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Short biography of Martin Luther King
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Short biography of Martin Luther King
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One of the most influential men to ever step foot in our great nation led the civil rights movement with a peaceful approach. The Civil Rights Movement consisted of African American’s wanting the equal rights which they deserved. Therefore, on August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered one of the greatest speeches ever on American soil, in front of the Lincoln Memorial with over 200,000 people in attendance after the March on Washington. The use of the two rhetorical devices, anaphora and allusion, are effective in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech because it helped to bring the speech alive. Also, it inspired not only the two-hundred-thousand people in the crowd, but also the millions of people watching on television. Lastly, …show more content…
it brought the people of our nation closer together. Therefore, without the rhetorical devices anaphora and allusion in this famous speech that changed our nation as a whole, things might have never changed with African American’s civil rights and would have never eventually gotten better. One of the main rhetorical devices used in this speech are anaphoras. It is the repetition of a successive phrase, group of words, used for rhetorical or poetic effect. Anaphoras are used to make this speech catchy. In order to make sure the crowd would remember his speech, he had to make it catchy by starting of the same sentence with the same phrase. First off, “I have a dream” is used at the beginning of many sentences from paragraphs thirteen to twenty. These parts are the most memorable parts of his speech since anaphoras made the crowd remember what he was saying after he said those four words. People even refer to his speech as the, “I have a dream” speech. In paragraph sixteen, it states, “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. I have a dream today.” He uses this anaphora in order to show his audience that he is looking towards the future, but in order to get his point across, he had to keep repeating. Secondly, Dr. King uses “One hundred years later.” In paragraph three, he says “One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.” Dr. King used this to tell his audience that the “negro” people have been through enough over the years starting from slavery to their present day (1963) and nothing has changed. Also, to show that African Americans have been through so much in only an hundred year span while the white population has gotten it easy since day one, like a smooth sail. Lastly, “let freedom ring” is used from paragraphs twenty-two to twenty-nine: “Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado... From every mountainside, let freedom ring.” After hearing this, the crowd became so inspired because as Dr. King repeated it, his voice intensified and gave the speech more emotion. The meaning for including this into his speech was that he was trying to say how freedom should exist throughout the entire United States. No matter where someone is in the country, North or South, that it should be free. This wonderful piece of writing and even more magnificent speech, would not be even close to how good it is without anaphoras but also another key rhetorical device. The second rhetorical device King used, are allusions.
An allusion is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. Allusions were used to relate back to two notable topics. First, American history in general, and secondly, the Christian Bible. He used these in order to help the crowd get into the speech by stating things that meant something to the people. In paragraph two, King says, “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation.” King is referring back to a document issued by Abraham Lincoln that freed the slaves. Also, Dr. King also referred to one of Abraham Lincoln’s speeches, called the Gettysburg Address. The Gettysburg Address is a speech that President Lincoln gave announcing that all men are equal, black or white. But, 100 years after the Gettysburg Address was given and the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, African Americans were still not as equal and free as the white man. They had been treated abominably, and without respect for the last 100 years which is the complete opposite of what Abraham Lincoln intended to happen. He was one of America’s greatest presidents, who freed African Americans by creating and signing the Emancipation Proclamation. Also, Dr. King used what he thought people knew about Abraham Lincoln in order for the crowd to understand his point and furthermore be influenced by his speech. Another reference to American history used by King was found in paragraph
four: “When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. 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.” The first two words that stick out are the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence which were written to give every man freedom in America. But King is stating that the American government has broken its word to the American people. King notes that blacks also fall into every man but it has not occurred to happen where they have the same equal rights as whites. Therefore, the last line makes sense, when he says,” ...guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Martin Luther King is just referencing back to the Declaration of Independence which was a document telling the people of the United States about splitting apart from the British allowing them their freedom and rights they deserved. Now (1963), Dr. King is now leading the charge for equal freedom and rights for mainly African Americans but other races as well. Lastly, to make sure his speech was diverse, Martin Luther King Jr. used a bible verse for an allusion instead of another reference back to American history. In the concluding sentence of paragraph nine, King states, “No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” The verse Amos 5;24 is used from the word “until” to the end of the sentence. In the rest of paragraph nine, King talks about specific acts of discrimination against blacks. Dr. King used this allusion because he knew it would appeal to the audience. This allusion appealed to the audience since most people of the U.S were into religion at the time. Plus, he is a priest and baptist so it fits in perfectly to what he does fot a living. And, since he was a priest, he knew directly how to deliver the message so the audince would be interested.Therefore, most of the speech shows how blacks have been through it all using examples, except for the verse Amos 5;24 which is specifically at the end, which is stating that blacks are not going to give up till they receive the same equalness as whites, or as said in the bible/speech, “...until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” One of the most influential speeches in American history was created using many rhetorical devices. Without allusions and anaphoras, the “I Have a Dream” speech would be nothing compared to how terrific it was. For example, when Martin Luther king Jr. said the anaphora “Let freedom ring”, his voice intensified and gave the speech more emotion, therefore captivating the audience. Another example is when he used the allusion, “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Dr. King used this in order to help the crowd get into the speech by stating things that meant something to the people, and also to get the audience to understand his point and furthermore be influenced by his speech. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one of the leading civil rights leaders, used this speech to not only get his point across, based on his magnificent writing and speaking skills. Without these two rhetorical devices specifically and many other ones used in this extravagant speech, life as people know in America would have never changed for the better.
