Letter From Birmingham Jail:
Focus on a couple paragraphs and cite where you find appeals to ethos, logos and, pathos in your COMMENT. You can randomly pick a spot in King's letter and easily find all three appeals working somewhere in the vicinity.
http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html
Also, use this as a reference to identify the sources of persuasion:
http://courses.durhamtech.edu/perkins/aris.html
Finally, write down ways you can appeal to the sources of persuasion (ethos, logos, and pathos) in your next essay topic.
Left to Right: Plato and Aristotle-Inaccurately attributed most the credit for forwarding rhetorical theories.
In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self purification; and direct action. (King, Jr.)
ReplyDeleteI believe this reflects logos because there are certain steps that need to be taken. This is a certain logical sequence that has to take place.
Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their "thus saith the Lord" far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. (King, Jr.)
ReplyDeleteThis sentence focuses on ethical values. So, this has to do with ethos. He feels as though he is compelled to carry out the message and tell people about it. The message is not just for him but for everyone he meets.
Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. (King, Jr.)
ReplyDeleteThis statement portrays emotion. Therefore, it is related to pathos. The community is scared and nervous about the actions they need to take. In this situation they need to figure out a way that works for the town in order to continue.
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ReplyDeleteI would use ethos, pathos, and logos in my essay in a few ways. Using someones ethics can help someone agree or disagree with what the topic or discussion is. It can also bring up questions and comments from the reader. Using pathos is a key idea that I would use because when you portray emotion and a reader can feel the same emotion then they will be more likely to finish the reading and read more articles that an author has. Sometimes using logic is a good idea for those readers that like statistics and proof that what the writer is saying is actually true. I would use all of these in my essay to reach out to every audience.
ReplyDeleteLogos are seen in the second paragraph where Martin Luther King Jr. talks about the Southern Christian Leadership Conference where he is the president. He mentions that there are eight five affiliated organizations and how they all share and connect to help each other. Telling some background helps readers relate to what he is apart of and it can connect to his actions and emotions that continue further down in the letter.
ReplyDeleteEthos relates more to morals and King Jr. shows that he carries a lot of morals that result in why he does certain actions. He says in the third paragraph that, “just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my home town.” He is taking an action to stand up for human rights for him and others. To him, the actions of some are not morally correct.
Pathos is emotions and King Jr. shares his emotions on rights. In the fourth paragraph, he stays that everyone is affected by people’s actions whether it’s directly or indirectly. His emotions towards the country are that, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.” It is hard to escape our country and the actions around us, so he is taking these emotions and doing something about it.
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ReplyDelete"We have some eighty five affiliated organizations across the South, and one of them is the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights." (King, Jr.)
ReplyDeleteThis statement refers to logos because it reflects statistics.
"Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say, "Wait." But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society;"
This statement reflects ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethics is affected when he talks about killing and the vicious mobs, this is thought to be ethically wrong. Also because he says his brothers and sister were kicked and even killed he is appealing to pathos because he is appealing to emotions of readers. Logos is reflected my the statement 20 million killed because it is another statitics that is reflecting reasoning.
Logos: "Several months ago the affiliate here in Birmingham asked us to be on call to engage in a nonviolent direct action program if such were deemed necessary." (King, Jr.) I think that this is logos because they are using their logic to decide that a nonviolent direct action program would be the best form of protest.
ReplyDeletePathos: "I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham." (King, Jr.) This appeals to pathos because Dr. King is bringing in his emotion to Birmingham. He feels bad for Birmingham and wants to help and if he did not help it would probably make him feel terrible.
Ethos: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." (King, Jr.) This has to do with ethics because it shows how it is ethically wrong to have injustice anywhere and that it effects justice everywhere.
Ethos, logos, and pathos definitely appeal to the public service announcement essay. Ethos appeals to it in that announcing something to the general public you need to use ethics. One must be politically correct or people could see them as arrogant and non credible. Logos is also appealing because you need to use logic. You must think critically and logically about your topic so you are credible and get your announcement across effectively. The public service announcement essay should also appeal to pathos. It does this because you need to be compassionate about what you are announcing to make it more effective and then you can get into it more and make it emotionally involved. This could appeal to your audience by also bringing them in emotionally to your subject.
