More handpicked essays just for you.
Martin luther king analysis rhetorical analysis
Martin luther king analysis rhetorical analysis
Martin luther king analysis rhetorical analysis
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
By using the rhetoric device of anaphora, both Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) and President John F. Kennedy (JFK) persuaded their audiences, and left them with lasting ideas. For example, MLK Jr. establishes in his speech that, "Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation... Now is the time to lift our nation... Now is the time to make justice a reality”. He uses the phrase “now is the time” as a rhetoric device to capture his audience. He is stating that the African Americans have waited long enough for their well-deserved freedom. He uses anaphora to persuade his audience when he repeats, “…some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh out of the narrow jail cells…”
MLK Jr. continues to state the past experiences of many other African Americans of the time. In doing so, he is reminding the audience of all that they've been through and is swaying them to finish the fight of desegregation. He is essentially urging them not to give up on a battle that’s got them to where they are today. JFK also creates anaphora in his speech when he refers to the blacks and how they’ve been, “…denied equal rights, denied the opportunity to eat at a restaurant… denied the right to a decent education…” The repetition in his speech emphasizes on the idea that African Americans were rejected from so many opportunities to live a fulfilling life. These are basic opportunities that every human being should earn. JFK goes on to persuade his audience in believing in desegregation when declaring, “…this is the land of the free except for the Negroes; that we have no second-class citizens except for the Negroes; that we have no… master race except with respect to the Negroes. The anaphora singles out the “Negroes” and leaves his audience to face the disturbing truth of the country's false promises. It also has a persuasive factor that makes audience feel obligated to believe in desegregation. Ultimately both MLK Jr. and JFK successfully use anaphora in their speeches as a way to influence their audiences’ views on certain aspects of desegregation. Even though the two speeches use similar devices, they also use contrasting techniques and move their audiences in different directions.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy delivered one of the most important American speeches after being sworn in as president on January 20, 1961. His inauguration speech was so influential that it seized the nation’s attention, and quotes from it are still clearly remembered by people today. It is considered one of the best speeches ever written and ever delivered. It presents a strong appeal to pathos, ethos, and logos and accomplishes what any speaker strives for – it speaks straight to the heart of the audience and inspires people.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s Impasse in Race Relations is a speech that confronts the audience of the past, present, and future aspects of race relations. The speech addressed by King refers to an impasse as a situation in which there is no escapes or progresses. In the speech, King reveals the different feelings and reasoning’s as to what Negroes have experienced and dealt with. He also shares and interprets various violent and non-violent approaches to racial problems. In this essay, I will present my thoughts and opinions based on King’s ideas introduced in his speech.
After narrowly winning the popular vote over former vice President and Republican Candidate Richard Nixon by only two tenths, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was elected as the 35th President of the United States of America. President John F. Kennedy delivered his Inaugural Address in the cold on January 20, 1961 with roughly 8 inches of snow on the ground. Before the inauguration could take place, Army flamethrowers had to clear the snow from Pennsylvania Avenue so fellow Americans could make their way to the swearing in. The newly sworn in President began his address by letting his fellow Americans know that he was willing to work with everyone, to make not only the United States, but each country a greater place for everyone to live rather than
Martin Luther King Jr., sparks emotion amongst the readers, through the use of pathos in attempt to create an emotional feel. His diction and vivid language makes this appeal successful. He writes on his scratch paper given to him in jail “I guess it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say "wait" (Longager & Walker, 2011, p. 270). The phrase “I guess” conveys the irony and absurdity of his claim. “Stinging darts” is also powerful, and truly makes the audience feel sorrow for those facing racial segregation. His strong diction is also depicted through anaphora. The repetition of phrases and words such as “when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mother,” “when you have seen hate filled policemen curse” and “see tears welling up in her eyes” provide the reader with a sense of sadness. By emphasizing “you,” he forces the reader to put themselves in the position that he is in, and experience it with him. Using anaphora creates a sense of memorability and urgency, all while remaining in the pathos category (Longager & Walker, 2011, p.256). Strategically used repetition not only forces the reader to focus on an idea, but also assists in conveying his intended message. The logos appeal is also in effect here. He utilizes the logos appeal to argue a non-violent protest is a wise decision. He details the daily life of an African American man, using words such as
Martin Luther King’s speech was made after the March on Washington on August 28, 1963. He delivered the “I Have a dream” speech on the Lincoln Memorial steps. He verbalized this speech to millions of people blacks and whites. This is one of the greatest speeches because it has many elements like repetition, assonance and consonance, pathos, logos, and ethos.
