Letter From a Birmingham Jail: Ethos and Logos Essay Example

Martin Luther King Jr., on April 16, 1963, wrote the "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" to respond to criticisms of the peaceful protests taking place in Birmingham, Alabama. Birmingham saw the start of highly-organized marches and sit ins against racism and racial segregation on April 3, 1963. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) led these peaceful protests. King and other members of his caucus were however arrested. Eight white Alabama clergymen published a newspaper article entitled "A Call for Unity" in which they condemned King's peaceful protests. King, who was in jail at the time, wrote the letter in response to the comments made by the clergymen. King begins the letter by noting that clergymen are people with goodwill. He also acknowledges that they may have genuine concerns about peaceful protests. This approach sets a reasonable tone for dialogue. King addresses the assertion that he is an outsider who leads protests in Birmingham. He mentions that he was invited by his brothers and sister to join them in fighting against racism and injustices in Birmingham. King outlined various issues that King believed needed to be addressed in order for people to receive justice and civil rights. King uses logos to appeal logic and ethos to appeal emotionally to his critics of his support for peaceful protests, as well as to respond to criticisms in the letter.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

King responds to claims that he is an outsider who came into Birmingham to cause chaos. This was the main issue that the eight clergymen raised in their newspaper article. King stated that he was here to address the issue. He also said that he and several other members of his staff were invited. But, more importantly, I am here because injustice is there." King appeals to logic to justify his presence in Birmingham. He first argues that he was there because he was invited to by his brothers. He had not "trespassed" on the city or been uninvited. King adds a second compelling reason why he was in Birmingham: "because injustice is there". His presence in Birmingham should not be question. King continues, "Injustice anywhere can threaten justice everywhere." We are all bound together by an inextricable web of mutuality. What affects one directly affects all indirectly." Thus, injustice in Birmingham was a sign of injustice elsewhere in the US and the world. As a champion for civil liberties and human rights, he was right to be there.

As explained above, the use of logos is extremely effective. King is trying to address the criticisms about his presence in Birmingham. He uses a dual-pronged approach to make sure he understands what he's saying. In the first instance, King uses the logic that people are often invited to different places, and that they respond by showing up. This logic is not uncommon, and his accusers should understand it. King makes the second point by exposing the logic behind his presence in Birmingham, not as an outsider but as a champion for justice and freedom rights. King should be present in Birmingham if there is injustice. He becomes part of the city as a civil right activist the moment such inhumane acts begin to occur. King also stated that "Anyone who lives in the United States cannot be considered an outsider anywhere within their bounds." Thus, King's presence in Birmingham is justified. The eight clergymen mistakenly branded King an outsider.

King uses ethos in his letter to support the need for peaceful protests. His accusers agreed in a newspaper article that, while racism and injustice are rampant in Birmingham it should be addressed in court by applying the due process of the law. King responded,

Your statement does not, however, express the same concern about the conditions that led to the demonstrations. I'm sure none of you want to settle for superficial social analysis that focuses only on the effects of events and doesn't address the root causes. Birmingham is witnessing demonstrations. It's even worse that Birmingham's white power structure has left the Negro community without an alternative.

King appeals emotionally to clergymen to use the same argument they used to condemn peaceful protests in order to understand their underlying causes. He suggests that his accusers might use the same thinking style and reprobate the causes of the protests. The Negroes did not protest against an equal society that protected everyone's rights one day. King claims that the Negroes were pushed against the wall by the "white power structure". Therefore, they had no choice but to protest. It was absurd for clergymen to suggest to the courts that victims of this injustice should seek redress from the same courts, as the courts had failed to address Birmingham's systemic and structural racism. Appealing to emotions works because it exposes clergymen's pretensions in claiming that they care about peace and harmony in the city, but are not concerned about racial segregation.

It suffices to say that King uses logos and his ethos to address criticisms levelled against him for participating in the nonviolent protests at Birmingham. He uses logos to show that clergymen were not wrong about King's presence in Birmingham. And, more importantly, because he was invited, he arrived because injustice prevailed. Logically, no American can be considered an outsider in any part of the country. King uses ethos to appeal directly to his accusers' emotions. King suggests that they should have the same passion and arguments as he did in condemning the protests and also understand the true causes. The clergyman would then acknowledge that nonviolent protests are only an option for the Negro community, since the courts and other responsible institutions have failed to address the issue of racial segregation at Birmingham.

Work Cited

King, Martin Luther Jr. “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” Africa Studies Center – University of Pennsylvania, Web.