Martin Luther King and Thoreau
...jail and getting the reader to sympathize with him. Most of King’s use of emotional appeal is centered on biblical allusions. This is shown in the third paragraph were King effectively equates his struggle to that of the Apostle Paul. He feels “compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond [his] particular home town”, just as Paul “carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to practically every hamlet and city of the Greco-Roman world.” This glorifies King’s struggle and helps the reader to better understand his reasoning. King’s allusions and emotional appeal instill a feeling of purpose in the reader and create strong feelings against the injustice. Thoreau’s emotional appeals are not nearly as effective as King’s. One interesting application of emotional appeal is Thoreau’s description of a marine, or a man made by the “black arts” of the government, “moveable forts.” The soldiers march “in admirable order over hill and dale to wars, against their wills.” Although this is a fine comparison of a soldier and his feelings towards battle, it is not effective to his argument. The allusion to the Apostle Paul in King’s essay is positive and constructive while the implication of death in Thoreau’s comparison is depressing. King’s writing is more emotionally persuasive than Thoreau’s. Both writers attempt to reach out to their readers with the use of logical appeal. Once again, King’s writing appeals more to the reader. He uses many comparisons to reinforce his actions. Thoreau uses many comparisons, but they are vague in relation to his argument. Perhaps the most provoking comparison that King uses is the one in which he argues the true meaning of legal and illegal activities. He does this by alluding to Hitler’s legal activities in Germany and the illegal struggle of the Hungarian freedom fighters. With that statement, King causes the reader to question the supposed legality of the law...