An Analysis of Effectiveness Essay -- Martin Luther King Toni Morrison

An Analysis of EffectivenessMartin Luther index Jr. and Toni Morrison are two of the more great writers of the late twentieth century. Their styles follow rhetorical guidelines to create persuasive arguments and bear writing. To show how they accomplish this I will be comparison the rhetorical style use of goods and servicesd by King in Letter from a Birmingham Jail, with that of Morrison in Friday on the Potomac. Each of these works result from strong opinions adjoin the issue of racial equality in the United States, and all(prenominal) appeals to the intrust of achieving that equality. In order to address a sensitive topic much(prenominal) as racism and achieve the desired results, the authors had to implement various methods of persuasion. darn each author chooses different manners with which to accomplish this, each forms clear writing with convincing arguments. They achieve this clarity due to their understanding and use of ethos, pathos, and logos as the foundations f or creating these arguments.Before we can examine the writing on the basis of these three particles, we must first understand the meanings of each. They were conceptualized by Aristotle as the keys to persuading an auditory modality. Ethos, directly translated, means worthy of belief, and deals with establishing credibility. Pathos involves putting hearersinto the right frame of mind with devotion to certain issues and the speakers persuasive intent (Smith 83). Logos includes the arguments that are used to make a point, and involves the basis upon which the arguments were made. The use of these three elements in harmony with each different will produce a persuasive argument according to Aristotle. macrocosm that he did write the book on rhetoric, I will be utilise the ideas of Aristotle as the blueprint for effective writing to which I will canvass the works of King and Morrison.First I will examine Martin Luther King Jr.s letter which embodies all of the characteristics outl ined by Aristotle. The most clearly presented element in Kings article is the use of ethos. King establishes himself as a presumptive and learned man early in the letter so that the contributor has an immediate connection with him, and then he carries the thought passim the letters entirety. at bottom the first paragraph he uses this tactic when he writes, If I fall uponk to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would h... ...How could the notion of union, nation, or state appear when race, gender, and classdominated every moment and word of the confirmation swear out? (Morrison xii). The answer to the question lies within itself and forms the basis of her argument to follow throughout the essay. She then begins to demonstrate how race, gender, and class played into the hearings, in order to keep up the argument. The reader then has no choice but to agree with her ideas.Thus, we see that both Morrison and King were both admirable in their abilities t o persuade their audiences, though each did so using different tactics. King focused principally on establishing his own credibility so that his statements would bear the appropriate cant necessary for effectiveness. Morrison, however focused her strategy on the manipulation of the audience by using their emotions and empowering them to confirm her arguments. Regardless of the individual focus of each authors style, they both contained the necessary elements of successful writing as defined by Aristotle ethos, pathos, and logos. These elements form the backbone upon which all good writing should form, and these two passages assert that.