Alexander Brooks

English 11000

Professor Ian Murphy

2/15/22

In this paper, I will be comparing and contrasting the styles of four authors. Each author discusses the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. but in different ways. A rhetorical analysis approach will be employed as a way of defining each author’s writing style. This will help establish a way of finding similarities and differences between the four authors.

In her article, “Until Kingdom Come: Teaching Martin Luther King’s Legacy in Argumentative Writing,” Jennifer L. Hayes, an Assistant Professor of English and Women’s Studies at Tennessee State University, is encouraging her students to fully grasp the impact of the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She believes that some individuals, including the CNN reporter , Wolf Blitzer, have incorrectly used Dr. King’s message of civil disobedience and nonviolent protest as a weapon for attacking the protests of the Black Lives Matters Movement (BLM). Ms.Hayes explains how critics of the BLM Movement try to negate the important message of the movement by stressing how when protests become violent or unruly, they go against the principles of Dr. King. Ms. Hayes believes that this type of argument is very wrong because it discredits both the message of BLM and trivializes the hard work, strong message and impact of Dr. King. She fully believes that the vast majority of individuals that are involved in BLM. have peaceful intentions. Only a small number of protesters are using violence and looting to promote personal needs.

Professor Hayes’s audience is the students that she works with. She has designed a syllabus and schedule to make sure that her students are not diverted from the work of Dr. King and its purpose. She encourages them to delve into primary sources published by King himself and the people who worked with him. In that way, they will not be swayed by those who are using his work to subvert the BLM Movement. Although Ms. Hayes’s primary objective is to educate her students to become self respecting citizens who can advocate their needs to others, she also wants to reach a broader audience. She has published her article with a reputable publisher, North Carolina University Publishing. She recognizes that being affiliated with such a prestigious institution will further the chance that her message will be more widely accepted.

As I mentioned earlier, Ms. Hayes is an assistant professor at Tennessee State University. For guy both undergraduate and graduate studies the ethnic makeup of the university is as follows: 72.1 percent Black or African American, 15.6 percent White, 2.14 percent two or more races, 1.7 percent Hispanic or Latino, 0.99 percent Asian, 0.161 percent American Indian or Alaska Native and the rest foreign students. From these numbers, it is clear that the vast majority of students in her classes will be young, Black students. She is well aware that they can empathize with the plight of Black people in America. Likely being victims of prejudice, thay are certainly more willing to hear and understand the aims of the BLM Movement.

Professor Hayes was a visionary when she published her article in Spring of 2018. She realized the urgency of embracing this movement in a timely fashion. Since the death of George Floyd in May of 2020, the country and its people have been far

more open to embracing a need for change because of the racism and inequality that exists in our nation. Even major corporations have made changes to reflect the possibility of a more level playing field for Black and Brown individuals. President Biden recently said that he was replacing retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer with a Black woman. In other times, he would not be making such assurances. Ms. Hayes employs kairos by recognizing that there is a small window of opportunity to sustain and advance BLM, As she stated in 2018, if people do not seize the moment, the BLM Movement will merely be a distant irrelevant memory in the rearview mirror. Her article provides us with a plan of action. Now is the time to enhance the cause by linking the current movement to the work of Dr. King. Instead of the trivial objections raised by critics of BLM, she believes that the movement can be seen as an extension of Dr. King’s work. (With a far more receptive audience).

Professor Hayes is a credible author to teach students to analyze using a rhetorical argument method to fully grasp the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She even attended a high school named after Dr. King in which students were expected to work to understand the man who their school was named after. In addition, as mentioned earlier, Ms. Hayes has chosen to work at a school with predominantly Black students because she wants to empower them to become future leaders.

Professor Haye’s tone is one of extreme passion and urgency. She recognizes the part that young Blacks must play in developing and continuing the BLM Movement. She wants students to be capable of understanding the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. so that they will be more able to fight for freedom, equality and representation. As mentioned earlier, the urgency of this movement is that immediate action is necessary

to sustain the movement’s momentum. The more capable young Black people are to sustain this momentum, the better chance that positive change will be accomplished. Professor Haye’s passion motivates her students to take action in an important cause.

