Malcolm X once said, “You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.” (X, Prospects for Freedom in 1965, chapter 12) Various African American leaders have rallied up protesters and have recited speeches, like Malcolm X’s “Prospects for Freedom”; yet, none seem to compare to King’s “I Have a Dream.” The speech has been heard all around the world, and is by far one of the most well known. Accordingly, “I Have a Dream,” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is the most enthralling; moreover, he persuades America that inequality should have never existed, and everyone should have freedom adorning them, that was earned peacefully. This idea is exhibited by the speech’s distinguished evidences: the African …show more content…
King says, “But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds.” (King, page 2) The African American leader goes on to describe, “...conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline.” (King, page 2) His message from these quotes are amplified with imagery and metaphors, illustrating the African American’s position with deft strokes of the 5 senses, such as the phrases “warm threshold” and “high plane;” also, it compares justice to a palace. The imagery aids peace into looking like the much, much more better option because the diction and metaphors used to describe this situation makes equality seem like a fairy tale and “dignity and discipline” seem like kings and queen, miles above their royal subjects. It also helps the audience have a better understanding of the importance of using peace and why violence mustn't be an option. This is again illustrated with imagery and a metaphor, “...not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.” (King, page 2) In the speech, King wanted inequality evaporated, with no reminisce of it behind and without hate. When he he uses imagery and metaphors in this main idea, it assists his …show more content…
This proof can be witnessed in how the author acknowledges America’s shunning of African American rights, equality must be acquired without animosity, and they will not stop fighting for what they never had: freedom. The famous speech is the most stimulating because of its figurative language and it’s in depth description of discrimination. As was said by Rosa Parks “Stand for something or you will fall for anything. Today's mighty oak is yesterday's nut that held its
In reading the first few paragraphs in the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King Jr shows commitment to all African Americans. He says, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”. In the one sentence King declared that he would fight racial...
In Martin Luther King’s Jr essay “Letter from the Birmingham Jail” he uses ethos, pathos, and logos to establish his argument. First, let’s establish what all these means to the reader. Ethos gives the writer credibility, Logos is establish to the reader at what is logical, and Pathos is established with sympathy. When you think of Justice for all, we tend to think of your constitutional rights for all walks of life. But King is saying that this is not the case for the African American race back in early history. Some may think that King was only fighting the rights of the African American people, but the truth of the matter, he was fighting for all walks of life.
This is an imagery for the life of Negro people and that blacks were living a life no better than a jail because they were labeled as “colored”. He also stated, “It is unfortunate that demonstrations are taking place in Birmingham, but it is even more unfortunate that the city’s white power structure left the Negro community with no alternative” (King). The white had taken over the power of the country, left the blacks with no choice but to
talks about how African Americans in the South were being arrested and publicly chastened by the police force for their nonviolent protests. But, he extols these protests because of what they stand for. He says they “…preserve the evil system of segregation…I wish you had commended the Negro demonstrators of Birmingham for their sublime courage, their willingness to suffer, and their amazing discipline in the midst of the most inhuman provocation” (94). Because these people were aiming to end the discrimination they were facing, and did this in a peaceful manner that respected their Judeo-Christian values that all men are created equal, King saw it as exactly what this oppressed group needed. They needed a push of confidence to know that they were being treated unjustly, and that they did have the power to stand up to
King introduces two phases of the Negroes struggle: “the first began in the 1950’s when Negroes slammed the door shut on submission and subservice,” and “when Negroes assertively
One of the most poignant and powerful passages of Dr. King’s letter is located on the second page, paragraph four. In this particular passage, Dr. King attempts to explain why African Americans can no longer be satisfied with false promises or be expected to idly wait for progress to come and relieve them from the social injustices that continue to divide America. For instance, Dr. King asserts that history has show through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, therefore, it must always be demanded by the oppressed. Stated differently, Dr. King’s message alludes to the stark reality that “justice too long delayed is justice denied.”(Letter From Birmingham Jail, 1963) Additionally, I found Dr. King’s metaphoric description of the socioeconomic conditions that many African Americans have been forced to endure as an “airtight cage of poverty” (Letter From Birmingham Jail, 1963) to be extremely impactful and allowed me to better understand the prohibitive nature of racial formation theory as discussed by Omi and
