In April of 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr., was jailed in Birmingham, Alabama for his efforts in the civil rights movement. One day after King's arrest, a full-page advertisement taken out by a group of local, white, moderate, clergymen appeared in The Birmingham News (Wexler 163). They attacked the demonstrations as "unwise and untimely" and concluded, "We do not believe that these days of new hope are days when extreme measures are justified in Birmingham (Wexler 163-4)."

From his prison cell, King replied not only to the ministers' letter but also to an educated, white, middle-class audience, by writing his response in the margins of the newspaper and on toilet paper (Albert and Hoffman 141). "I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was well timed in the view of those who have not suffered from the disease of segregation," King, wrote in what was later published as the essay, Letter from Birmingham Jail (Wexler 164). The 6500 word letter went on to explain and make clear to the clergy and to the world why the struggle against racism must not be deferred (Wexler 164). King's main claim in this letter is that no matter what the circumstances are it is far

King use of ethos can be seen throughout the essay. He uses it at the very beginning in the greeting, "My dear fellow Clergymen (King par. 1)." King does this to put himself at the same level as the people he is responding to. He makes these clergymen feel important while at the same time making it known that he too is a very important man. "Seldom, if ever, do I pause to answer criticisms of my work and ideas...But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I would like to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms (King par. 1)." In paragraph 44 he also plays this game of power with the clergymen. "If I have said anything in this letter that is an overstatement of the truth and is indicative of an unreasonable impatience, I beg you to forgive me. If I have said anything in this letter that is an understatement of the truth and is indicative of my having patience that makes me patient with anything less than brotherhood, I beg God to forgive me."

King urges his audience to see the world of a black person through their eyes. "...when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you see hate-filled policemen curse, kick, brutalize, and even kill your black brothers and sisters with impunity...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, when she is told Funtown is closed to the colored children;...when you take a cross country drive and find it necessary to sleep night after night in the uncomfortable corners of your automobile, because no motel will accept you; when you are humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading "white" and "colored"; when your first name becomes "nigger" and your middle name becomes "boy"

And finally a look at the logos used in the essay Letter from Birmingham Jail. King uses this to show why he is in Birmingham in the first place. "I think I should give reason for my being in Birmingham, since you have been influenced by the argument of "outsiders coming in." Several months ago our local affiliate here in Birmingham invited us to be on call to engage in nonviolent direct action program if such were deemed necessary.... So I am here, along with several members of my staff, because we were invited here (King par. 2)."

employed the use of structure and the tactics of pathos, ethos, and logos to make an argument to his audience. He structured his argument so that it flowed well throughout. He also used this structure to make his case and then put it back on his audience by making them think about his points. Pathos was used to put

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