Name:______Date:______Period:______

Pathos in “Letter from Birmingham Jail”

With great skill, King uses an abundance of rhetorical devices that have the potential to overwhelm the audience emotionally.

Directions: Answer the following questions in complete sentences. Your answers must be thoughtful and thorough to receive full credit.

PASSAGE YOU WILL ANALYZE:

King’s emotional appeal can be found in the section that begins: “We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights” (King 746)

And ends with the sentence: “I hope, sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience” (King 746).

Contrast (antithesis)

1. King employs antithesis in the second sentence. Outline the pairs of contrasts.

  1. Places: ______and______
  1. Moves like ______(first place) and______(second place)
  1. Gains______(first place) and______(second place)

2. In a sentence, explain King’s rhetorical purpose in employing these antithetical places and ideas.

3. Find another example of antithesis in this paragraph. In a sentence, analyze the rhetorical effect.

Metaphor

4. The antithesis in the second sentence contains two metaphors. Identify them and explain their effect in the sentence.

Metaphor 1: / Effect:
Metaphor 2: / Effect:

5. The passage contains other metaphors in addition to the two already mentioned. Identify two more metaphors.

Alliteration

Martin Luther King is a master at using sound devices to add emphasis and detail. For instance, beginning in line 3, King writes “but we still creep at horse-and-buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee….” The repetition of the hard c sound accentuates the slow pace of reforms to gain even the smallest right. Both “creep” and “cup of coffee” are humble things, contrasted with Asia and Africa, which move like jets to gain something much grander than a cup of coffee, “political independence.” King uses the repetition of consonant sounds to reinforce the idea of struggling for basic rights—rightsany one should take for granted.

7. Find at least four more examples of alliteration in the passage. Write the words or phrases in which alliteration is used; then write a sentence or two that explains the emotional effect of the alliteration.

a. Alliteration ______

Effect ______

b. Alliteration ______

Effect ______

c. Alliteration ______

Effect ______

d. Alliteration ______

Effect ______

Imagery

This passage floods readers with imagery designed to evoke the pity, compassion, and empathy of King’s critics.

8. Identify the types of imagery listed below and write a sentence that explains the emotional effect of each one.

Imagery Quote: / Emotion Effect:
a. Sight
b. Sound
c. Touch
d. Hearing

Definition of Antithesis

Antithesis, literal meaning opposite, is a rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect.

Antithesis emphasizes the idea of contrast by parallel structures of the contrasted phrases or clauses, i.e. the structures of phrases and clauses are similar in order to draw the attention of the listeners or readers. For example:“Setting foot on the moon may be a small step for a man but a giant step for mankind.”

The use of contrasting ideas, “a small step” and “a giant step”, in the sentence above emphasizes the significance of one of the biggest landmarks of human history.

Common Examples of Antithesis

Some famous antithetical statements have become part of our everyday speech and are frequently used in arguments and discussions. Below is the list of some antithetical statements:

  • Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.
  • Man proposes, God disposes.
  • Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing.
  • Speech is silver, but silence is gold.
  • Patience is bitter, but it has a sweet fruit.
  • Money is the root of all evils: poverty is the fruit of all goodness.
  • You are easy on the eyes, but hard on the heart.