Through pain in our hearts, comes wisdom through our minds.In Martin Luther King Jr.’s (MLK Jr.) eulogy by Robert F. Kennedy. The eulogy expresses MLK Jr.’s life and love to justice for his fellow human beings. Robert F. Kennedy was able to overcome injustice through non-violent means by using repetition and allusion in his speech. First of all, Robert F. Kennedy was able to use repetition in his speech. The U.S. at the time was in a contradicting state to the degree that racism and prejudism was normal. In stanza 3, line 1 it states,”In this difficult day, in these difficult times for the United States, it is perhaps well to ask what kind of nation we are and what direction we want to move in.” This means that after MLK Jr. got assasinated, many people feared what sort of society we live on. Robert F. Kennedy makes this an important topic by using repetition because he goes straight to the point. Robert F. Kennedy was able to inspire people in Indianapolis to prolong peace and to be open minded on times of grief. …show more content…
Kennedy used allusion in his speech as a way to convey historical liteature into their hearts. For example, Robert F. Kennedy was able to pursuade the citizens to keep the peace once more. In stanza 13 and 14, lines 1 and 2 it states,” Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world/ Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people.” This means that the citizens throughout America should stay at peace for hard times are to arise. This is important because all of the United States went on a riot except Indianapolis because of Robert F. Kennedy’s
He used a very selective vocabulary, purposely using emotionally charged words such as: “wholly unjustifiable and irresponsible defiance” (lines 4-5), “ruthless disregard” (line 82), and “restraint and sacrifice” (lines 14-15). By using words with strong connotation, he powers the emotions of his audience once again directing support for himself and appearing as the calm figurehead amongst the emotional chaos. He also makes his speech very personal by mentioning individual American families, literally using the phrase “every American family” (line 25). He appeals to the strong sense of patriotism in the American public by mentioning the four servicemen who died in Vietnam. Despite the fact that they are almost completely unrelated to the rise in steel prices and, if they were alive, would be unaffected by the rise in price, either. And yet, Kennedy mentions the servicemen to make the situation appear that much more dire. By mentioning the tragic deaths of these men, Kennedy aims to trigger a strong emotional response in his audience that would turn into support for
Martin Luther King, Jr., born on January 15, 1929, was well known for his nonviolent movement to bring justice and to an end to the segregation of the people in the United States back in the 1950s. With King being the leader of a peaceful protest, it failed to bring equally to the colored people. Martin Luther King, Jr. was labeled as an “outsider” who was “hatred and violence” and that his actions were “unwise and untimely” from the Public Statement by Eight Alabama Clergymen (clergymen). In response, on the day of April 16, 1963, he wrote the Letter from Birmingham Jail to declare and defense his movement was not “unwise and untimely” at all. To analyze his points, King used the powerful literary devices of pathos- use of an emotional appeal.ethos-
In conclusion, this speech was structured beautifully. Its use of figurative and expressive language makes it an unforgettable speech. Kennedy does a great job of using pathos, ethos, and logos to reiterate his commitment to the American public as well as discuss expected changes. Given the state of the world at the time of his inauguration, the decision to rely so heavily on pathos and ethos was a wise one which got the job done. His use of the rhetoric triangle effectively conveys Kennedy’s plan for America to not only her citizens, but to the world.
One device used throughout Dr. King’s speech is epistrophe. Epistrophe is the repetition of a word or words at the end of successive clauses or sentences. King applied this term when he stated, “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” (King 3). Epistrophe is effective in this case because it puts emphasis on the fact that the Civil Rights Movement will always work together and will never forget or leave anybody behind to struggle alone. Without this term Dr. King loses a moment to unify the people and emphasis the importance that uniting together may one day bring freedom.
Martin Luther King Jr’s most compelling point was that every person has the same rights
The best way to win the presidential seat is to leave the public with words they will always remember. Kennedy generously uses parallel structure to make his point across; his statements give a call to action while also giving advice on what path not to take. For example, his most famous use of parallel structure, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country,” (26) lights an American pride to fight for those you identify with. The structure is simple, but firm enough to be boldly stated for emphasis that, together, the community is called “not to bear arms, though arms we need – not as a call to battle, though embattled we are” (23) go against “tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself” (23). Furthermore, Kennedy’s speech becomes more agreeable and understanding to the public as double negatives contradict each other; for instance, “if a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich” (9). As the nation listened to his speech, they felt empowered to embody America’s freedom and spread it to the world. Thus, Kennedy left a powerful impression on the American people by leaving the audience with thought provoking messages that the whole nation still looks back on
In the speech, “There Comes a Time When the People Get Tired,” by Martin Luther King Jr., King’s goal is to persuade. King wants to persuade that African American’s want and deserve their rights, but if they have to protest to receive them. He believes that the protest have to be peaceful and prove a point. King is effective in his persuasion because he uses pathos, figurative language, loaded language and more.