Paragraph six contains a good example of logos when he systematically lays out how to have a nonviolent campaign against injustice. He also appeals to pathos by talking about how African Americans have suffered injustice such as bombings to their homes, and general discrimination, appealing to their sense of wanting to help their own people. To appeal to ethos, Dr. King references his long tireless efforts to work against racial prejudice, for instance his work with merchants in trying to have racist signs removed from stores in exchange for stopping demonstrations. This shows that he is willing to work with the people who blatantly disrespect him and his race. This I think brings a lot of credibility to his argument.
ReplyDeleteAs for my next essay I think it will be easy for me to touch other people emotionally through my writing with stories that they can relate to. Logos also will be somewhat easy to work with due to the fact that we will be working with news stories most likely already containing statistics or other such methods. Ethos will be the most challenging because not every author has a sound background in his or her topic, however I think with proper article choice I will be able to over come this easily enough.
In further essays, logos can be used in so many ways by trying to prove a point within the essay. Stats, graphs, and any form of numbers will be used in my essays to help readers relate to my topic and be able to understand more about why I chose it and my descriptions. Ethos will be useful to show the morals behind the topics or individuals that are being discussed within my essay. Pathos are all over the resources because people are opinionated and have many emotions towards different topics and their own actions
ReplyDeleteI agree with the comment above I would use ethos, pathos, and logos in my essay because they are all effective ways to appeal to the reader.
ReplyDeleteIn the first four paragraphs of the letter, I believe I've found ethos, pathos, and logos. In the first were Dr. King Jr. says "If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything other than such correspondence in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work." This show ethos because you get a since that he is an important person. This is because he talks about how he doesn't have time to respond to every criticism and the fact that he has secretaries that work for as well. This shows his creditability and the fact that he is somebody who is important. Dr. King Jr. shows pathos in paragraph four when he says "I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." This statement would give anybody the feeling that he is doing the right thing. He plays on emotions when he writes about injustice in Birmingham. Logos is used in paragraph four as well. This is when he says "Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds". This shows a logical argument that Dr. King Jr. tries to make about his actions.I can use ethos, pathos, and logos in my second essay when explaining something that I believe in. Ethos can be used to help show my credibility in talking about a certain matter. Pathos will be used to help draw a emotional appeal to my argument. Also Logos can help me give reasonable arguments about my topic as well.
ReplyDeleteAt the very beginning of the letter from King, Jr., he states that he is writing from Birmingham city jail. He then goes on to say what his accomplishments are and why he is at Birmingham Jail. This is what he says to create the ethos in his essay. “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. Several months ago the affiliate here in Birmingham asked us to be on call to engage in a nonviolent direct action program if such were deemed necessary. We readily consented, and when the hour came we lived up to our promise. So I, along with several members of my staff, am here because I was invited here. I am here because I have organizational ties here.”
ReplyDeleteAfter he explains his credibility, he then goes on to create pathos in his essay by stating why he was invited to Birmingham Jail, because there is injustice at the jail. “I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” By him saying this, it makes the reader feel bad for the situation at hand, and it makes you feel for him and the cause he is trying to protect.
Lastly, he explores the logic and facts in the situation with presenting the logos to support his essay. He explains what the four basic steps are to any and all nonviolent campaign’s and what he is planning on doing. “In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self purification; and direct action.” This makes the reader realize that there was sufficient research and knowledge about what the source is presenting.
Ethos- “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. Frequently we share staff, educational and financial resources with our affiliates. Several months ago the affiliate here in Birmingham asked us to be on call to engage in a nonviolent direct action program if such were deemed necessary. We readily consented, and when the hour came we lived up to our promise. So I, along with several members of my staff, am here because I was invited here. I am here because I have organizational ties here.”
