Rhetorical Analysis Of George Thoreau s Letter From...

Thoreau and King use many similar strategies in their writings. One uses these strategies to make their piece more effective. King s persuasive letter to the clergyman, Letter from Birmingham Jail was far more effective than Thoreau’s Lecture On the Duty of Civil Disobedience directed towards americans ready to change things, and here is why. King’s article was more effective because he strives towards tugging on the audience s heartstrings rather than the logical side, his repetition proved to be more effective, he has a unique organizational structure, King stays more on topic, and was more passionate about his disquisition. King uses pathos in his piece, for starters, while Thoreau uses more of a logical approach. Right off the bat, in Letter from Birmingham Jail, King writes a lengthy sentence describing the unfortunate events him and his colored peers go through on a daily basis. King uses pathos in this sentence gaining more emphasis as the sentence goes on making the audience (who, keep in mind, are clergyman) feel sympathy towards King and the black community. King uses examples of how the colored are treated stating, for example, â€Å"But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim;[...]† (264;Par.14) progressing slowly showing more and more emphasis on his emotional side of things until he finally says â€Å"[W]hen you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of â€Å"nobodiness† -- then you will