MLK

After reading the Dr. King piece, I was amazed at how rhetoric is present in daily forms of communication. I read "Letter" when I was in high school, but I don't think I took the reading seriously. As we talked in our class in high school, the power and conviction that Dr. King uses to get his point across is estounding. However, since college is more advanced and more in depth than high school, "Letter" was a great way for me to see examples of logos, ethos, and pathos. I had heard these terms before in previous classes, but I had no idea what they meant. I'm sure it is public knowledge that I, Connelly-Anne Bartle, have little background in the field of study for this course. While I was once overwhelmed, I think I have some hope for the course and hope to learn about the current uses of rhetoric.
The part of "Letter" that got me the most was the paragraph about the fair and the injustices that existed during segregation. I am from Rock Hill, SC... my hometown was a civil rights battleground with many sit-in and marches. Dr. King also spoke in Rock Hill and tried to encourage African-American members of the community that a change would soon come to America. The thought of telling a child that they were not allowed to participate in something because of their skin color jerks at my heart strings. Dr. King uses images like these to appeal to our emotions, as we talked about on Tuesday in class.
My mother's senior class of high school was the first to be intergrated... the girl was not an average person, her father was president of the NAACP in Rock Hill. She was smart and bright, and now is an investment banker and lawyer in New York. Although I can not recall her name (my mom would know it) she did not want to be known as the first African-American and Rock Hill High School in 1965, but rather by the accomplishments she made during her life. Such a powerful statement and way to live your life...
This weekend, especially with the MLK holiday, gave me some time to reflect on how far our conutry has come and just how much more that needs to be done here in America.