KINGS USE OF PATHOS

Kings Use of Pathos

The Effects of Pathos in Letters From Birmingham Jail
Taylor Clarke
Arizona State University

KINGS USE OF PATHOS

Martin Luther King, Jr. was able to help progress the lives of millions of people
due to his non-violent approach to protesting, but also his ability to create vivid
emotional pictures with his words. In Letters from Birmingham Jail, King is able to
bring out the emotions of the audience, whether Black or White, to portray the injustices
of the time and to induce a moral obligation to help move the country closer to equality.
His letter uses pathos to both unite the African American community and to portray to the
White community how widespread and morally wrong the injustices of Birmingham
were. His call to action served as a wake up call to our entire nation and helped put an
end to the moral injustices of the 1950s

With Kings reference to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference is used to

show the strength in numbers that this organization represents and also serves to elude to
the mistreatment across the board for the entire African American community. Kings
reference to this group shows just how widespread his support is. He says that they
operate in every Southern state, which is used to allude to the fact that mistreatment of
King is going to annoy a very large group of people and to draw sympathy. Furthermore,
his description of the group is used to show how powerful the group is. When King
references that We share staff, education and financial resources, this assumption of
surplus resources shows that the group has strength and the ability to give away resources
without suffering.

Kings letter also speaks to the integrity of the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference. This integrity is implied through the fact that his team is there for a non-

KINGS USE OF PATHOS

violent protest and is further alluded to when he says that his team would engage only if
necessary. This shows that King was not there to incite violence and hatred of the White
community, but only to save his fellows of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human
Rights from the atrocities that were taking place on a daily basis. This assumption can be
verified by the fact that King as his followers were asked to come in support. King writes,
So I am here.... Because we were invited here.

Kings literary tactics are employed to ultimately call for change in the treatment
of African-Americans, both in the Southern US and across the rest of the country. He
demonstrates how many people are supporting him, and his biblical references can also
draw similarities to Paul and how he spread his practice across all lands. This reference
between King and Paul is important because he is attempting to connect to the emotions
of both the Black and White communities. At this time, a large share of both populations
had heavy Christian influences, and King uses this as a literary tactic to draw sympathy
across multiple audience and further his case for injustice.

If no action was taken, it can be seen how that would anger the masses. By saying
that King is the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, he
assimilates himself with the entire African American Community. King stating how the
Conference operates in all Southern states and has eighty-five affiliated organizations
even further exemplifies this fact. He uses anecdotal evidence in the fact that the
Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights personally invited his group to
Birmingham because they believed they were in danger. King uses this part of the letter

KINGS USE OF PATHOS

to show how he is the leader of the Civil Rights movement. They could have invited other
people such as Malcom X, or King could have gone down there uninvited. But instead,
because he was such a strong symbol of the community, the Alabama Christian
Movement personally invited him to help them in desperate times.

This is important because it serves to prove the point that King represents the
entire African-American community, and they all chose his as their representation in the
national spotlight. With King locked up unjustly, that means that the man who represents
an entire race is locked up when he shouldnt be. To put it in syllogism form: I represent
the entire black community; I am being locked up and treated unjustly; therefore, the
entire black community is being locked up and treated unjustly.

Kings ability to draw an the readers emotions are paramount to the success of
the writing. The call on Christianity creates moral tension on those who have perpetuated
the discrimination of blacks. His reference to ties to organizations across the South show
just how widespread the problem is, even though he is reference just one instance in
Birmingham. And lastly, his non-violent approach serves to help break down the fear of
reciprocating the violence that had become a norm for too long. Ultimately, Kings
unwillingness to budge from his morals of integrity and non-violence are ultimately what
led to the success of the Civil Rights movement.

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5
References:

King, M. L. (1994). Letter from the Birmingham jail. San Francisco: Harper San
Francisco.