Since the main reason of his sermon is to inspire rather than educate, Kennedy rarely uses any logical pleads. Yet, Kennedy adequately uses passionate dialect to make the people sense their involvement in what all the President says. Kennedy composes the assignment to bring back tranquility and good-wealth as not only his aim, but of the public as well. With famed verses like, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country,” Kennedy makes the spectators feel inclined to make an impact in the world they live. Apart from infusing a sense of obligation in the crowd, Kennedy’s greatest element in his speech was the aptitude to arouse a feeling of esteem in the audience. Kennedy constantly uses phrases about freedom and sovereignty to remind the people they still are. “The heirs of that first revolution.” This dialect portrays America as a powerful and patriarch republic that possesses greater philanthropy of all the other nations around the world. Even though much of the address is fervent in tone, Kennedy devotes a large section of his topic to outline his ethos to all inhabitants of the world. JFK introduced the use of ethos at the inception of his address. Kennedy was very young when he came into office, but he was still obliged to act at the same status as former presidents. Attentive to this condition, Kennedy
John F. Kennedy announced one of the most reiterated speeches in history, the “Inaugural Address” during the midst of a war torn time period. His words promised optimism and hope to an audience who was at the brink of collapsing as a whole. By exclusively using his words and emotion, he was able provide security and comfort to the whole nation. Kennedy 's choice of words and strategies encouraged many people to obstruct selfish behavior and contribute participation in methods to improve the United States. Kennedy was able to accomplish this with the help of literary devices such as tone, repetition, metaphors, imagery and diction to motivate many Americans doubting the stability of their own country.
Martin Luther King Jr. is still remembered as one of the most prominent and important leaders and activist in the history of the United States. The letter in the text was written by Luther during his time in jail as he suffered and was punished like all great leaders who fight and stand up for themselves. The context of the fight and thought was long engrossed in his thinking because of the racial criticism he faced all his life because of his color. The black Americans and natives had long been living side by side with the Americans and for decades they had been subject to oppressions and cruelty along with hatred by the whites in America.
On August 28, 1963, the legendary Martin Luther King Jr. gave his empowering speech, demanding equality among the African American and white race, and the injustices that have proved the conditions unequal between the two races. In his speech, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. uses many rhetorical devices to convey the idea that whites have brutally mistreated blacks for hundreds of years, even though, as a group, they have paved the nation, laying the foreground of the United States.
John F. Kennedy is routinely characterized as one of America's greatest orators. His Inaugural Address is considered one of the greatest speeches in the twentieth- century American Public Address, and is generally counted among the great speeches in U.S. history. Virtually all who have commented on the speech consider it a success; JFK was known as a people’s person, which highly affected his speech. His speech was famous for its eloquence and for its call of duty: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” (JFK). In the speech, JFK used several literary terms throughout the speech to identify important parts of the speech.
Martin Luther King was assassinated the night this speech was spoken. Robert F. Kennedy was on his way to a campaign speech and he felt that he needed to address King’s assassination because of his extensive influence in the society. When he spoke “On the Death of Martin Luther King Jr.,” he informs us of Martin Luther King’s assassination and persuades us to remain a country without violence and an ability to understand in tough times; then, through our pain, we will gain wisdom and move past the hard times. This speech is rhetorically powerful through his use of ethos and pathos, connecting to the audience through personal experience, using figurative language and rhetorical devices in the process.
A large portion of this speech is the anaphora "To." At first he says "To those" multiple times and then there is a change to "To our" and "To that." The phrase "To those" was used to address people who the US was giving something to, either that something be loyalty or aid. Then Kennedy uses "To our" and "To that" to address the people we wanted something from or specifically to offer a "special pledge". Usually the repetition of a word or phrase is used to emphasize the word itself, but this repetition was used to emphasize the change from "those" to "our." This change allowed a comparison of two extremes and created a better connotation on "our" which accentuated a sense of togetherness in the people. This repeti...
...very once in a while to maintain the formality of the speech and to convey imperative messages to his audience. Interchanging between the short sentences and the lengthy sentences grabs the audience’s full attention, permitting Kennedy to most persuade them that he qualifies for his position as U.S. President.