Martin Luther King Jr.
In sections two- four in Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail, his purpose is to give background on his reasons for being in jail and for being behind the movement. He uses mostly Ethos and Logos throughout this section to establish credibility to his audience, and to appeal to their emotions.
King demonstrates his credibility in this section with Ethos when he says, “I have the honor of serving as president...an organization operating in every southern state…” When he makes this statement, it is clear that he is an expert and trustworthy due to him serving as president for such an established organization. Also, using Ethos, he aims to grab their ethics with the third paragraph in the letter. In the third paragraph King discusses how his call in Birmingham is like the call the prophets had, as told in the bible. Using such reference he is trying to get the Clergymen’s ethical appeal, since they too are men of the bible.
Next, King uses Logos because he takes an idea, and he makes it appear like plain logic. He does this with his sentence in the second paragraph, “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.” In this statement, he makes it seem clear as day why he is in jail there, as if it is just an average call of duty. This logic coming through appeals to his readers because it presents the reasoning in a way people can relate.
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