The genre by which Professor Hayes communicates with her audience is an informative article along with a syllabus and a course for studying Dr King as both the man and the martyr. She wants her audience of students to recognize the qualities that make Dr. King a great leader. In this way, they too can develop such traits. She also wants them to see Dr. King as a martyr whose work must continue. She also believes that BLM provides the perfect opportunity to continue his work.

Professor Hayes has prudently chosen language that effectively conveys her message to her audience. When she published her article in Spring of 2018, her cause was relevant but not fully recognized. However, after the death of George Floyd, the relevancy of her article and cause greatly increased. Her objective of educating young Blacks with a strong understanding of Dr. King and his work, becomes even more relevant to finding leaders who can seize this important moment in the BLM Movement.

Professor Hayes employs logos in her article. Her rational plan is to educate young Black students in the qualities of great leadership. She does so by immersing them in the writings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the people who worked closely with him. This is all done in the hope that these students will be inspired to become strong leaders who will fight for Black equality and freedom. Much like Dr. King, she believes that such action will ultimately serve to unite everyone.

Professor Hayes also demonstrates ethos in her article. Her goals and appeal are credible and extremely relevant to improving our society. What makes her appeal

most credible is that the things that she fights for are not at all unreasonable. She wants Blacks not to be victimized by racism and lack of opportunity. She wants to develop a strong group of young leaders who can improve the quality of life for Blacks.

Professor Hayes strongly utilizes pathos in her article. As mentioned earlier, she is working predominantly with a group of young Black students who have been victimized by racism and lack of equal opportunity. It becomes easy for her to emotionally appeal to them to fight against such injustice. She provides them with an important tool to accomplish this – education.

In her article, “Speaker Addresses Justice, Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy SMC Celebrates Martin Luther King’s Legacy,” Martha Reilly, a writer for the Notre Dame University College paper “The Observer,” is covering a speech given by Christina Brooks, The Diversity and Inclusion Officer for South Bend, Indiana. Ms. Brooks was a guest speaker at a Church Mass Service at Le Mans Hall on The Notre Dame University campus. The service was attended by Notre Dame University students and staff..The speech was given to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Martin Luther King Day- Monday, January 16, 2017.

Much like Dr. Haye’s purpose in the previous article, Ms. Reilly’s purpose is to motivate students to fight for justice and fair opportunities in their lives. The author attempts to define the purpose by quoting crucial aspects of Christina Brooks’s speech. The speaker has a dual perspective of prejudice because she is a Black woman.

In 2017, the enrolled student population at University of Notre Dame, both undergraduate and graduate, was 63.4% White, 10.3% Hispanic or Latino, 4.71% Two or More Races, 4.52% Asian, 3.23% Black or African American, 0.166% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.0788% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders At graduation in 2017, .45.7% of the degrees were awarded to women, and 54.3% awarded men. The most common race/ethnicity group of degree recipients was white (2,796 degrees). In 2017, the average income of a student’s family from Notre Dame was $191,400, and 75% come from the top 20 percent. Less than 1% of students at Notre Dame came from a poor family but became a rich adult. From these statistics, it is evident that the majority of people attending were white and well off.

Now one might ask, given who Christina Brooks was addressing, why was she bothering to address this group of privileged students about injustice? And why was Ms. Reilly bothering to cover this event? The article makes it clear the audience that Ms. Brooks is targeting. She is reaching out to the young women in the audience and letting them know that they must fight hard to achieve success. They must fully honor the strong women who came before them. For if it wasn’t for them, they wouldn’t be attending a prestigious university and preparing to enter the work world..

Martha Reilly, the author of the article is credible. At the time the article was written in 2017, she was a student at St. Mary’s College which at the time was still part of Notre Dame University. Although Ms. Reilly was only a student writer, before writing this article, she had written several articles on helping women to find their identities and

reach their full potential. She served as a planner and coordinator of many women’s community events.She played a role in getting Ms. Brooks to be the guest speaker.

Ms. Reilly’s audience are the students and staff from Notre Dame University but mainly St Mary’s College which she attended. St.Mary’s College in 2017 was predominantly female. She also knows that because of her strong involvement in women’s rights, that the vast majority of people reading her article will be women. She was also qualified to write on this speaker because she had done extensive research on Christina Brooks. By being familiar with what Ms. Brooks would be emphasizing, she could more effectively choose quotes which would convey the speaker’s message.