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.
Through reading Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, it is hard not be impressed and taken aback by his eloquence with words, especially when you factor in that he is writing this letter from inside of a jail cell. He demonstrates how educated and intelligent he is as he is able to write this lengthy letter, complete with biblical citations and references, from within the jail and without access to any resources (Maranzani, 2013). Through reading King’s letter, and admiring his employment of Aristotle’s canons of rhetoric, and other rhetorical strategies, as well as his effective use of pathos, I have discovered that there are many underlying elements that go into being an effective rhetorician, and King inspires me to improve
Martin Luther King Jr’s most compelling point was that every person has the same rights
and John F. Kennedy shared the use of a few key devices in their speeches, such as kairos, to help motivate and persuade their audience. For example, in the fifth paragraph of page one, Dr. King proclaimed, “Now is the time to make real promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valleys of segregation to the sunlit paths of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children”.
Dr. King uses ethos, logos, and pathos effectively throughout his letter to address a large audience. He intertwines the three rhetorical strategies seamlessly to support his argument. Although Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has his critics in the clergy who argue against his civil rights demonstrations in Birmingham, he effectively uses all three types of rhetorical strategies to effective persuade his critics by explaining why his actions are just and timely in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial more than two score years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King electrified America with his momentous "I Have a Dream" speech. Aimed at the entire nation, King’s main purpose in this speech was to convince his audience to demand racial justice towards the mistreated African Americans and to stand up together for the rights afforded to all under the Constitution. To further convey this purpose more effectively, King cleverly makes use of the rhetorical devices — ethos, pathos and logos — using figurative language such as metaphors and repetition as well as various other techniques e.g. organization, parallel construction and choice of title.
In Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech, “I have a Dream,” he inspires the crowd to take a stand with the following words, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Clay felt like he had been quite for far too long, listening to Lula the Hyena harass him with her belittling words. Lula tells lies, is deceitful, and manipulative; these characteristics represent the oppressive white community. I will describe to you how Clay’s reactions, Dutchman, were solely based on Lula preying upon his weaknesses, like the troubles that the black race felt while battling Civil Rights.
In the speech, “There Comes a Time When the People Get Tired,” by Martin Luther King Jr., King’s goal is to persuade. King wants to persuade that African American’s want and deserve their rights, but if they have to protest to receive them. He believes that the protest have to be peaceful and prove a point. King is effective in his persuasion because he uses pathos, figurative language, loaded language and more.
Abraham Lincoln, known for his revolutionary campaign that was the first to state slavery was wrong. History portrays Abraham Lincoln as someone who wanted equal rights for all races that statement is not necessarily true. He wanted the slaves to be free but did not think that whites and blacks could live peacefully together. He changes the way he words things in his speeches in order to gain both sides of the disagreement in order to hold office. His views on slavery increases dramatically while the United States becomes closer to fighting in the civil war.
Martin Luther King Jr is one of the wisest and bravest black man the world has ever seen. He has set the path way for the black community and other miniorities. In his Nobel Prize Speech the “Quest for Peace and Justice”, King had three major points that he addressed in the “Quest of Peace and Justice”. One of the points he made was about racial injustice and how we need to eliminate it. King stated that, “when civilization shifts its basic outlooks then we will have a freedom explosion”. Overtime things must change, nothing never stays the same. King’s way of making parallels with this is making the claim is saying, “Oppressed people can’t oppressed forever, and the yearning will eventually manifest itself”. He insisted that blacks have,