...Dr. Martin Luther King uses ethos, pathos, and logos throughout his Letter From Birmingham Jail. They are used to make points to the argument. Ethos, pathos, and logos are used throughout arguments and lets the audience know what the person is fighting for. Dr. King uses ethos for credibility and make his statements believable. For example he uses historical figures to make it credible. “Abraham Lincoln: This nation cannot survive half slave and half free.” He uses this quote from Abraham Lincoln because he tries to make people believe that the US cannot be half and half or separated. He also uses an allusion from Jesus Christ. “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for then which despitefully use you and persecute you.” He uses this quote because he is trying to make peace and have equal rights in society. These credible sources of quotes lets the clergymen know that the fight for equal rights has...
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...Throughout the first ten paragraphs of the essay King is establishing his ethos. He does this a number of times. First, within the first few words, he says “My dear fellow Clergymen,” by saying the word fellow he is able to establish that they are equals and that he is just as able to talk about the topic as they are, and he is not trying to say he is better than them. Next, in paragraph two, Dr. King establishes his ethos with the statement “I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.” This shows that he is eligible and qualified to inform us on his argument. King doesn’t just establish his ethos in the beginning of the essay, he actually does it throughout. Dr. King also uses pathos throughout his entire letter. He makes the audience care, and uses emotionalism to his advantage. Again, the biggest example is throughout all of paragraph twelve. When King goes into detail about telling his daughter that she is not aloud at an amusement park due to her race and how she increasingly becomes bitter towards white people, it makes everyone who is reading care. King provides pathos for the his direct audience, the clergymen, and for his indirect audience, which is practically everyone who can read and has access to the newspaper. Of course King also uses logos throughout the entirety of his letter. A good example of logos in his letter resides in paragraph five when King states “There have been more unsolved bombings...
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...Poverty, Soon Forgotten Amanda Collier ENG/215 September 3, 2012 Bruce Massis In this writing the classical principles of argumentation – Ethos, Pathos, and Logos will be observed as it is used in “Reminders of Poverty, Soon Forgotten by Alexander Keyssar.” These arguments are used to persuade the reader to think that the writer’s ideas are the best ideas. Before going into whether or not Keyssar used these principles in his writing, it is important to understand what each of the three principles mean. In the principle of Ethos, or ethical appeal, it is used to persuade the audience or reader of the authors creditability. The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes Ethos as “the distinguishing character, sentiment, moral nature, or guiding beliefs of a person, group, or institution”. Ethos is using language that appeals to the topic and to the readers by using the correct vocabulary. This makes the author more crediable and evenhanded so that the readers believe the writers point of view. Pathos principle, emotion, is used to win over a reader by using their emotional convictions. Merriam-Webster describes this one as using pity or compassion. The author tries to persuade the reader emotionally to feel the same way they do and to identify with the author’s opinion. The principle of Logos is logical; this appeals the reader’s logic and reasoning. The author uses ways to make the reader think of the explanation and agree because of the reader understanding...
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...Morgan Newman Mrs. McLaughlin English Composition A 23 September 2013 Thoughts of an Outsider In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote one of his most famous pieces, “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” In his letter King is writing to the eight white Alabama clergymen, defending the strategies of the nonviolent battle of racism, and arguing that people have the rights and responsibilities to fight for what they believe is right. Martin Luther King’s letter is in response to the mischaracterization that labels him as a trouble maker or an outsider. One thing that King’s letter was very good at was staying very organized throughout his whole letter. He made it flow very well. He does a great job stating his audience then going into his main topics. King’s letter showed that it was obvious he reviewed all facts and concerns of all those involved. King was focusing on how he is not an outsider, all of his actions were timely, he did not want violence, he was not an extremist, and he was disappointed in the church. Their attitude towards his matter is that they all disagree with what King is saying. In the letter King did a very good job using the three main appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos is when the author tries to persuade an audience to agree with an argument by using reputation and character of the speaker or writer. An example is, “I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state...
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...response to "A Call for Unity" by eight white clergymen in which King’s presence in Birmingham and his methods of public demonstration were questioned. King’s letter was not only a response to his presence in Birmingham, but he also used the opportunity to address the unjust proposals by the clergymen that Negroes wait for the legal system to abolish segregation and unjust laws. King uses rhetorical modes of persuasion such as ethos, pathos and logos to meticulously address and discredit the claims made by the eight white clergymen. Throughout his letter, King also makes many comparisons to effectively illustrate how the Negro pursuit of freedom was timely. To answer the question of his presence in Birmingham, King uses both ethos and pathos to explain why he is qualified to be present leading the demonstrations. To argue the perception of him being “an outsider coming in”, King first states that because he has organizational ties in Birmingham, he has an obligation to be available whenever he is needed. This statement discredits the notion that he is an outsider. To lay the foundation of his argument, King states, “But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here.” This statement is used to make King’s presence seem less personal because he is not only there for his beliefs, but because of the plight of Negroes and the unjust laws they are subjected to. King’s address also leads into the basis of his argument. Next, King compares himself to prophets and the Apostle...
