King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and Swift’s “A Modest...

Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is a very sophisticated argument that gets to the point, but in the same time it gets very deep and complex. The letter is a historical and emotional letter that spoke to the hearts of people all across America. It was also well thought out and wrote with great deep meaning. By using three categories of persuasion, ethos, pathos, and logos, King was able to get on a much needed personal level with his audience. Along with letting the reader know that he had valid ideas and reasons. Getting on a personal level would let King explain his view of what was Right and unjust. I believe that King’s letter was the greater argument than Swift’s, because he knew what his argumentative goal was, to†¦show more content†¦Though Martin Luther King had talked about the problems he was facing he still had many other point to prove before he was satisfied with his argument. King goes on in the letter and gets on a pe rsonal level with the clergymen. He opens the doors of emotions with his reader’s. With referring to words of religious icons, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you. (740). Martin Luther King was able show the clergymen that segregation was happening and unjust acts toward African Americans were still occurring in the United States. King also knew that he was going to need to get the White majority to listen. King used personal experiences from his children, when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can’t go the public amusement park that has just been adverted on television, and see tears welling up in her little eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see the depressing cloud of inferiority begin to form in her little mental sky, and see her begin to distort her little personality by unconsciously dev eloping a bitterness toward white people. (735). I felt that King brought out the emotions of his audience. This too got the reader listening to his words. King was able to accomplish this by using the persuasive strategy,Show MoreRelatedSimilarities between Martin Luther Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail and Jonathan Swifts A Modest Proposal1358 Words   |  6 Pagescursory analysis of Letter From Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr. and A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift reveals glaring differences between the two essays. Surprisingly, a side-by-side comparison also yields many similarities between the two works. The most obvious similarity between the two essays is the overarching theme of the subject matter. In both essays, the writers address deeply-entrenched social injustices. For example, in Letter From Birmingham Jail, King, in his highly-impassionedRead MoreIrony in Jonathan Swifts A Modest Proposal1101 Words   |  5 Pagescommentary on the English Government. Swift’s works are heavily ironic and satirical and sometimes would leave a very unpleasant taste in the mouth. His political ideas are radical and when he chooses to oppose a view, his words would be usually full of sharp sarcasm and harsh comments though usually hidden in allegories and metaphors still are so clear in their meanings that no one can fail to understand who or what he is pointing to. In his work the â€Å"Modest Proposal†, Swift doesn’t even bother to useRead MoreAnalysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail And Johnathan Swifts Essay1366 Words   |  6 Pagesbelieve, but are not always ethically and morally correct. Society becomes blinded by its traditions about how things are supposed to be done that nobody sees the pain that is being inflicted. Martin Luther King Jr., â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† and Johnathan Swifts, â€Å"A Modest Proposal,† persuade their audience in very different ways but are both effective in using pathos. In order to create an effective call to change, an author must use the emotions of the reader to create a need to take action.Read MoreAn Analysis of Jonathan Swift and Martin Luther King Jr.’s Stylistic Devices2370 Words   |  10 Pagesprovide useful solutions but failed. The Irish now left with nothing but what the English give them suffer mass oppression, the real issue Swift wishes to addres s. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Swift establishes a mutual understanding with the English from the beginning, an essential part of the careful construction in his essay. He cannot let on the essay will take a dramatic turn after the flip of the second page. Swift does this because he wants to give the impression that he shares the same views