Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” on April 16, 1963. The logical and well-written letter was written in response to a statement in the newspaper, authored by some clergymen. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote this letter to defend his organization's nonviolent strategies. The three rhetorical principles of Letter from Birmingham Jail – ethos, pathos and logos – are analyzed in this essay. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Examples of ethics in Letter from Birmingham Jail are presented in the first two paragraphs of the second page. We can see how Martin Luther King uses ethos in Letter from Birmingham Jail to justify the way his organization uses nonviolent resistance. King has an automatic philosophy as he is known as a well-educated and prominent African-American figure. He was also known as a priest, and priests are generally known to be trustworthy. Nevertheless, King is still building a philosophy. He begins by talking about events that he and the people he writes to share. Some events they shared were participating in the mayoral election. King says: “Then we realized that the Birmingham mayoral election was going to be held in March, and we quickly decided to postpone action until after Election Day. » He used this to defend his organization's timing of action around the mayor's action, because the clergy kept claiming their timing was bad. Furthermore, in the Letter from Birmingham Jail, ethos appears at the beginning of another argument: "Just as Socrates felt." King attempts to demonstrate that he and his organization are not alone in "seeing the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men emerge from the dark depths of prejudice." This example of ethos helps demonstrate his reasonableness in the matter and adds to his credibility when speaking about his direct action issues. In all, he defends the nonviolent methods of his organization. You might also be interested. Check 15,000 word essays for free with plagiarism checker. King uses pathos, on page five, in order to safeguard the pacifist approaches to his affiliation. He does this by showing what the South would look like if it resorted to violent actions, and also how African Americans would trudge forward if they fully complied with segregation laws. King says, after explaining that they are nonviolent, "If this philosophy [of nonviolence] had not emerged, many streets of the South, I am convinced, would now be flowing with blood." He tries to convince readers, through a vivid and emotionally arousing image, that non-violence is the best way to handle the situation. He says the "marches" and "pilgrimages to City Hall" are the best, peaceful way for his affiliation and all other African-Americans to express their "pent-up resentments and latent frustrations." Furthermore, King says that African Americans who have “adapted to segregation” are “so drained of self-respect.” Once again, King emphasizes that nonviolent direct action is the best path forward, and he defends his organization's nonviolent direct action strategies. He doesn't want them to become docile or violent, and he thinks being pacifist in this situation is the best way to go. Another way King uses pathos in the letter is the way.