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...and then he was able to present his rebuttal. Dr. King effectively formed his counterargument by first directly addressing his audience, the clergymen and then using logos, pathos and egos to present his own perspective on his opponent’s statements. The majority of the sentences in King’s letter can be connected to logos, pathos or ethos and his incorporation of appeals is masterful. On more than one occasion, King uses various strategies to appeal to his audience, in the letter he writes, “I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. We have some eighty-five affiliated organizations across the South, and one of them is the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights.” In this excerpt, King presents his ethos very tactically. The Alabama clergy presents him as an outsider in the letter, but demonstrating his ethos, King presents himself as an insider. He is not just a man who chose to protest in an outside community, but is in fact the president of the Conference. He is a clergyman speaking to other clergymen, but also part of an organization that has a chapter in their state. There were also other forms of ethos in his letter, King is sure to demonstrate his religious ethos by tracing his own heritage of ministerial ancestors and discussing his own church leadership. He also makes biblical references, comparing his struggle with the Apostle...
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...Ethos, Pathos, and Logos Whenever you read an argument you must ask yourself, "is this persuasive? And if so, to whom?" There are several ways to appeal to an audience. Among them are appealing to logos, ethos and pathos. These appeals are prevalent in almost all arguments. To Appeal to Logic (logos) | To Develop Ethos | To Appeal to Emotion (pathos) | Theoretical, abstract language Literal and historical analogies Definitions Factual data and statistics Quotations Citations from experts and authorities Informed opinions | Language appropriate to audience and subject Restrained, sincere, fair minded presentation Appropriate level of vocabulary Correct grammar | Vivid, concrete language Emotionally loaded language Connotative meanings Emotional examples Vivid descriptions Narratives of emotional events Emotional tone Figurative language | | Effect | | Evokes a cognitive, rationale response | Demonstrates author's reliability, competence, and respect for the audience's ideas and values through reliable and appropriate use of support and general accuracy | Evokes an emotional response | Definitions Logos: The Greek word logos is the basis for the English word logic. Logos is a broader idea than formal logic--the highly symbolic and mathematical logic that you might study in a philosophy course. Logos refers to any attempt to appeal to the intellect, the general meaning of "logical argument." Everyday arguments rely heavily...
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...In Ann P. Beatty’s essay “Survival Skills at a School in LA”, she uses strong degrees of pathos to connect readers to her students’ lives. She jumps around on varying situations at her school which creates a blurred focus of the piece at times, but displays the harsh reality of her students. From an outsider’s perspective, it is hard to go on just the things that Beatty says. When the students speak of the situation, the reader connects and is opened up to their world. With ethos, pathos and logos all being present in this essay, the use of pathos is very strong while her ethos lacks for this topic. Beatty’s impactful details creates an emotional attachment to the reader while establishing a lack of authority of speaking on the subject. The strong pathos Beatty creates comes from the diversity of the two worlds she is experiencing on a daily basis. She is a middle-class, white, college educated woman trying to understand the world her students come from every day. This contrast of society can be seen when money is collected for murdered students and “all the other students gave change”, while she “tried to remember to bring a twenty dollar bill to school”. Readers are emotionally drawn towards the students because of this contrast. The small details display how willing the students are to help a struggling family with the little that...
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...To make a difference among voters, many organizations have turned to impactful advertisements that could not be defined better by the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words”. A perfect example of this idea is the images comparing two children and the “banned” versus “legal” objects they are holding from the campaign Mom’s Demand Action. The Mom’s Demand Action advertisement is effective in moving the audience into supporting and attacking today’s proposal for gun control through its strong use of pathos included in the powerful, contrasting images, and the use of logos to validate the irrational laws behind gun use. Gun control has become a particularly popular debate in recent years, but it has always been a present discussion for many years. According to statistics from 10 years ago, “firearms killed more than 29,700 Americans in 2002, more than the number of U.S. soldiers killed during the bloodiest year of the Vietnam War” (Adam). The issue has a historical and political upbringing, but the advertisement aims to impact its social and ideological aspects. According to a 2013...
