I Have A Dream Ethos Pathos Logos

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addressed the United States of America with his, “I Have a Dream” speech August 28, 1963. Dr. King’s speech addressed the issue of segregation and discrimination of the African American race. During this time America was segregated, anywhere people went there were “whites only” or “blacks only” signs. Some places were even only for whites. This speech had a huge impact on the segregation faced by African Americans in the United States. There is a strong use of pathos in this speech because it is a very emotional subject, along with logos to let people know segregation and discrimination can be fixed and should have never happened.
Dr. King used pathos to touch the hearts of all Americans. Dr. King used this appeal

because people base most of their actions on their emotions. He wanted his speech to impact every person emotionally, so they could feel deep inside that segregation needed to end. By using pathos, he pushed people to fight for what was right, and to not stop until it is accomplished. Dr. King said, “The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.” The way Dr. King used his words really touched the hearts of people from all races, it made them want to fight for justice. It was a very effective way to use pathos. He used the emotions of the people of the United States, to convince them to fight for his dream. He used the word revolt to let people know that his dream won’t come without a fight. He used ethos to persuade the people of the United States to fight for what was morally correct.
Dr. King later added, “We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.” (King) This was a use of logos. He told the people this so they would accomplish the mission of desegregation and gaining freedom in the proper manner. He addressed this point so the people would not let their emotions hurt what he was fighting for.
Towards the end of the speech Dr. King used ethos by adding lines to the song, “My Country ‘tis of thee.”
“And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York, from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania, from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado, from the curvaceous slopes of California, from the Stone Mountain of Georgia, from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee, from every hill and molehill of Mississippi, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.” (King)
This allowed everyone around the United States to envision his dream. He said “Let freedom ring” before mentioning the various places around the United States. This was effective because it let people from those areas dream of the future with freedom. He used ethos by considering the needs of African Americans is the United States with good intentions. It was proved effective, every inch of the United States is

free.
Dr.

King used logos by referring to the Emancipation Proclamation. “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice.” (King) He used this as an example for and appeal to logos. After this he had facts that African Americans weren’t free. “One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.” (King) He said these things that African Americans went through daily to prove that they weren’t free and that there was a purpose to his fight. It effectively assured African Americans that they need to take a stand for what they deserve. He avoids mentioning all the harsh, unnecessary deaths that took place, he does this to keep a positive idea of his dream and to avoid violence.
Dr. King used logos again by, repetitively saying, “We can never be satisfied” at the beginning of each sentence in one paragraph of the speech. (King) He list things that African Americans at the time are not allowed to do. He tells the people that they must fight for these reasons. These statements are very helpful

for the speaker because he wants people to know what they are not allowed to do, so they have reasons to fight. He tells them they must fight until, “justice rolls down like water, and righteousness like a might stream.” (King) This was very effective, it made his dream come true.
Dr. King gave a very effective speech to change the lives of African Americans in the United States. He used logos to tell the people that they have to fight and backed up the fight with great reasoning. His use of pathos also made the speech effective. He used the emotions of the people to fight and build his dream. At the end of the speech he said, “When we allow freedom ring….., we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” (King) This last statement gave everyone a goal to come together as one nation and end discrimination.