ReplyDeleteHere MLK Jr. uses ethos by explaining why he is there and what his purposes are. He has ethical reasoning behind why he is there.
Pathos- “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial "outside agitator" idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.”
In this passage MLK Jr. is letting his emotions explain why he feels he needs to be there. He makes the reader feel like they deserve what he is doing for them as an act of justice. He is appealing to the readers’ emotions.
“As in so many past experiences, our hopes had been blasted, and the shadow of deep disappointment settled upon us.”
The way he explained how he and others felt after seeing barely any progression in the eradication of segregation in Birmingham lets the readers know exactly how disappointed he was. The readers can feel for him and with him.
Logos- “In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self purification; and direct action.”
He uses logic and a basic plan to show how he progresses in his campaign for equality. The four basic steps show that it is planned out and is a logical way to go about something.
"We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was "well timed" in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never." We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that "justice too long delayed is justice denied." We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God given rights."
ReplyDeleteThis section from Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech easily covers all three rhetorical appeals. He uses logos by being logical and consistent, maintaining a tone and state of mind that the reader can easily follow. The organizational structure is also persuasive and unique to King Jr. as an individual because he is rational and has intent in his speech.
His ethos is also evident because he uses words like "we" "I" and "us", making it a first hand account of the struggle they are facing. There is nothing more credible than someone who is seeing or doing something themselves, he is a well respected African American leader and knows what is it like to be a black American and deal with these hardships. His personal accounts make him accountable and trustworthy.
King Jr. uses pathos by stating facts. He tells of the injustices they have suffered and the 340 years they have waiting for the God given rights every American deserves. As an American born into these rights I take for granted, pathos effectively makes me think about the people that at one point had to fight for their rights I was given so freely.
Sources of Persuasion in “Letter from a Birmingham Jail (King, Jr.)”
ReplyDeleteMartin Luther King Jr. states in the article “But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here”. He is appealing to ethos here since he is stating the organizations activates of what they are doing in Alabama. He is there because it is morally the right thing to be doing to help the injustice.
In the article, Martin Luther King Jr. appeals to logos by saying “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly”. This gives reasoning as to why everyone should care about the injustice that is going on. If it affects one person, it will eventually affect everyone he makes it seem. Since this is the case, people reason that they should care.
Pathos appeals to people’s emotions. Emotions are behind every logical claim. By imagery people can appeal to pathos. When MLK says “Its ugly record of brutality is widely known. Negroes have experienced grossly unjust treatment in the courts. There have been more unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than in any other city in the nation.” This gives us readers emotions to which we feel for these people who have had to deal with injustice.
This article gave me a better idea of how to express ethos, pathos, and logos in my upcoming essay. I will make sure to appeal to peoples emotions, give a reasonable argument, and make sure to raise questions. If I for example write about tobacco I will be sure to say statistics on tobacco and appeal to emotions by talking about the countless people who have lost friends or family members from smoking.
"I have traveled the length and breadth of Alabama, Mississippi and all the other southern states." I think Dr. King is appealing to Ethos with this statement. He uses it to back up his argument that white religious leadership did not support their cause. Because he has been all of these places and has not found support, I think he is insinuating that it is not likely to find support in other white religious leaders.
ReplyDelete"We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was "legal" and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was "illegal." Here I think that Dr. King is appealing to Pathos. The recollection of Nazi Germany is used to bring about feelings of anger and sadness, whereas the relocation of the Hungarian freedom fighters is used to bring about feelings of hope and success. By using these examples in comparison to the white moderate and the freedom fighters, it evokes the same type of feelings. It sets up the white moderate as similar to Adolf Hitler and the freedom fighters similar to Hungarian freedom fighters.
"We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God given rights." Here, I believe, Dr. King uses Logos to appeal to the masses. He's using the fact that they've waited more than 340 years, and they shouldn't have to wait any longer for their rights.
