Pathos, Logos, and Ethos in “Letter from Birmingham”
Martin Luther employs a logical way to convince the readers on issues he addresses in the letter. He uses both inductive and deductive arguments to inform clergymen on matters that affected Birmingham. In his Fourteenth paragraph, King argues about just and unjust laws. He is more specific from the start of his argument and later generalizes it. This forms inductive reasoning. King says that the leaders have made laws for segregation that are unfavorable to the people and that was unjust, in his words, King implies that unjust law, is one in which power of a majority is imposed on the minority, but the majority are not bounded by it (King 19). He defines an unjust law more specific, but his conclusion is more general, and in the form of a question, can a law enacted through this form be considered democratic? In this example, an approach from a specific view of an unjust law is followed by a generalized statement.
In deductive reasoning, a good example is when King refers to Socrates’s words that it was necessary to create some form of tension in the mind for people to rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis. So, people must see the necessity of gadflies to create tension to help them rise from prejudice and racism to understanding and brotherhood. King refers to a more general view and brings it down to specifics. It is in a general argument when considering Socrates’ words, and its brought to specific for the people of Birmingham to relate and fight for understanding and brotherhood.
About pathos, an appeal to human values is well illustrated in paragraph 12 of the letter from Birmingham Jail. Luther king uses direct examples to communicate to his audience. He begins by stating how long they have waited for God-given rights, and he further relates the injustices to children later on in life when they are denied the opportunity to go to a public amusement park that has been advertised or when they can’t access Funtown because it is only limited to colored children (King 12). Then they’ll grow bitterness towards others, yet it can be changed if segregation and other injustices are dealt with. Luther king invokes emotions when he points out direct examples that are relatable to the oppressed. In the same paragraph, he addresses the clergymen by referring to those oppressed as individuals fighting from degenerating “nobodiness” This term talks directly to those oppressed and co-hearses them to relate with his letter. Throughout the letter, literal forms in language are used. The allusion to more relatable individuals is a form that King uses. Christians would relate more to Jesus, and so he continually quotes the Bible and its stories to bring the point to Christians in his audience. He also refers to Abraham Lincoln and Adolf Hitler, among others. He uses metaphors too to describe the situation of the oppressed. He describes segregation as a disease in which powerful actions are antidotes. He refers to blacks as people tied in a single garment of destiny.
Martin Luther king agrees with the clergy in some instances. Rather than arguing against them, he uses the Rogerian argument in Ethos to pass his point around. In paragraph 9, King supports the clergy’s idea of negotiation. He writes concurring with them by seconding the need for negotiation then further explains how direct action is objective to negotiations. Luther does not despise the need for negotiations but rather wants it even more (King 9). He says that direct action is necessary to help coerce negotiations through fostering tension that will help them confront issues. Towards the end of the paragraph, Luther writes that direct tension will bring negotiations through the creation of a crisis that will have to open the doors forcefully. The establishment of the common ground is by first recognizing that the clergy are right in pushing for negotiations, but an external force that will help achieve that is necessary. He then introduces that external force as ‘Direct action’ and concludes the paragraph by restating that he concurs with the clergy in finding a means for negotiations.
Works cited
King, Jr. “Letter from Birmingham Jail” African studies center, April. 1963 https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html. Accessed 8 Aug. 2020.