Despite being extremely passionate about their cause, both Ms. Brooks and Ms. Reilly recognized that they were addressing students and staff at a Church Mass at a conservative Catholic Institution. They are doing so to honor the memory of the late Dr. King. Reilly believes that the best way to honor Doctor King’s Legacy is by making his message a universal one. Equality for people of all races, ethnicities and genders.Both women recognized that they must choose their language wisely and that they must advocate making changes within the existing system. Otherwise, Ms.Brooks won’t be asked to speak again and Ms. Reilly won’t be writing articles much longer. To exact change diplomatically is no easy task!

Ms. Reilly’s tone is very much dependent upon Ms. Brooks because she is quoting her extensively.As mentioned earlier, despite having an important message to

convey, both speaker and author must do so cautiously. Within a conservative, Catholic framework, they are pushing women to fight hard and become advocates for themselves to assure success. Ms. Reilly smartly uses phrases like “it is God’s intention for women not to be complacent.” She is actually presenting an argument that God is in favor of women reaching their full potential.”

The form in which Ms. Reilly conveys her message is through an informative article covering a speech by Christina Brooks. It is clear that Ms. Reilly is passionate about improving the lives of women and especially female students. In doing so, she is improving her own life.

Ms. Reilly employs logos in her article. In the backdrop of Dr. Martin Luther King Day she presents a dedicated and passionate speaker in Christina Brooks. She includes quotes of Ms. Brooks from her speech that clearly frames her point of view to motivate young women to fight for their rights. Ms. Brooks makes such an interesting point when she states that her grandfather gave her strong advice when he told her to never get “tired” fighting for your cause. The message is logical and clear. Stay fresh and strong and fight on fearlessly until you achieve your goals. There may be many obstacles but you should take on each challenge and never give up.

Martha Reilly also displays ethos in her writing. She is credible to her audience because she comes across as a woman of action. She was continuously planning community events to promote women’s rights and improvement. She serves as an

excellent role model for her fellow students. Ms. Reilly is always backing her words with strong action.

Ms.Reilly has a more difficult time presenting pathos to her audience. As mentioned earlier, the vast majority of students are of privilege. They come from families that go out of their way to protect them. However, as they attempt to make it in a world predominantly run by men, they will experience suffering and bumps along the way. This area is certainly one in which Ms. Reilly can connect and empathize with her audience.

Ms. Reilly is also employing kairos in her article. As mentioned earlier, she has helped arrange to have a guest speaker for Martin Luther King Day. The speaker Ms. Brooks does discuss a sense of urgency in women standing up for themselves and fighting for what they deserve. There is no better time to deliver this message than on this day which symbolizes equality for all races, ethnicities and genders.Since Ms. Reilly is in the same position as the vast majority of her audience, she is adept at choosing language that peers her age can relate to and follow.

The goal of the interview is to get Martin Luther King Jr’s opinion on the direction that the Civil Rights Movement is going and what they have accomplished and what they haven’t accomplished. What his next steps are in progressing the movement forward by taking on segregation up North, organizing and motivating the black northerners to stand up against the non-legalized segregation even though it was not always out in the open. Dr. King explains why he believes in non violent protests against segregation and the more militant factions in the Civil Rights Movement, and how their

voices are becoming louder and more popular within the movement.He talks about the effects of the Vietnam War on the country and his thoughts on how the war affected the Civil Rights Movement.
The audience Is the American people and the speaker is the famed civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King was a prominent leader and Pastor who early in his life devoted himself to advocating for equal rights for black people. He continued to organize and lead his people against the non violent fight of segregation.

Dr. King’s tone in the interview is in a serious and critical manner, in which he wants to convey the terrible atrocities the black race experienced in the United States for 244 years.
The Civil Rights Movement had made progress in the South and Dr. King felt that black people up North should ride on the momentum of the movement in the South, and fight against the underlying systemic issues they faced in their communities up North. These articles in speeches all have one thing in common they are all about Standing up and fighting for civil rights That is Martin Luther King’s Legacy

Sources

UNTIL KINGDOM COMES: Teaching Martin Luther King’s Legacy in Argumentative Writing.

DLA Energy celebrates African Americans past and present King’s Greatest Legacy: Seeing Polarization as Progress

Speaker addresses justice, Martin Luther King, Jr. legacy SMC celebrates Martin Luther King’s legacy