In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail) written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. the three artistic references to Aristotle are clearly evident, especially the logos. Dr. King repeatedly appeals to logos (Ruszkiewicz) throughout the entire piece; particularly when he says he was initially disappointed at being classified as an extremist, and then gradually gained some satisfaction from this label. He is very passionate in the language and tone of this part of the letter, but still makes a strong logical argument. Despite the enormous emotional and personal investment involved, Dr. King still allows logic to prevail, thus giving him a tremendous amount of credibility. As a member of the persecuted community in this case, he may have had difficulty remaining objective, but he clearly doesn't let his pathos take center stage. Overall, the use of logic and concise reasoning make a strong argument for the effectiveness of the letter overall. The tone given by Dr. King in the part of the letter where he describes "repressed resentments and latent frustrations" and where he acknowledges that the "vital drive" is being repressed, is very passionate. His passion shines through loud and clear. The way Dr. King feels is, in fact, quite clear throughout the letter, yet the overriding sense of reason and logic that anyone can identify with is always evident. As he describes the turmoil he finds in his community, actually in the community as a whole; explains that he did not encourage them to "get rid of your [their] discontent", he instead encouraged them to "make prayer pilgrimages to the town hall;... go on free rides,... and try to understand why he [they] they have to do it"; these quotes from the letter highlight the ways in which Dr....... middle of paper ...... everyone can and does use common sense to solve the problem. Whether or not one agrees with the actual message or content of the “letter from Birmingham prison” it is clear that the use of logos is convincing. When it is necessary to make a strong argument, resorting to the rational use of thought will always bring integrity to the speaker. Even an extremely personal or sensitive topic can be maneuvered when logic is employed. To simply quote the late great Dr. King, “a lie cannot live.” (Jr.) Works Cited Jr., Martin Luther King. BrainyQuotes.com. and March 3, 2011.Jr., Martin Luther King. "Letter from Birmingham Prison." College, Pikes Peak Community. English 121 readings. Boston/New York: Bedford/St.Martin's, 2010. 112-126.Ruszkiewicz, Andrea A. Lunsford John J. Everything is an Argument. Boston/New York: Bedfors/St. Martin's, 2010.