In the “Letters from the Birmingham Jail,” King excellently convinces his audience and gains their trust. The author achieves this by using appropriate language and by calling on shared beliefs. Firstly, King clearly defines his target audience, who are thought leaders aiming to achieve the same goal as him: social justice. This helps the author choose a language that appeals to the audience and convinces them. Secondly, King uses shared beliefs with his audience, which is that African Americans should be treated equally as any other ethnicity. In the following quote, “freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed,” King points out that his audience and he have a shared value (King, 2018, para. 13). However, he also prompts them to action by showing that they need to claim their freedom instead of waiting for someone to give it to them.
King is successful in his efforts to convince the audience. The primary reason for this success is that he has a clearly defined portrait of the people he wants to reach. The clergy, who disapprove of King’s actions, are his target audience. King says in the text that his peaceful protests are legal. King claims his innocence by saying this. He is attempting to convince the people he is trying to convince that his desire for social justice is legitimate. Additionally, he informs his target audience that action on the part of the community is necessary to achieve social justice. Most of the time, King is attempting to persuade his target audience that what he is doing is morally correct. Thus, King was successful in his persuasion efforts since he wrote arguments that appealed to the audience that he aimed to reach.
Reference
King, M. L., Jr. (2018). Letter from Birmingham jail. Penguin Books.