Letter from Birmingham Jail

What does the speaker do to use Pathos?

What does the speaker do to use Pathos?

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King makes an emotional appeal when he states, "..our hopes had been blasted, and the shadow of deep disappointment settled upon us" In doing this, creates a despairing tone that garners sympathy.

He also uses pathos when he provides specific examples of injustices done to the black community. Examples include the "unsolved bombings of negro homes and churches","..long years of oppression... drained of self-respect and a sense of "sombodiness"', "blemished and scarred [the body of Christ] through social neglect and through fear" as well as the "ugly and inhuman treatment of negroes in the city jail" and the brutal acts of violence by the police towards defenseless, incapable African Americans. These examples create sym[athy for himself and his followers.

Source(s)

Letter from Birmingham Jail