Martin Luther King Jr. gives an example of ethos near the beginning of his essay stating that he has become the president of an organization. He then goes on to give background information so that the reader can get a better understanding of what this organization is and why he chose to lead them. The quote from Martin Luther King Juniors’ essay is as follows, “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.” I think this is a good example of ethos because of the way it ties what this organization does to what he is trying to accomplish.
ReplyDeletePathos is given when Martin Luther King Jr. writes about the broken promises made by the leaders in the Birmingham economic community. They promised to remove signs, but few were and most remained up. This led to a change in emotion as this quote states. “A few signs, briefly removed, returned; the others remained. As in so many past experiences, our hopes had been blasted, and the shadow of deep disappointment settled upon us.”
There is a quote given that portrays logos, which is when Martin Luther King Jr. says, “I am in Birmingham because injustice is here.” This portrays logos because it is very logical to believe that one would be present at a location to back those being wronged if they supported a certain situation that these people were in. In this case, Martin Luther King Jr. is in Birmingham supporting the injustice instead of at home.
“Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” These sentences convey the appeal of pathos and ethos because Dr. King gives a sense of emotional attachment to Birmingham when he says he cannot sit by idly and not be concerned with what goes on. He also gives an ethical attachment to the statements when he is talking about injustice.
ReplyDelete“For instance, I have been arrested on a charge of parading without a permit. Now, there is nothing wrong in having an ordinance which requires a permit for a parade. But such an ordinance becomes unjust when it is used to maintain segregation and to deny citizens the First-Amendment privilege of peaceful assembly and protest.” This shows the appeal of logos because there is logic involved in these statements, and Dr. King gives an example and a basis of fact in the statements.
After reading the letter, I am now able to see how ethos, pathos, and logos are used in writing. In my upcoming essay, I will be able to use the three forms of appeals to make my essay stronger and more readable to the audience. Using strong points of logic, emotion, and credibility will significantly improve my writing.
But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters; ….when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six year old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her …when you have to concoct an answer for a five year old son who is asking: "Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?"
ReplyDeleteHere, Dr. King is using pathos with his choice of words. The images he creates in the reader's eyes makes the reader have a much better understanding of how terribly colored people were being treated. Dr. King's use of specific examples give the reader gruesome and sad images in their minds and maybe even anger or astonishment. He references to upsetting a daughter and son, which could persuade any parent. He mentions the killings of mothers and fathers, this really hits home to everybody because everybody has some sort of family.
Dr. King is using ethos when he states, "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." 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." He is in a credible position since he mentions that he is the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the reader can respect him for that.
"It is true that the police have exercised a degree of discipline in handling the demonstrators. In this sense they have conducted themselves rather "nonviolently" in public. But for what purpose? To preserve the evil system of segregation.…But now I must affirm that it is just as wrong, or perhaps even more so, to use moral means to preserve immoral ends. Perhaps Mr. Connor and his policemen have been rather nonviolent in public, as was Chief Pritchett in Albany, Georgia, but they have used the moral means of nonviolence to maintain the immoral end of racial injustice. As T. S. Eliot has said: "The last temptation is the greatest treason: To do the right deed for the wrong reason." Here Dr. King uses Logos to persuade the reader with logical reasoning. Dr. King knows that the police are enforcing discipline but for the wrong reason. He's showing the reader specific examples and a quote by T. S. Eliot that infers to the discipline the police are acting out with. This may also have a sense of pathos in it, because Dr. King is using words such as "wrong" and relating to morals which will give the reader the feeling of guilt.
I will be writing my first essay on the documentary "The Cove", which takes place in Japan. "The Cove" documents a special area in Japan where fishermen trap dolphins in a cove and kill a mass number of them. The subject of animal cruelty will allow me to use pathos in my essay by making the reader feel emotions such as sorrow, anger, and a feeling of disgust. Though I don't have much credibility I have seen the documentary and done a lot of research to have a better understanding of the subject. I could use logos in my essay by giving facts and statistics about the cove in Japan and detailed information on the cruelty that the dolphins undergo.