I Have A Dream Ethos Pathos Logos

Dr. Martin Luther King delivered his speech “I Have a Dream” to America on August 28, 1963. According to the CNN website Polk and Stewart state that “over 250,000 people including both black and white Americans gathered to hear King at one of the largest civil rights movements in history” (Polk & Stewart, 2013). He spoke about the unfairness of segregation and discrimination of African Americans that was taking place in the nation. He inspired a nation into action with his words and demonstrations that would provoke a change in the minds and hearts of the American people. During the speech Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. used all three rhetoric concepts to appeal to the audience. The use of logos, pathos, and ethos made his argument as strong as it was. “Logos is a way of persuading an audience by reasoning and having evidence. Pathos

is convincing an audience by evoking emotion from them. Ethos is convincing the audience that the author is credible” (Dlugan, 2010). King’s speech is appealing to all different audiences because of his use of rhetorical pleas.
Dr. Martin Luther King used logic and common sense to show his audience how equality was not being fulfilled by the American government. Dr. King referred to the different acts that proved that African-Americans were not equal to the white man. King was able to open the eyes of his audience by referring to the Emancipation Proclamation that Lincoln signed granting that slaves should be emancipated. After pointing out that the Proclamation was signed over 100 years ago and that African Americans are still not free like they were promised, King points out the ridicule of America since slaves still discriminated against. As King goes on with his speech he then mentions the Declaration of Independence where he points out “that all men were created equal” meaning African Americans should be just as equal as the white man. Once again he is mocking America and the beliefs which the country was founded upon. By referring to both important documents, King brings up the examples to show how it would be sensible for African Americans to have the same equal rights as Americans. Another example would be when King compared African Americans and their rights to a bad check. “America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds.’” This similarity uses logic as he appeals to the basic concept of money and what a burden it is to receive a “bad check.” King appealed to the beliefs and values of his audience and easily demonstrated that America is not equal and that African Americans should not be satisfied with the way they were treated.
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Martin Luther King’s use of pathos is incredible as he guides the emotional values of both ethnicities by saying, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”. This quote is inspiring to many members of his audience especially to the parents who do not want their children to experience segregation the way they did in America making the parents teary eyed thinking their children will have to go through the same horrid discrimination they once endured. Further along in his speech, King talked about his “American dream”. With the use of anaphora he then began to start every paragraph with his famous sentence,” I Have a Dream…” by describing his dream that every American whether white or black are enjoying equality and justice, living together in peace, having a better education, and overall a better life. He begins to appeal to the desires and emotions of his viewers which helps paints a picture for the audience that there is a future, a future that all Americans wish to live, the “American Dream” of being

free.

Dr. Martin Luther King used the ethos appeal in his speech to show the confidence in his voice while he spoke which helped further support his argument and during the course of his speech help prove to the audience, his expertise, knowledge, and experience. Standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial King references Lincoln in his speech, “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the emancipation proclamation” (I Have a Dream, 1963). He addresses President Lincoln by bringing authority into his speech. By doing so he shows, that he respects Lincoln, and what he did for America.
Lincoln was a powerful and great president who empowered the American people throughout the civil war. He gained the trust of his audience and established a new sense of freedom. Dr. King also mentioned the Declaration of Independence. “This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (I Have a Dream, 1963). By saying this, he used his knowledge of history to help influence his audience that things are not the way they should be and that African-Americans were being treated unfairly. The focus on the Constitution and Declaration of Independence shows that he is speaking about the government and stating that they have failed to uphold their promises to the people in America..
Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech was a major turning point in American history and signified a stand for equal rights. Dr. Martin Luther King did not only deliver the famous “I Have a Dream” speech, but he also caused a dramatic turn in the right direction for the Civil Rights Movement. His use of rhetoric throughout the speech is what made it so powerful and memorable. King’s use of logos, pathos, and ethos shows how one can make such an impact just

by appealing to the logic, emotion, and ethics of the audience. This inspirational speech eventually set the scene for an equal America. It managed to inspire African-Americans to never give up and made thousands of white Americans extremely ashamed of their actions, shaping a new start for humanity. King will forever be known for his famous speech.