Rhetorical Analysis Essay Imagine a you are writing a speech that could very well change the way life is. If you knew that you would be speaking to hundreds and thousands of people on racial equality, what would you say? How would you start that speech? How would you write that speech so that everyone can understand it and learn from it and get inspired from it? How would you know what to say and how to say it? Martin Luther King did not know that his “I Have a Dream” speech would still be iconic 50 years later. In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington. He was facing the problem of racial injustice for himself and everyone like him. He needed to create a speech that everyone could and would understand, could learn from, and could draw inspiration from. He had to address blacks and whites, he had to say things that everyone could relate to and he had speak in a way that he get the …show more content…
attention and emotion from his audience. Martin Luther King Jr. showed a variety of rhetorical strategies to argue that black lives are just as important and deserve equal rights and liberties. Martin Luther King Jr. wants his audience to really think about how to change how America was during his time period, how racial equality is essential for harmonious life in America. As the spokesmen for the civil rights movement he had a lot to say and as a black man he has a lot to be angry about using his knowledge he gave the “I Have a Dream” speech that we all know so famously for being a revolution in the civil rights movement. King says “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand, signed the Emancipation Proclamation” (King 500). He brings up the Emancipation Proclamation because that moment brought such satisfaction to millions of black slaves who were living in injustice for so long. King says that “But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fract that the Negro is still not free” (King 501). He means that even though blacks might not be legal slaves but they are still suffering and living a slave life because they are not able to own businesses and the cannot get the same education and they still do not have the same privileges as whites. One rhetorical strategy utilized in King’s “I Have a Dream” speech is allusions to recall another event from a different time to make the audience think about the past and how it related to the present.
Allusions are an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference. When King mentions the “architects of our republic” he is referring to our founding fathers. He is telling us how the founding fathers built America by creating the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. King mentions this because he wants his audience to realize that the founding fathers had freedom in mind when they wrote those documents. It was more than just papers that set the rules for America it was supposed to ensure the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. When King said “architects of our republic” he tells his audience that America was not meant to be built like this, that what the founding fathers wanted was an equal place for everyone to live (King
501). Another allusion that MLK employs is the “American dream” to remind his audience that America is the great country that has the dream to be free and equal (King 502). Since the beginning of time people wanted to come to America to experience the “American Dream” that so many people talk about, but MLK reminds his audience that even though blacks have not been able to experience the American Dream, he still believes that in spite of everything that dream is possible. “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal.”(King 503) this alludes to the Declaration of Independence to remind his audience what America was build on the founding works that gave America the title of the greatest nation. King used these allusions to make his audience recall America’s history to make the same change that so many people made back then. One rhetorical strategy that Martin Luther King Jr. uses to defend his case of civil rights is analogy. An analogy is comparing a concept to another object, event or situation to provide a clearer understanding to the specific audience that author is trying to reach. King tells of how the nation is similar to a bank; He tells us how a “signing a promissory note” is the same as signing the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. He uses promissory note to compare the two because it is a written promise to ensure a person gets what they are being told they are getting; just like when the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, they “promise[d] that all men would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The reality is that America gave black people a “bad check” and when they would go to check it, it would come back saying “insufficient funds,” but the blacks refused to believe that the “bank of justice is bankrupt” (King 501). They will fight until they get the amount of money (equal rights) that America owes them. By comparing the use of a bank to America, King shows what America said they should do and how what is written is not carried out. This analogy is the right rhetorical strategy to use for the topic he is using because everyone know what a bank is and how it works and he can relate it to the way the government works. One of the most common rhetorical strategy that Martin Luther King Jr. uses is anaphora to really draw attention to the point he is trying to make. An anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases. One of the most famous uses of anaphora is when King tell his audience his dream for America; “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and like out the true meaning of its creed…. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation that they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content if their character. I have a dream today.” King repeated this a total of 8 times and it was all to emphasize the point of what he envisioned America to be like. King wanted a country that kept true to their word and that made everyone feel equal to one another no matter the color of their skin but only what their character showed. King wants this nation to be equal for his children so they do not have to suffer the same way he has and the many black souls before him. By stating “I have a dream…” before he is drawing the attention of the audience and reminding them the point of this part in the speech; without the anaphora the audience would get lost in the words and would not understand why King is saying the things he is saying. Martin Luther King Jr's “I Have Dream” speech greatly helped the civil rights movement in inspiring people to make a change; any time someone spoke about the civil rights movement they almost always referred back to this speech. King used this speech to really reach out to his audience to get them to get up and make a change. King used many different rhetorical strategies to get his point across America. Remarkably, Martin Luther King Jr’s speech was not only used for the civil rights movement in helping blacks, but it is used continuously in any civil right movements that has come up among history.
During the 1960s inequality was a major problem in the United States. One advocate for making things right was Dr. Martin Luther King. Dr. King organized many marches, sit-ins, and boycotting events. But one of Dr. King’s greatest and memorable works has to be the “I Have a Dream” speech. During this speech Dr. King was conveying a message of freedom for all, to 250,000 civil right followers and many more people listening to the radio broadcast. To spread his message Dr. King uses rhetorical appeals like logos to appeal to the reason of his audience, ethos by his examples of practicing what he preached, and his metaphorical language and repetition.
On August 28, 1963 more than 250,000 civil-rights supporters attended the March on Washington. Addressing the protesters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Profoundly, he proclaimed for a free nation of equality where all race would join together in the effort to achieve common ground. King stated his yearning for all colors to unite and be judged by character, not by race. African Americans would not be satisfied until their desire for freedom from persecution, bitterness, and hatred prevailed. Not only were the points in his speech powerful, but also the delivery he gave was so persuading and real that it changed the hearts of many people across America. By using four artificial proofs, mythos, logos, ethos, and pathos, Martin Luther King was able to open the eyes of people who were blinded by the color of skin.
