Dialectical Journal for “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Directions: Working in groups of 3­4 students, examine persuasive appeals and rhetorical and literary devices MLK uses on an assigned page. Analyze how MLK employs ethos, pathos, and logos at least once in the portion of his argument you are assigned. Other devices you may consider include anaphora, repetition, allusion, rhetorical questions, figurative language (personification, metaphor, simile, imagery), alliteration, and syntax. Think about how these devices intentionally relate to the message he is conveying Why are certain words and phrases repeated in connection to MLK’s message? How are particular images relevant to the topic of injustice?. Why does MLK allude to certain historical and Biblical figures to compare to the plight African Americans experienced? In other words, don’t just identify the strategy or appeal he uses, but why you think he uses them for his message. Create a table so that on the left side you quote the passage and on the right side, you analyze the appeal or device MLK uses in his speech. PASSAGE
COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS
“I am sure that none of you would want to rest content with the superficial kind of social analysis that deals merely with effects and does not grapple with underlying causes. It is unfortunate that demonstrations are taking place in Birmingham...” (paragraph 5) (Ethos) MLK begins his message by establishing himself as someone who understands his readers’ complaint and situation by acknowledging the common ground of the argument about these demonstrations. He does not want to repel his audience but instead ease them into hearing his side of why demonstrations are necessary, why it is important that he is heard. MLK uses ethical appeal by using a fair, respectful tone but also showing that both sides of the argument takes the issue that is behind public demonstrations seriously and that it is disruptive and disappointing that the issue of segregation has come to this point.. No matter what either side believes, MLK recognizes that no one wanted racial segregation to come to this. “We bring [hidden tension of segregation] out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with. Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up but must be opened with all its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed...” (paragraph 25) (Figurative Language) MLK employs an extended metaphor of a boil that festers and can only be relieved when exposed. This idea represents the toxicity the tension of racial strife/segregation has created between the races and cannot improve or be eradicated until it is exposed to the public through demonstration. Three types of appeals used in arguments: ethos (ethical appeal)­the writer’s credibility ● establish your background knowledge or expertise on the issue ● use credible, reputable evidence ● fair and respectable tone ● establish common ground (something both sides of an argument agree upon) ● acknowledging the opposing argument and refute it in a fair, respectful manner with facts. logos ● reasoning­­deductive and inductive ● use of evidence (facts, statistics, researched studies, personal experience) pathos (emotional appeal) ● using loaded words ● persuade audience care about the topic­­feel connected or guilty, fear, pride about the issue FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE simile: An explicit comparison (using like or as): "Her lips are like roses." metaphor: A word or phrase denoting one kind of object or idea used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them ("the ship ploughs the sea.") A metaphor is generally an implicit comparison (doesn't use like or as): "Her lipsare roses." synecdoche: substituting a part for a whole or a whole for a part. "Fifty sail" for "fifty ships"; "the smiling year" for spring. metonymy: substituting the name of something for its attribute or whatever it is associated with ("crown" for king). periphrasis: substituting a descriptive phrase, made up of a concrete adjective and abstract noun, for a precise word: "fringed curtains of thine eye" (= eyelashes). personification: attributing animation to something inanimate ("a grieving nation"); treating a thing or abstract quality as though it were a person. oxymoron: deliberate combination of seemingly contradictory words ("helpful bureaucrat"; "bittersweet"). imagery – Imagery is broadly defined, usually in terms of writing, as the descriptive language used by an author to provide an image in the reader’s mind, appealing to one of the five senses. Imagery is the use of any descriptive words or phrases that result in a clearer mental picture of the person, place, thing, or situation being described. Many other figurative language devices can qualify as imagery. SOUND DEVICES: alliteration: recurrent consonant sounds, frequently but not exclusively at beginning of words (e.g. in Shakespeare's Sonnet 30: sessions, sweet, silent, summon, things, past...) onomatopoeia: the concordance of sounds and meaning. "Snap, crackle, pop." assonance: recurrent vowel sounds ("sweet, sleeps, creature"). pun: deliberate confusion of words based upon similarity of sound (waist/waste). ALLUSION: reference to or echo of familiar expressions, persons or objects from a cultural tradition (esp. biblical, classical, proverbial); e.g., a "prodigal son" alludes to the biblical parable. CONNOTATION: double­ and triple­level suggestive power of words; gold can connote wealth, but also beauty and excellence or greed; a dove, peace as well as innocence. SYNTAX REPETITION, PARALLELISM, CONTRAST, ANTITHESIS: devices which have the rational appeal of logic and the aesthetic appeal of symmetry. For example: "Suit the action to the word and the word to the action" uses contrasted repetition of "action" and "word" within parallel grammatical units (noun plus prepositional phrase). ANAPHORA: repetition of word or words beginning a series of parallel syntactical units ("this sceptered isle, ... this blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England"). See sonnet 91. Sentence lengths telegraphic shorter than 5 words in length short approximately 5 words in length medium approximately 18 words in length long long and involved – 30 words or more length Types of sentences declarative The king is sick. makes a statement assertiv
e imperative Cure the king! gives a command authorit
ative interrogative Is the king sick? asks a question questio
ning exclamatory The king is dead; long live the king! makes an exclamation emotion
al Sentence Structures simple sentence contains one subject and one verb has only one main, complete thought The singer bowed to her adoring audience. compound sentence contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinate conjunction (and, but, or) or by a semicolon has two or more main, complete thoughts. Two or more simple sentences are joined, usually with or, but, or and. The singer bowed to the audience, but she sang no encores. complex sentence has one simple sentence and one or more clauses. These clauses are connected to the simple sentence with words like because, while, when, if, as, although, since, unless, after, so, which, who, and that. contains an independent clause and one or more subordinate clauses After she bowed to the audience, the singer sang an encore. compound­complex sentence a combination of the above contains two or more principal clauses and one or more subordinate clauses The singer bowed while the audience applauded, but she sang no encores. Loose sentence makes complete sense if brought to a close before the actual ending We reached Edmonton/that morning/after a turbulent flight/and some exciting experiences. Periodic sentence makes sense only when the end of the sentence is reached That morning, after a turbulent flight and some exciting experiences, we reached Edmonton. Balanced sentence the phrases and clauses balance each other by virtue of their likeness of structure, meaning, or length He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters