Two score and fourteen years ago, a great American stood beside the great Lincoln memorial, demanding justice and equality for all people, regardless of the color that divided them. This speech would come to be known as the “I Have A Dream” speech, and the man behind it was none other than Martin Luther King, Jr., a black minister from the state of Georgia. In his speech, King employs several rhetorical strategies like parallelism, ethos, and antithesis in an effort to inspire his audience in spite of injustices, to stay the course and know that success will come. One of the most notable strategies in King’s speech was his use of parallelism.This seen with the repetition of those famous words, “I have a dream…” (King, 4-5). In this example, King applies the structure of anaphora in hopes of inflicting an emotional impact on the audience and, more importantly emphasize his vision of equality in America and redefine it, starting at the very core principles of freedom, which is a privilege that should extend to all. Moreover, King utilizes the same strategy to create a similar effect when he preaches that “With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day,”(5).The repetition of the …show more content…
The most noteworthy and recognizable example of this would be when King says “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character,” (5). The words “color” and “content” as well as “skin” and “character” draws attention to what at the time seemed like radically different world view. This acceptance of new ideas allows King to further his overall purpose to inspire his audience that change is in sight and their youth won’t have to endure the same struggles they have faced thus
King met society with the civil rights movement and with his famous I have dream speech. King showed “the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation”. In the opening of King's speech he uses metaphors to compare the promises of freedom made in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the failure of these documents to procure the freedoms for all.
Taylor Swift is once again under fire over the allegedly racist theme of her new music video for “Wildest Dreams.”
The recurrence of the same word or phrase creates a powerful and distinct tone that King used in the delivery of his speech. Anaphora is used frequently throughout his speech to emphasize his points. Near the beginning of his speech, he said, “but one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later…” King continuously used the words “one hundred years later” to highlight the duration of their battle. Despite previous efforts in improving the nation, King stressed how little progress has been made in the past century. In addition, Epistrophe is present as well. “With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.” His consistent use of the word “together” accentuates the purpose of his dream, to break the walls of segregation and unite with all people of colour and
Dr. King’s speech starts off with a very strong and well calculated use of logos. He starts his speech with a historical background of African Americans situations in America. He enlightens the audience that 100 years earlier Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation which gave all the slaves their freedom. Then after that statement he says that 100 years later African Americans are still not free. Yes, they are no longer sl...
Whenever Martin Luther King Junior, began to speak, he held everybody’s attention. This was the case in 1963 during the pinnacle of the Civil Rights Movement when Martin gave his career defining speech “I Have a Dream”. Over a quarter million people attended the protest, and the crowd varied in color as well as cause. A crowd of this size would certainly frighten most people; but Martin was not the type of man to be phased easily. Martin grew up on the racist streets of Atlanta, Georgia and faced much adversity in his life. Not even thirty-five Martin would give a speech that would shake an embroiled nation to its core. Martin Luther King Junior gave a speech to beautifully wove together the three appeals of ethos, logos, and pathos into one
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the leader of the civil rights movement in the 1960’s. His speech, entitled “I Have a Dream” was given in front of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. Dr. King used his speech as a rally for people, blacks and whites alike, who desired equality and social justice, but there is so much more to it than what appears on the surface. Dr. King employs a number of stylistic techniques, all of which serving a purpose too subtle for the naked eye to pick up. Dr. King uses the stylistic techniques of word choice, metaphors, and repetition to fuel hope and bring about change.
King begins his speech by referencing a major event in American history, the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. This is immediately followed by a comment about society, one hundred years subsequently. “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation… But one hundred years later, the Negro is still not free… still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the claims of discrimination.” He openly discloses an entire decade has passed since the promise to abolish racism and mentions this injustice is still present. In addition to the powerful language King uses, this quote relates to his use of Logos, or persuasion via logic and reasoning.
By repeating some of his key points such as “I have a dream” and “freedom ring”, King tries to evoke an emotional response from his audience (King Par. 28 and 30). These words are meant to inspire hope and create a call to action. In the case of repeating “One hundred years later” (King Par. 3), King tries to elicit emotional response from a retrospective sense by highlighting the fact that decades later after the emancipation of the negro, his life is yet to improve. The use of aphorism is meant to appeal to the public from a logical perspective to show the truths about the argument being put forward, for instance, “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal” (King Par. 6).
King conveys his audience by the type of context he uses. He chooses the best time frame to speak, it wasn’t too early, and it wasn’t too late. People were ready to listen and see what the future had in store. King uses many methods to connect to his audience, but he uses over 60 metaphors that were easily related to so people could relate and understand. The “I Have a Dream” made the speech more welcoming because he wasn’t trying to demand something, he was just saying what the ideal situation would be and what he wishes it would be. Throughout the speech, King deftly repeats key phrases, including "Let freedom ring" and "I have a dream." Though in some situations using the same words and phrases would be considered “redundant”, in this speech, it is used to emphasize and get the point across to the listeners.
Dr.King uses the bible to receive an emotional reaction and connection from the audience such as “The glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.” This instills the belief that all people will stand together.Also, Dr.King uses a number of metaphors throughout his speech replacing the meaning with symbols to create an easier atmosphere for the audience what is the main point of this speech. For example, he refers a “check” in which the American people should cash which receives a great roaring reaction from the crowd. Dr.King is referring to the Emancipation Proclamation as a “Check” which was written to the American people that should be “cashed” or executed. Dr.King also makes the point that he is a father that wants a better future for his children. “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but the content of their character.” This appeals to all the parents listening to the
In his speech, King uses different types of rhetorical guidelines. He uses them to show his points in a better and easier way to understand .At the beginning he successfully uses a mythos. A mythos has a deep explanatory or symbolic resonance for the audience. In mentioning the Emancipation Proclamation he shows that our ancestors signed a contract, in which all human beings are created equal, and therefore should be treated in the same way as others. He also visualizes his ideas with visual examples, which everybody can understand. “America has given the black population a bad check, which has come back marked insufficient funds”( I Have a Dream)
In Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech, “I Have a Dream,” Dr. King addresses the nation in the March on Washington during one of America’s most fragile and dark times. King carries on his shoulders the responsibility of bringing a broken nation back together. He attempts to appeal to his audience of several thousand people through his use of logos, ethos, and pathos. King understands the importance of his opportunity; he needs to capture the attention and grab the heartstrings of his massive audience of people from all walks of life.
In Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech, King makes use of an innumerable amount of rhetorical devices that augment the overall understanding and flow of the speech. King makes the audience feel an immense amount of emotion due to the outstanding use of pathos in his speech. King also generates a vast use of rhetorical devices including allusion, anaphora, and antithesis. The way that King conducted his speech adds to the comprehension and gives the effect that he wants to rise above the injustices of racism and segregation that so many people are subjected to on a daily basis.
“We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.” On August 28, 1936, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., thousands of people gathered to hear the “I Have a Dream” speech, correlating to the Civil Rights Movement. In this speech, Martin Luther King Jr. discusses multiple reasons as to why African American rights need to be changed, and what everyone needs to take into consideration on how everyone should be treated equally. Martin Luther King Jr. is the speaker of the “I Have a Dream” speech and he is speaking on behalf of all of the African Americans who have been treated with disrespect because of their race. He was a born leader and had given speeches prior to this speech so it was known to everyone that he is powerful with his words and people would actually listen to what he is saying.
From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial more than two score years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King electrified America with his momentous "I Have a Dream" speech. Aimed at the entire nation, King’s main purpose in this speech was to convince his audience to demand racial justice towards the mistreated African Americans and to stand up together for the rights afforded to all under the Constitution. To further convey this purpose more effectively, King cleverly makes use of the rhetorical devices — ethos, pathos and logos — using figurative language such as metaphors and repetition as well as various other techniques e.g. organization, parallel construction and choice of title.