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...newspaper and on toilet paper . "I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was well timed in the view of those who have not suffered from the disease of segregation," King, wrote in what was later published as the essay, Letter from Birmingham Jail. The 6500 word letter went on to explain and make clear to the clergy and to the world why the struggle against racism must not be deferred. King's main claim in this letter is that no matter what the circumstances are it is far beyond time for the black community to stand up and fight for what is rightfully theirs, the same rights and freedoms accorded to the white community. King effectively accomplishes this task through the structure of the essay and in his use of pathos, ethos, and logos to defend his arguments. King's structure of the essay is purposeful in its attempt to sway the audience into his way of thinking. King begins the essay by clarifying why he is in Birmingham to begin with. Secondly, King describes his direct action campaign, for this is why he is being attacked, his "unruly" behavior. He then explains to the reader that this campaign may involve breaking laws, but they are laws that should not be in place to begin with. Next King appeals to the...
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...first paragraph King introduces his thoughts about discrimination writing a letter in the Jail of Birmingham, he states “I came across your recent statement calling my present activities unwise and untimely.”, he’s mentioning the argument of his opponents showing what will be later argued in the letter. He provides a reasoning stating “I want to try to answer your statements in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms”, which introduces logos because King doesn’t want further problems with his opponents (the eight other men who the letter was stated to) argument saying that King wants the most reasonable way for them to hear and he wants no terms in being “unwise and untimely”....
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...Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham jail” is a mix of emotional passion and logical precision that seeks to achieve meaningful cause. The letter was a response to white clergy who were critical of his intention in Birmingham naming him an “outsider”. King’s response to critics through a letter explains his arguments vividly and effectively. King wrote the letter in a way that he agreed with his critics, nonetheless still using their words against them in logic harmony. King’s letter illustrates the three artistic proofs used to convince an audience. This paper will discuss the ethos, pathos, and logos modes of persuasion as well as writing structure as seen in King’s “The letter from Birmingham jail”. King’s letter demonstrates his clear logic, empathetic prose, sense of self, as maintained by high moral ground. His letter evokes ethical appeal for two main reasons; the language used is ethical and suits the topic, and the words come from a credible source. King is to be forgiven for saying, “Right defeated is stronger than evil triumphant” because this word may seem provocative (Jnr, 2012). However, these words are persuasive and used in the right context. According to Aristotle, ethos is developed when one chooses to use language that is suitable for the audience, and when the same words makes the person sound fair or unbiased (Aristotle, 2012). He uses historical facts to justify the reason why injustice prevails, and not his own opinion. He says, “Lamentably...
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...“I think I should indicate why I am here in Birmingham, since you have been influenced by the view which argues against "outsiders coming in." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. the author of “Letter From a Birmingham Jail” is responding in regards to the letter from the Clergymen of Birmingham. In his letter Dr.King begins stating his purpose of being in Birmingham. First he establishes that he is currently serving as the president of the Southern Christina Leadership Conference and a affiliate in Birmingham asked him to be on call to engage in nonviolent direct action program and that he along with some of his staff is in brimming ham because they were invited there. His use of ethos, pathos and logos helps to strengthen and support his argument....
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...successfully makes use of logos throughout his letter. He clarifies all of the reasons for his opinions and supports them well. His points of view are also logical in their appeal. For example, in the beginning of his letter he gives a response to the clergymen’s claim that the demonstrations were risky and early. He states that the Negro community had no substitute except to prepare for direct action. He supports this claim by saying that the Negro leaders wanted to negotiate with the city fathers, but they consistently refused to engage in good-faith negotiation. He also gives more support to his argument by writing about another confrontation in September when the Negro leaders finally got their chance to talk with the leaders of Birmingham. He states that in the course of negotiations certain promises were made by the merchants-for example to remove the stores’ humiliating racial sings. On the source of these promises, the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth and the selected of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights agreed to a halt on all demonstrations. As the weeks and the months went on, they realized that they were the victims of false promises, because the signs went back up. Due to the reality that their hopes were yet again blasted they were forced to resort to direct action. This is just one illustration of many others in which Martin Luther King makes excellent appeals to logos. Martin Luther King channels a high sense of ethos in his letter. He establishes...
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...In this passage David Denby's purpose was to explain the stereotypical high school movie genre. In these typical teen movies there's usually a pretty, popular cheerleader, her jock boyfriend, and the weird outsider that doesn't fit in. Denby wrote this to explain what a typical high school is like for teenagers, while knowing that this is nothing like what high school is like in reality, its just the way people who are outcasts perceive school. These outcasts see high school like a place that is ruled by one individual and their popular friends, when all these outsiders really want is to have what these popular kids had. Denby used rhetorical devices like pathos when he described how the characters felt. This passage was more...
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