MLK's Message by Kaliyah Harris

Rhetorical Situation

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Identify the Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, and Tone of the Text

Purpose

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MLK's purpose as a black activist was solely to persuade the white church to desegregate Birmingham by sharing personal experiences facing racism that has not only negatively affected him but his children as well. He is also trying to communicate to the white clergyman that he is done waiting for justice and must proclaim it for himself. He starts by making his peaceful protest writing his letter during the time he spent in jail for taking a stand for what he believes is right.

Speaker 🎤

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Our Speaker in the excerpt "Letter From Birmingham City Jail" Is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. also known for being a civil rights activist, president of the southern Christian leadership conference, father, and like his audience a follower of Christ.

Occasion

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Birmingham City 1963 Dr. King was wrongfully convicted on good Friday a day that marked the death of Jesus Christ for peaceful protesting in order to be granted not only his but his community's God given rights to be treated as a citizen and have a seat at the table in their country.

Audience

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In order to be heard by people with power you must be someone people would consider listening to. In Dr. King's case a black man seeking peace is not someone people would consider listening to. Dr. Kings audience would consist of the white church, clergyman, segregationist, protesters, and policemen. All which held the key to MLK's dream of ending segregation.

Tone

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Dr. king uses persuasive Appeals in his argument against the white church to express his urgency and frustration encouraging his audience to take immediate action towards injustice. A movement as big as this one does not have to be hostile but peaceful and aiming to bring to the conscience of the nation lasting peace between whites and colored folks.

Rhetorical Analysis

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Pathos

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Pathos is an appeal to emotions. Authors and speakers use pathos when trying to make their audience feel what they felt and understand their point of view. Using this appeal will make the audience feel different emotions about the situation and often empathize with the author or speaker. MLK often uses Pathos in excerpt #2 of the "Letter From Birmingham City Jail" when he describes how hurtful segregation has not only affected him but his children as well.

Logos

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Logos is the appeal to logic. Authors and writers use logos when trying to prove a point using statistics, reason, logic, and evidence. Logos is used to persuade an idea or conclusion into someones mind using logic and factual evidence. Dr. King uses Logos in excerpt #2 of the "Letter From Birmingham City Jail when he talks about how justice continuously put aside is a simple no.

Ethos

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Ethos is the persuasive appeal to credibility. Ethos is used when in an argument he or she has experience with the topic making them more trustworthy and persuaded by the argument being presented. Ethos is being used when Dr. King illustrates how long they have been deprived of their god given rights to be treated as an equal in this country.

As you complete your final assessment, please remember the following learning targets 🎯

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Here’s what you will be doing for our FINAL ASSESSMENT

📖 🧠|Demonstrate you can read a grade-level text by showing comprehension of the text
🔎 Identify an author’s CLAIM and DEVELOPMENT OF CLAIM
🔺 Identify the Rhetorical Situation
🧠 ✝️ ♥️ Conduct a rhetorical analysis by examining the use of Pathos, Logos, and Ethos, while also considering the speaker's strategic writing choices to reach their audience and achieve their purpose.
📝 Use academic language and develop a well-written response (R.A.C.E. Writing Strategy)

You can show your learning by the PADLET features (Think outside the BOX - Show OFF Your Creativity)

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There are several features available to help you complete the tasks. Try your best to incorporate a variety of features:

✏️Writing - type out your responses
🖼️ Visuals - Images, GIFs, Emojis,
📷 Photos - Use your Device Camera to take a picture or add to your response
📹 Video Recording - Record yourself speaking your responses in a short video clip
🗣️ Audio Recording - Speak your responses into your device's mic and add your voice to each POST

To Get Started ✅

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Open Padelt site on your device
Create a new Padlet (Pink Box in Top Left Corner)
Click on Blank Board
On the next screen, select "Canvas"
Begin Creating your Layout (same as Mr. Valiente)
Add Title and Subtitle
Change layout / appearance as you prefer

Textual Evidence

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In excerpt #2 Dr. King shares a short but meaningful statement, "We have waited more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights."

Explanation

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This is an example of ethos because it appeals to established beliefs and values that are globally respected, therefore making the argument more trust worthy.

Meaning

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This means that after so long of being deprived of their rights that maybe now is the time to take action and forcefully take their rights back as citizens of this country.

Significance

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The textual evidence is significant to Dr. Kings argument because with so little words he debunks the fact that we have waited too long to be given our rights.

Textual Evidence

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Martin Luther King repeatedly uses pathos to back up his argument against the white church and the clergy men. Multiple times in the excerpt MLK talks about how segregation has affected the closest people in his lives and how they've reacted to it. In the excerpt Dr. king states, "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 to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children".

Explanation

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The text evidence is an example of pathos because it uses multiple emotional descriptive words to get the audience to empathize with the author and the people who are also affected by segregation.

Meaning

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MLK is saying that segregation affects more lives than they realize. Children should not have to face the consequences and be ripped away from their chilldhood because the world pays attention to their skin tone more than their innocence and age.

Significance

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MLK uses pathos so that his audience can get a better understanding of where he is coming from as an activist and as a father. He communicates using pathos to get the audience to empathize and use their hearts to get a better understanding on his part.

Textual Evidence

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In the excerpt Dr. King powerfully asserts, "justice too long delayed is justice denied".

Explanation

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This quote from the excerpt implies that justice to long postponed will never be effective because postponing the need for justice fails to address the immediate need for change and enables a cycle of injustice.

Meaning

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This means that MLK has realized that he is tired of wasting time and is done waiting for the opportunity to make a monumental change.

Significance

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This is significant to MLK's compelling argument because it supports the idea that he is tired of waiting to be granted rights in order to be respected and treated less of animal and more of a human being reaching for his rights.

Media Connections

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As you begin to make connections to the real world, your lived experiences, or your own life, add the following types of media:

3 news media links about relevant topics
2 links on news video reports on related topics
5 media photographs showing captured moments of racial tension
5 REAL images of MLK in different moments of the period
3 pieces of art (painting, murals, sculptures, memorials, social media, etc.) made about the movement/period / or connected topics
2 songs that you listen to or feel connect to the topic

Subject

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What is the subject?

Martin Luther King's presence in Birmingham is purposely to desegregate the city and stand for what he believes in. Doing so eventually get him put in solitary confinement. MLK's arrest goes to show that standing against the white world always backfires because they hold the power to everything around us.

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"Unificication"

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The US flag has 50 stars on it that Is supposed to represent the unification across the 50 states. But still today women and men of all colors and sizes are held against each. Even in the smallest of spaces look down on each other because racial beliefs do not stop with a few activists who have lost their lives to make a change, it does not stop with a protest that has been the cause of millions of lives lost. A colored woman or man can be the smartest individuals in a room and still be looked down upon or lesser than even just because of the way they dress or how they carry themselves as a person. As a female myself I cannot speak for men but I can speak for other females that resemble me. A lot of the time I am looked as less than what I am worth because of the way I dress people assume that I am not smart or that I slack off but here I am trying my hardest to use my voice hoping that it would change peoples views of me as a black woman. This society has been taught to believe that appearances play a big part in how people operate. But I myself am testimony that it does not.

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