On August 28th, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C, Martin Luther King Jr., spoke to roughly twenty-five thousands people attending the March on Washington for jobs and freedom. In Dr. King’s speech, “I Had a Dream”, he uses rhetorical devices to convey that all people are created equal and to educate the importance of the Civil Rights Movement.
Martin Luther King’s use of allusions to historical documents helps his message of equality hit home for his audience. Most of the allusions were geared more towards the white people that it was towards the blacks because it provided printed evidence from past documents that were written by white males. His first, “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation” is an allusion to Abraham Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address. His first reference to 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’.” Another quote King uses from the Declaration of Independence is not quite as publicized, King incidentally slips in, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” King also makes a few allusions to the Bible; “...
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.
Dr. King uses many allusions in the “I Have a Dream” speech to demonstrate the similarities in both cultures and periods of time as he begins his speech in paragraph 2 with an allusion to the Gettysburg Address. An allusion is a literary device that is used to reference person, place, thing or idea of historical,
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.
Martin Luther King's use of alluding to other historic documents, which also deal with equality issues, helped his speech reach the listener. These allusions were probably geared more towards the white listeners than it was towards the black because it provided textual evidence from past documents which stated that all men were created equal and all people should have the right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. King also makes a few allusions to the Bible; "Let us not seek to satisfy thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred," is the first allusion to the Bible in his speech.
Firstly, two literary devices King used in his speech were ethos and logos. To appeal and emphasize his credibility, King began his speech with, “five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we
A man who wanted equality for him and others in the same situation. Martin Luther King Jr. was apart of the civil rights movement. He gave speeches and did walk’s to help prove that him and people in the same situation were equal to white’s. Martin Luther King Jr. did this all without violence. Martin Luther King Jr. needed to prove a point and knew that violence wasn't the key. Martin Luther King Jr. write’s one of the most famous speech in the world. This speech is called “I Have a Dream”. With this speech he affected us by having equality, non-violent protest, and the Civil Rights movement.
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.
On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a speech to more than 200,000 people during the March on Washington. King's speech was one of the most influential during the era of the Civil Rights Movement and is to this day recognized as a masterpiece due to its effect on the audience as well as for its eloquence and language. Many components went into this passionate speech that portrayed King's hopes for racial equality and a brighter future made the speech as moving as it was. It is doubtful that any person can guess that this speech was written without forethought regarding what goals King wished to accomplish in this speech. Martin Luther King Jr.'s eloquent language was perfectly suited to his audience, both his immediate and secondary audience, and his carefully chosen diction helped to shape arguable one of the most touching works ever spoken.
In a time of time where few were willing to tune in, Martin Luther King, Jr. stood gladly, assembled and held the consideration of more than 200,000 individuals. Martin Luther King, Jr 's. "I Have a Dream" discourse was extremely compelling and motivational for African Americans in 1963. Numerous variables influenced Kings ' discourse in an extremely positive way; the immense feeling behind the words, conveying the discourse on the progressions of the commemoration of the President who vanquished subjection. What 's more, not just was this message perfectly written in the trust of African Americans, yet the hidden message for white individuals, unrest and peace. To empower feeling from both sides of his audience members, King utilized a determination
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 a mythos. A mythos has a deep explanatory or symbolic resonance for the audience. In mentioning the Emancipation Proclamation he shows that our ancestors signed a contract, in which all human beings are created equal, and therefore should be treated in the same way as others. He also visualizes his ideas with visual examples, which everybody can understand. “America has given the black population a bad check, which has come back marked insufficient funds”( I Have a Dream)
Amongst his speech, Dr. King commands use of metaphors -- a comparison between two different things -- to inspire his audience deeply. In the beginning of the speech, King states that “five score years ago” Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation which intended to free the Negro slaves and brought “a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.” However after many years his people were not entirely free, bringing increased meaning to the comparison of “captivity” to that of a “long night” and freedom to that of “a joyous daybreak.” King’s metaphor not only brings hope to those fighting for justice
Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech was made to thousands of people at the Washington Monument while facing the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. Dr. King called upon Americas to consider all people, both black and white, to be united, undivided and free. His rhetoric harkened back a hundred years past when the Emancipation Proclamation was enacted during Abraham Lincoln’s term as president which abolished slavery and allowed all people living in America to be equal and have equal rights. Unfortunately, in 1963, America had lost sight of this key Constitutional component instilled in the lives of many. For many years, African Americans suffered from persecution and segregation in a class-oriented society. Martin Luther King, a preacher, born in Atlanta, Georgia, tore down racial barriers that blocked effective communication in a society that ultimately led to mistreatment of high-ranking citizens. His speech brought inspiration and hope to not only African Americans, but white communities as well. His precise diction and passionate words reflected a humble and principled demeanor, which led him to deliver a message to the American people, considered as one of the greatest events in history (“Dream,” n.d.). An ordinary man, Martin Luther King Jr had an extraordinary message in his speech “I Have A Dream” that called for human equality and changed social justice, that impacted Americans for many generations to come by using Aristotle’s literary devices of ethos, pathos, and logos, historical and literary references, metaphors, and poetic devices.