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Biography martin luther king jr research
Biography martin luther king jr research
Biography martin luther king jr research
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Analysis of King’s “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his speech “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” on April 3, 1968, on the Mason Temple Church in Memphis, Tennessee, where the city’s sanitation workers were striking. King’s speech to 15,000 people, was written to try and motivate the African American community to keep fighting for the rights that they deserve. In King’s speech he talks about how everyone needs to “stand with a greater determination”. He also addresses the point that they need to be helping the sanitation workers who are on strike. King helps gives examples to motivate his audience with things such as when Bull Connor sent dogs and used hoses to try and stop the King and hundreds others from a …show more content…
nonviolent movement in disarming police forces. Even though this sounds like a terrible thing to happen to them, which it is, he says they just keep singing “Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around”. This shows how dedicated some of these people are for the fight for racial equality, which he hopes to impart onto his audience that day. King uses pathos, metaphors, and parallelism to strengthen his argument and to unite his audience to keep fighting against racial injustice. King gave his “I’ve been to the Mountaintop” speech to help motivate his audience to keep fighting against racial injustice and to get try and get the rights that they deserve.
He helps strengthen his message by using pathos to appeal emotion to his audience. He tells his audience about when Bull Connor would send dogs to attack the nonviolent protesters and spray them with high power which was “set at a level that would peel bark off a tree or separate bricks from mortar” (Gilmore). But because those people were so determined to fight for the rights that are endowed to them, that they “ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around.” King also uses pathos when he talks about he “had been stabbed by this demented woman.” Furthermore, that the doctor said if he “had merely sneezed” he would have died. This helps appeals to the audience’s emotion because Dr. King was stabbed for who he was, but he was still up there speaking to everyone fighting for what he believes in. Finally, King uses pathos when he asks the question “what would happen to me from some of our sick white …show more content…
brothers?”~~~ King’s use of metaphors helps creates a positive, motivational tone throughout his speech. King provides a metaphor in his speech when he says “people get caught up with that which is right and they are willing to sacrifice for it, there is no stopping point short of victory.” King is saying that if the audience his was speaking before is able to sacrifice themselves for racial equality then they will be victorious in what they are after. Another metaphor used by King is when he told his audience “I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!” When he talks about the promised land he really means that King might not be there for the day that there is racial equality, but one day there will be. King’s use of parallelism helps creates emphasis on his speech, which in turn makes it more powerful. King tells his audience: Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. By repeating the phrase “let us” and following it with verb of moving forward onto something greater.
King does this to emphasize that they need to get through these challenges so that they might be able to get the rights that they are entitled to. King also uses parallelism when he says to his audience a story from the bible. It was about how a man at the side of a rode seemed to be in need of assistance because of robbers that had been on that same rode. A priest and Levite passed him without helping, then a Good Samaritan walked by and helped the man. The priest and the Levite ask the question “if I stop to help the man, what will happen to me?” On the other hand, the Good Samaritan asks, “if I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?” King used parallelism to apply the same questions asked by both the pastor and the Levite, and the Good Samaritan, in whether they should help the sanitation workers. By using parallelism between the two situations King is able to emphasize that the right thing to do is help the sanitation workers because if they do not, “what will happen to them?” Finally, towards the end of King’s speech he talks how he had almost died from a stab wound and he could have nearly died if he had sneezed. King uses parallelism by beginning six different sentences with “if I had sneezed, I wouldn’t have” and following that he would say one of an important event that King had done after his near acquaintance with death. His use of parallelism here
emphasizes all of the things that he had done after his stabbing. He also talked about how if he had sneezed then he “wouldn’t have been in Memphis to see a community rally around those brothers and sisters who are suffering.” By saying this he is motivating his audience to become more willing to help the sanitation workers of Memphis. King is able to use pathos, metaphors, and parallelism to motivate his audience to rally together to keep fighting for racial equality. Because Dr. King provide the people of Memphis this speech, they ended up getting the rights they deserve. This is why his speech was a part of the top one hundred speeches.
In response to the clergyman's claim that his use of direct action was "untimely," King states, "We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights." As you can see, this statement is in direct relation to the clergyman's "untimely" notion, but one would do good to realize his underlying audience. The "we" in this statement refers to his "black brothers and sisters" taking an active role in the civil rights movement. So what this statement does in terms of pathos is to light the fire of inspiration under his black brothers and sisters and have them realize that 340 yea...
In lines 144-145, King uses the quote “justice too long delayed is justice denied.”to explain how to “wait” means never and he knows that waiting would only delay the obtention of the rights that they have been fighting tirelessly for. King notes that those saying to “wait” have not dealt with the pain and struggles associated with segregation and racism. He uses pathos, which inflicts emotion upon the reader, to describe why the movement simply cannot “wait” any longer. He tells of how he needs to explain to his children why they are treated differently from the white children, how he sees innocent African Americans being lynched, and how places would not provide them service simply because they were not white. This use of pathos, or emotional appeal, exemplifies their need to take direct action and waste no time on
... He addresses his audience with honesty and respect, without making his readers feel like they are being vanquished. Instead, they were being made aware of what their actions were doing to society, and that they could make a difference. Dr. King uses a very strong pathos while speaking to his audience.
