An Exigence Needs Its Kairos

Martin Luther King Jr. was a smart rhetor

Photo & History Reference: The King Center

We use rhetoric to deliver a message to a person or a group of people. When we deliver the message to people, we focus on a particular issue for a specific group of people; then, the chosen group sense an exigence in the provided rhetoric. In this process, appealing an exigence to the audience requires some efforts not only to clarify the audience but to find an appropriate timing which we call "Kairos." A rhetoric should deserve a fitting response for an exigence as long as it is delivered to the rhetoric audience at the right moment. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the good rhetors who took advantage of the power of kairos.

In the early-mid nineteenth century, there was a man who took a great advantage of the kairos for his issue. His name is Martin Luther King Jr. and he is known for his famous speeches, such as, I have a dream. How could he have done so many works and became a main figure of African American activist? His life routine explains how the things have worked out well.

Martin Luther King Jr. and His wife, Coretta Scott King

Being an exceptionally smart student, Martin Luther King Jr. went to a college when he was fifteen years old. Then, he was mentored by Howard Thurman who was a civil rights leader. Martin Luther King Jr. learned about the civil rights from Mr. Thurman and Gandhi's non-violent activism inspired MLK later when he went to India. In this process of recognizing the world, he recognized the exigence for him (active perceiver) and decided to call for the change (active rhetor). MLK believed the exigence could be fixed through discourse. By the time, when MLK was building up his social connections, the basic human right for the Blacks was raised but not fixed. Under Jim Crow Laws, which is known for its "separate but equal" policy, MLK created organizations, such as, SCLS (Southern Christian Leadership Conference), to raise the attention of people who are his rhetorical audiences. The size of a group of his rhetorical audiences was significantly large due to the work of other activists, such as Rosa Park, also raised the attentions; moreover, his exceptional writing skill was also a plus factor for his success.

Martin Luther King Jr. raised the attention for the exigence at the perfect time with his powerful voice. I dare to say MLK wouldn't have been as successful as he was if he was born little earlier or little later. This case teaches us the importance of kairos in a rhetoric situation.

Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968)