On August 28, 1963 Martin Luther King made his famous “I Have a dream” speech on the Lincoln Memorial after the March on Washington. He delivered this speech to millions of people blacks and whites. This is one of the greatest speeches because it has many elements like pathos, logos, ethos, repetition, assonance, and consonance.
Dr. King is an emotional, inspiring and strong speaker. His " I Have A Dream" speech tugs a deep root war of emotions in every American’s heart; therefore, this speech is the perfect display of pathos. Even though pathos overwhelm logo and ethos, they also very much present in his speech.
The “I Have a Dream” speech given and written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was and still is one of the most powerful speeches given. Because of the literary elements used in the speech is gives the audience something to think about and relate to and mixes with their feelings to possibly change their stance on the subject. Because of the serious issues that went on during the civil rights movement, such as separation of public services and unfair treatment to African Americans, something had to be done to end the racial injustice. People did try to prevent the discrimination by gathering marches and leading protests. But one of the largest impacts on this time period was the “I Have a Dream” speech and Dr. King’s use of literary
On August 28th, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous and powerful speech I Have a Dream, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. The purpose of his speech was to fight for the civil rights, equality, and to stop the discrimination against African-American people. His use of imagery, repetition, and metaphor in his speech had created an impact with his audience. King used the three rhetorical devices, ethos, pathos and logos to help the audience understand the message of his speech.
One of the most influential speeches ever given on the earth was given on a podium at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28th 1963. The great speech was given by Martin Luther King Jr. who dedicated his time on earth to prove that all people are equal. Martin Luther used different parts of the English language to enhance the meaning of his speech and bring out the details. The different rhetorical devices, allusions to historic documents, and metaphors seemed to have brought about the emotions that King was trying to arouse in his listeners. This helped him influence his listeners towards wanting equality for all and changing what was happening in the present so they didn't repeat things in the past.
In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the speech “I have a Dream,” in attempt to end all racism throughout the United States. Baptist minister and Civil Rights Activist, Martin played a pivotal role in ending the legal segregation of African American Citizens throughout the south and other areas of the nation. Not only was he a part of that, but he also was a part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and he fought for African Americans voting rights in 1965. King craved for a nation that accepted each other for their personality, rather than their skin color. He wanted all men to be equal, as the Bible says to do. He took the first step in achieving his goals and voiced his opinion to everyone who had the ears to listen.
The speech given by Martin Luther King, Jr. to the African Americans and to the white Americans in the August of 1963 was undoubtedly a motivator for many. It is no wonder why a vast majority of people living in the United States can recite words from the speech of a now deceased man. Because his language and diction spoke to all believers in freedom as well as to freedom's adversaries, his message was universal and had a meaning to all who heard it. This continues today. Freedom and equality are something to be attained, for all of us.
I choose to make an analyze of Martin Luther King’s speech “I have a dream”, which also is one of the most famous speeches of all time. I watched a YouTube clip of Martin Luther King’s Speech over and over again before I decided to make the analyze of the speech.
The famous speech, “ I Have a Dream”, was held in 1963 by a powerful leader of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s. He was born January 15,1929 the son of an Atlanta Pastor. Martin Luther King Jr. always insisted on nonviolent resistance and always tried to persuade others with his nonviolent beliefs. In 1963, King spoke from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and almost 200,000 people attended his speech. All his listeners were Civil Rights supporters who rallied behind him and the people who watched his appearance on television. King traveled the country making speeches and inspiring people to become involved in the Civil Rights Movement. He organized non violent student sit-ins and fought for the rights of the black population.
Have you ever believed in something that you’ve wanted for so long that was worth everything to you? Martin Luther King, Jr. was a great asset during the civil rights movement in America. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted equality, justice, and freedom for African Americans. Not only did he want fair rights for African Americans, but he wanted peace and equality for all races so as a country we could all come together as one. Surely being an African American back during that time period, it must’ve been a very courageous act to want all races to come together. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an activist, minister, and leader of some peaceful protests. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote a speech commonly known as “ I Have a Dream.” Out of all of America’s greatest speeches, “I Have a Dream” has to be one of the most well known speeches in history today.
Martin Luther King J.r was the famous man that gave the famous speech “I have a dream” on August 28, 1963. The reason that he gave this speech was because he wanted the whites and the blacks to have the same rights as the other race and also he wanted to end segregation. Mr. King wanted to end segregation because he thought that it was unfair that the whites had quit a bit more rights than the blacks and none of the blacks liked that and they wanted their children to go to the
On August 28, 1963, the incredible Martin Luther King Jr. gave his influential speech titled “I have a Dream.” This speech was one of the biggest pivot points of the Civil Rights movement, and solved one of the biggest problems for Negro people at that period in time; racism. One of the strongest techniques used in this speech is metaphors with imagery, such as when he stated “flames of withering injustice” and “beacon light of hope,”which evokes an emotional response because of intense imagery used in the quotes, allowing King to influence his listeners to a greater extent.
During the mid-20th century racial inequality was a major issue in the United States that needed to be addressed. On August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial thousands of people gathered to listen to Martin Luther King’s speech on segregation and freedom. He spoke to the Negros who were demanding freedom, and the white people that had been rude and unkind. This was an extremely serious and determined speech that showed lots of emotion by King, who was also a preacher. He created a tone that was emotional and eager to create a new beginning. King’s speech ended up being heard across the nation and is commonly known by millions. Throughout his speech he uses repetition, logos and pathos to get the nation to stand up for equality.