Critical Thinking E block

Audience
Religious leaders
Male
Educated
Powerful & influential, well respected
Actively involved in events, sharp
Socioeconomically comfortable
Privileged, removed from situation
White (?)
Accused him of “unwise & untimely” activities
Operating from ignorance – as whites, they have no real understanding of being oppressed

Purpose
justify, explain,-→ change men’s minds about his actions; to educate.
-explaining ideology: mission statement of King & non-violent direct action
locating his group’s actions in the flow of US history, framing civil disobedience as an important American activity, with deep roots; elevating his action to a “higher level”
Claims & asserts equal status; introduces himself, shows respectability of his actions
Not to “turn off” his audience

Strategy
Use of language: tone is respectful, non-condescending, educated, eloquent
-evocative metaphors
-presents information, respects audience to draw conclusions
Emotional appeals
Biblical analogies
Historical analogies
Logos, ethos, pathos: http://www.millikin.edu/wcenter/king1a.html