Persuasion

After reading MLK's Letter from a Birmingham jail, it is easy to understand how this leader grabbed the attention, respect, and unfortunately disdain of so many across our nation. His letter appeals to one's ethos by way of powerful and emotional words and depictions. Through his use of logos, or logical reasoning through the plight of blacks in America, King garners credibility, building his pathos or credibility. This sample of his writing well illustrates the power of words in persuasive speaking and how proponents of King's cause could confidently get behind him or how opponents might grow even more defensive at the threat of his well defended and legitimate accusations. Unfortunately, our Army recruiters did not bring quite the tenacity or energy as that of MLK. Their speech was not heartfelt and seemed robotic or straight from a textbook. The State Historical Society of North Dakota attains a happy medium in the article "Why Preserve Historic Properties At All?" Simply by being the State's go-to organization for preservation, they come to the table with credibility. By way of mentioning tax deductions, incentives, and grants, the society builds a logical case for preservation. Finally, they appeal to ethos by speaking of bucolic images of old structures and North Dakota roots. The article can be found here: http://www.nd.gov/hist/hp/planWhyPreserve.htm