situation in the the United States. This letter is full of
literary beauty, and this quote is no exception. In an emotional or pathos sense, the use of words
such as slavery, masters, cruelties, injustice, and others evoke a direct feeling of sadness and pity
for those who faced those circumstances. All people have a sense of morality and compassion for
others, the true injustice is to deny that which makes you human and to forsake your fellow man
for the betterment of your own life.
Sadly, regarding one human life as more valuable than another, based on simple
differences such as skin color, is a common phenomenon in history. Humans have, however,
been able to move on from this primitive mindset. Although many cling onto the old ways of the
past, many people, such as Dr. King, forged a new and brighter future for all people to share.

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This letter shows that Dr. King is an expert at using many literary techniques such as ethos,
logos, and pathos. As shown, many parts of his letter use these techniques to do what they were
meant to do, educate and persuade the reader. The original readers, the clergymen of the South,
were most definitely impacted by this letter. In Dr. Kings situation, his use of language was
extremely important, and it was most likely meticulously thought out and planned for that
reason. It was important because he spoke for a large part of the civil rights movement back then,
and he still does today. It is a blessing that the ideas that Dr. King so gracefully articulated in his
letter will not be lost in time, or whitewashed in any way so that future generations who ask,
Why was he marching? understand his plight in those most frustrating times. Whether it be
philosophically, ethically, logically, or emotionally, everybody is able to learn something from
this paper to make a difference in their life and the lives of those less fortunate.

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