Reference no: EM13206887

Martin Luther King Junior's (MLK) "Letter From Birmingham Jail" was addressed to eight clergymen who were chastising him for the non-violent protests he was involved with, which wasa in what they considered to be "their" city and calling him an outsider.

This letter is a perfect example of using rhetorical strategies and logical structure. That is why many college professors use it for rhetorical analysis.

The purpose of this assignment is to help you understand the rhetorical situation of MLK's "Letter from Birmingham Jail." You need to demonstrate that you understand its rhetorical strategies and logical structure.

I want you to demonstrate this understanding by writing 3-5 pages analyzing MLK's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" for its rhetorical strategy. Imagine that your audience has not read the piece.

You must explain the content of the letter, as well as discuss the rhetorical situation. By doing so you will answer the following questions.

• What is the purpose of the letter? (MLK's intentions)
• Who is the audience?
• What ethos does MLK have or does he draw from the ethos of someone else?

Do not to simply summarize the letter. I have read it many time. Talk about how MLK makes his argument and show me that you understand what rhetorical strategies he uses.

To help give you ideas of the structure of your paper, read the following options (Thanks to Shay Brown at Stanford University). Write while focusing on one of three possible aspects of the letter:

Option 1: Examine the various strategies King uses to engage his particular audience(s). Some questions to consider:

• Who is his audience (how can you tell)?
• What are some of the means he uses to communicate effectively with them?
• Why are these means particularly appropriate for this audience/ these audiences?
• Does he maintain the same relationship to his audience(s) throughout?
• How critical, overall, is this dimension of his essay to the message he is conveying?

Option 2: Assess King's position on the limits of individual responsibility to the law. Some questions to consider:

• What, exactly, is his position? How does he support various aspects of it?
• Do you find that support effective? Why or why not?
• What are the broader implications of what he is arguing?

Option 3: Examine King's references to other texts and other voices. Some questions to consider:

• What purpose do these references serve?
• Do they (individually and collectively) serve only one purpose or do they serve multiple purposes?
• Under what conditions is King most likely to refer to other writers/thinkers?
• Is there a relationship between this rhetorical strategy and the message he is conveying or his larger purpose as a political and social actor?