In both "A More Perfect Union" and "Letter From a
Birmingham Jail" the use of logos or logic is heavily used. Both Obama and
King establish themselves authoritatively in their pieces, which make them
effective since they are coming from a person who holds a position of power.
Obama refers back to many historical examples of oppression such as Jim Crow
laws and Brown vs. Board of Education saying how we have identified the issue
of slavery yet failed numerous times to change anything. By giving these concrete
examples it gave sufficient evidence to support his claims being made. King's
essay also uses strong logic, but lacks to provide any personal emotion or
connections. Barack Obama on the other hand uses personal tales from his life
to strengthen his message. Obama's argument is more compelling because of his
emotional connection that he establishes through his personal experiences.
Without these personal details his essay would lack the proper emotion needed
to be effective, which is exactly what happens in the King's essay. In
"Letter From a Birmingham Jail" the facts and authoritative language
are there, but the essay is lacking the heart that Obama's essay contained.
That is why I believe that Obama had a more compelling argument, since he established
a personal and emotional connection with his audience.
I agree that Obama's " A More Perfect Union" that he uses effective strategies as a president should, to draw emotion from the listeners. From the start he has you hooked as he goes in on his personal experiences and struggles throughout his life. His speech sort of made you uncomfortable as you read it and by the end it was like you were looking at a whole knew president. I also agree that King's essay was authoritative but think about where he was writing his letter from. An 8x8 dirty southern jail cell. I believe that influenced him to come off as hard and stern because he wanted to let other know what they are sacrificing for the civil rights movement.
ReplyDeleteChad, I think you start off with a great point, acknowledging that both “A More Perfect Union” and “Letter From Birmingham Jail” are written extraordinarily well in an authoritative tone that makes them valid and interesting. I also agree with your opinion that Obama’s use of concrete details gave great support to his argument but I have to disagree with your opinion that King’s essay is lacking the heart that Obama’s speech contained. In the beginning of King’s essay he uses more logic then pathos, he limits his use of emotion to keep his composure and authority. But, King bring in huge amount of emotion and pathos towards the middle when he starts to explain why it was difficult to wait to begin demonstrations in Birmingham. He writes, “But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policeman curse, kick, brutalize, and even kill your black brothers and sisters with impunity… “ King is straightforwardly explaining how painful his position was in waiting to take action on such a serious matter. It is important to keep in mine that his reasoning go on for a little over a paragraph longer, giving plenty of reasoning on why not to wait filled with emotion. This one passage in King’s letter was all it took for me to see that King had a stronger argument. On top of using pathos, his use of calm language, explanation, and mind blowing logic makes his argument almost impossible to disagree with.
ReplyDeleteI would like to praise your acknowledgement that both Barack Obama and Martin Luther King Jr. make their authoritative power felt as soon as you read the first paragraph. Both Obama and King use their authoritative tone to make their point clear and evident. However, both are attacking different problems that seem almost similar. Obama is trying to bring Americans in arms to create “a more perfect union.” I also would like to say that Obama does an excellent job at bringing historical events into his speech to make his point stronger. On the other hand, Martin Luther King Jr. uses facts about the horrible treatment of African Americans in Birmingham. He uses alarming statistics to make his point clear. They both use great logic but I feel that Martin Luther King’s letters have a bigger impact. Obama is trying to create a more equal society that has already gotten over the majority of racial segregation. King is trying to help America get to a nation that forgets about the color of someone’s skin as a difference, something Obama has already inherited. Although Obama had to overcome some kind of racial barriers, it were the words of MLK that helped bring America into a more equal nation in a time where African Americans were hated by whites. Both Obama and King have great pieces of writing but King manages to capture the horrible reality that America was in during the civil rights movement. Mr. King was able to change the horrible image of America into an image of equality for all.
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