Persuasive Communication

I decided to compare and contrast Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, Letter From a Birmingham Jail with President Bush's State of the Union Address, specifically where he speaks about education. President Bush first builds his ethos in his speech when he says, "I was proud to work with members of both parties: Chairman John Boehner and Congressman George Miller..." He then uses pathos when he makes comments that evoke laughter. President Bush uses logos in this speech when he talks about what needs to be done. He says that "We need to prepare our children to read and succeed..."
In Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, Letter From a Birmingham Jail, he builds his ethos when he writes about how he "has the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference..." He uses pathos when he tells "his fellow clergyman" that they are "men of genuine good will and that their criticism are sincerely set forth..." He uses logos in his letter when he talks about the four basic steps for any nonviolent campaign. Martin Luther King, Jr. intertwines the ethos, pathos, and logos really well in this letter, which is what makes it such a great piece.
I didn't think that the guest presentation was very persuasive at all, so I can't really compare it with President Bush's State of the Union Address or Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, Letter From a Birmingham Jail.


http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020129-11.html