Martin Luther King Jr. uses the emotional appeal most often than any other appeal and using it to his advantage, he makes it extremely effective in persuading the reader. He uses emotional appeal in many ways throughout his “letter from Birmingham Jail.” In one of the ways, he uses strong words as one of the most effective ways to relate to the reader and make them feel connected to him. He mentions in his letter that “When you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters.” Words such as vicious lynch, drown, hate-filled, curse, kick, and kill are all strong words that persuade a negative picture in the readers mind. Such examples he uses to define the evil acts of segregation appeals to the reader as unjust and unfair. King uses most of his emotional appeals from midway through the letter and keeps using it until the end. King relates himself to the audience, the clergymen, and shows the similarities ...
By using emotions, King is allowed to share his background of suffering to provide a better understanding for the
In the following quote “when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick, and ever kill your black brothers and sister – then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait.” King uses three words that were very significant when he say, “cursed, kick and kill.” These words were very shocking when reading them, for a law enforcer to verbally abuse someone and then physically hurt and take someone life. Even though law enforcer, has so much power, they should not abuse their power. King illustrates how everyone in the community is considering brothers and sisters as a whole. Uniting as a community and not individual is what going to make them strong. Out of the three appeals king uses pathos in this quote, which is using emotions as your examples. By King, using emotions he was able to let the people feel what was happening other than just telling
Dr. King effectively expresses why his critics are wrong in a passionate tone. He is extremely zealous about the rights that African-Americans have been neglected to have and should have, as well as everyone else. Mr. King was criticized for his “untimely” actions in Birmingham. “This wait has almost always meant ‘never.’” (King 264) Martin Luther King isn’t just a bystander witnessing the injustice; he is a victim and one of the few who is willing to fight for justice well deserved. His tone also evokes similar passion in the audience. The reader will feel that strong passion and by doing so they will realize that Dr. King does know what he is doing. Since Dr. King is directly affected and is relatable, his writing is able to effortlessly capture his determination and courage. All while having a passionate tone he is able to remain a respectable and calm tone throughout his letter. Dr. King’s tone shifts from brusque to a conciliatory manner. His non-aggressive tone benefits Dr. King’s argument and makes it more effective. If Dr. King had written in an hostile tone, the clergymen would feel attacked and would not want to support his cause....
Pathos helps us to connect to the world and works of any medium around us. To point out general ways King uses pathos in her writing is the impactful word choice and figurative language you can find in this piece. Some word choices that pack a punch in Kings paper are “legalized murder” and “murdering murders” (King, par. 1&5). King could have used more mild words but instead she choose these with a purpose to grab the reader's attention and cause them to be jarred enough to think more deeply about what these words are referring to. Creative figurative language you can find at the end of the piece that cause the reader to think is when she ends her paper with the call to attention of “break the chain of violent reaction is to practice nonviolence as individual and collectively through our laws and institutions” (King, par. 6). With ending on this note it makes the readers feel that they are personally responsible and that, if they care enough, they can help this
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...
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.
Throughout King’s speech, he uses the rhetorical mode, pathos, to give the audience an ambience of strong emotions such as sympathy. For example, whites had sympathy for African Americans and parents had sympathy for their children. The way that King tells his speech takes the focus off of race and reestablishes it on the aspiration of a world without racism. “…by making his audience no longer hate Negroes and instead hate racism and wish for a new, better world…” (L., Anson). Dr. King made the audience sympathize with African Americans, helping the audience realize that racist people and bias ideas caused the true dilemma of discrimination. Through making the audience realize this, he also gave them hope for a world reborn without racism, without segregation, without discrimination, and without hate. King wanted his children to live in a world without judgment of race, but with the consideration of personality, for nobody should not endure judgment because of the way that they look. He spoke of his own children, which introduced a reinforced emotional attachment to the audience; this gave many parents a scenario to relate to because no parent wants ...
King uses in his speech is Pathos, which is the appeal to someone 's emotions or beliefs. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. presented a strong feeling towards African-American people about how they were treated as equal individuals “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” (King par. 3). Another example of pathos that Dr. King used was when he uses vocabulary and phrases, such as “I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream” (King par. 12). He uses the appeal of emotion, especially the word of choice and diction to let his audience’s know what he would like to see in the
Pathos or emotional appeal is to make the audience feel what he feels or that he feels as they do. King is not blinded to the abuse and prejudice his people have suffered, for he has suffered too. He also knows that some have just come fresh from narrow cells and some have come from areas where their quest for freedom left them battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutally. (King 853) He understands and sympathizes with the audience in how unfairly they are treated. “I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” (King 853-854) King is showing to the audience that he feels they deserve to be free, that they deserve to be treated equal, and they deserve to be known as individuals. He makes his audience feel like his dream is their dream
King used an appeal to pathos, in order to persuade his viewers to aid in the quest for equality. By using the power of human emotion, King established the connection needed to ...
He felt that all Americans should be equal and that they should forget about injustice and segregation. He wanted America to know what the problems were and wanted to point out the way to resolve these problems. 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 mythos. A myth has a deep explanatory or symbolic resonance for the audience.