Rhetorical Situation
What is the full name of the author of "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"?
Martin Luther King, Jr.
When King describes church burnings, lynching, and police brutality... what kind of appeal is King creating?
An appeal to pathos (emotion)
“...the shadow of deep disappointment settled upon us.”
personification
What is King's main overarching argument?
That African Americans deserve equality and civil rights.
Justice delayed is justice _______
denied
Who is the audience of the letter?
white clergymen
When he references the Bible-- calling Jesus, Amos, and Paul extremists-- in defense of his own choices...what kind of appeal is King making?
an appeal to Ethos (credibility)
“Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up but must be opened with all its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed.”
simile
How does King define "just" and "unjust" laws?
Just laws uplift the human spirit, while unjust laws degrade people.
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice _______
everywhere
Why was King arrested?
for leading a protest
When King outlines the steps of non-violent action...what appeal is he making?
an appeal to logos (logic)
"It was practiced by the early Christians who were willing to face hungry lions and excruciating pain of chopping blocks rather than submit to unjust laws of the Roman Empire."
allusion
What is King's argument for protesting rather than waiting for justice?
Waiting for justice is the same as not receiving it. Protests create tensions that force negotiations.
For years now I have heard the word "_____!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "_____" has almost always meant "never."
wait
What was King's purpose in writing the letter?
to explain why he was in Birmingham (and/or)
to defend nonviolent protests for civil rights
When King mentions that he is the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference...what appeal is he making?
an appeal to ethos (credibility)
“Yes, I see the church as the body of Christ. But, oh! How we blemished and scarred that body…”
simile
Why does King argue that everyone in the nation should care about segregation in Birmingham?
He claims we are all interconnected. If injustice is allowed to exist in Birmingham, it can exist anywhere else too.
Will we be _______ for hate or will we be _______ for love? Will we be _______ for the preservation of justice or will we be _______ for the cause of justice?
extremists
How did the letter reach its audience?
it was published in the newspaper
When King compares the legality of Nazis in Germany to the illegality of freedom fighters in Hungary... what two appeals is he making?
an appeal to logos (logic) and pathos (emotion)
“This is difference made legal…This is sameness made legal.”
antithesis and parallelism
How does King justify disobedience against the law?
He argues that good people should not feel obligated to follow immoral laws.
...the _____ ______ who is more devoted to order than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says, "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can't agree with your methods of direct action.
white moderate