The author of the “I Have A Dream” speech is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. King, known for his work in Civil Rights during the 1960s. In this informative speech, Dr. King inspires individuals to have a change in both white and black citizens during the Civil RIghts era in the United States. Moreover, the premise of the speech is that both sides of the discussion must accept change in a non-violent yet effective way. He spoke about the injustices of segregation and discrimination of black citizens that was occurring in our nation. As he opened, “I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation,” he explained what he was there to do for all citizens. He is
Throughout American history, Americans have had many issues, whether it had to do with gaining independence from Britain, or even claiming the rights for African Americans to have equality. With both of these issues came either a significant document by Thomas Jefferson, which is called the Declaration of Independence, or an effective speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, which is called I Have a Dream. Both of these event changers appealed to Americans in a way that had a huge impact on history. The Declaration of Independence gave Americans the freedom to do what they believe. The I Have a Dream speech envisions that later Africans Americans will have equal rights. Therefore, this important document and speech have many similarities and
In the light of Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, which happened on the same exact day as this speech that year, President Barrack Obama connected his speech closely to Martin’s, both in the importance of unification and very similar in language and structure. Our president takes us to the past, telling us that freedom was closer of being taken rather than given. He uses logos to re...
In addressing and confronting the problem of injustices among the black Americans in the American society, particularly the violence that had happened in Birmingham, and generally, the inequality and racial prejudice happening in his American society, King argues his position by using both moral, social, and political references and logic for his arguments to be considered valid and agreeable.
Through his vivid descriptions, passionate tone, and expressive examples, King’s arguments evoke an emotional response in his readers. King’s use of pathos gives him the ability to inspire fellow civil rights activists, evoke empathy in white conservatives, and create compassion in the minds of the eight clergymen and the rest of his national audience. King seeks to lessen the aggression of white citizens while revitalizing the passion for nonviolent protest in the minds of African Americans. King cautions, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (K...
Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written while he was “confined in the Birmingham city jail.” His letter was a direct response to the eight Alabama clergymen who insisted that King’s use of nonviolent direct action was unlawful. The clergymen questioned his method of protests even though they had similar goals as King. In his letter, King illustrates the hardships and injustices that African Americans in the United States were enduring during the mid-twentieth century; doing so allows King to justify the nonviolent actions of his fellow protestors. King uses the classical appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos, along with his rhetorical situation, to support his claims about the racial discrimination and segregation in the United States.
In the letter, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr, and the speech, “The Ballot or the Bullet” by Malcolm X, the authors discuss their very different viewpoints on what form of freedom would it take to accomplished their goal. While King believes that peaceful approaches would allow the black community to achieve equality with the white Americans, Malcolm X thinks achieving equality with white Americans is nearly impossible; therefore, he preaches a separatist doctrine. Although King and X are both fighting for the black community’s rights and their integration into the nation’s system, their approaches differ significantly. King and X differ in three main areas: their ultimate goals, the strategies to accomplish those goals, and their use of rhetoric.
In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King Jr, responds to various criticisms directed against him by the white Clergymen. King responds to the criticisms in a professional manner but with a twist. He uses a respectable tone since they are men of good will. The white Clergymen publish an open letter about the racial problems in Alabama. The letter was direct to the outsider of their community, which was King. King agrees with some of the main points that the Clergymen said, but he turns what they say around on them. He uses important people and symbols to make his point across. Two criticisms that King uses are “unwise and untimely” and “tension”. For example, the Clergymen show how the police are doing their job as good law enforcers.
In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Dr. Martin Luther King brings attention to the reality of racial inequality in the 1960s. King writes this letter in response to clergymen addressing their apprehensions regarding the timing of the nonviolence demonstrations. The letter addressees specific arguments presented in the clergymen’s letter and his direct response. King’s goal in writing this letter is to convince the clergymen that his strategies are right and just. In this section, King rebuts the allegation made by the clergymen that his actions were untimely. In his counter argument, King uses repetition, metaphors, emotional appeals in order to persuade the audience to support his cause.