Rhetorical Essay on Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Birmingham jail letter,” how he uses ethos logos and pathos to effectively communicate

For this 1,500 word essay, you will be analyzing Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Your task is to explain (“expose”) how King makes his argument and whether his argument is  effective. You will not be stating whether or not you agree with the argument (you are to remain  objective). In this formal writing assignment, employ the third person. 

There are two main questions your essay should address:

1.    What is a primary theme voiced by King in the letter (e.g. injustice, discrimination, dignity, etc.)?

2.    How does King employ the three rhetorical appeals to effectively argue for your chosen theme?

Note: Be certain that the order in your thesis matches the body of the essay; for example, “In his letter, Martin Luther King, Jr. effectively demonstrates injustice in Birmingham through the rhetorical appeals of ethos, logos, and pathos.” The body of the essay would then follow the order of ethos, logos, and pathos.

You will also supply a bibliography.

While the main focus of your essay will be on pathos, logos, and ethos, you should consider a couple of the following questions: 

○ What is the author’s purpose? 

○ Who is the audience? 

○ Who is the author of the text? 

○ What is the background of the text? 

○ Which rhetorical appeals are used (logos, ethos, pathos) to support this theme?

○ How does the language and style of the letter contribute to the purpose?

○ Incorporate at least two of your outside resources to support your essay.

In your essay, you will want to make sure to support your answers to these questions with plenty of evidence (direct quotes, paraphrases, etc.). Be certain your writing in this essay has proper balance between your voice and your supporting material, like “the two wings of an airplane.” 



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