Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech, I Have a Dream, speech was given in Washington D.C. in 1963 at the feel of the Abraham Lincoln’s memorial. Thought this speech King voices how he feels about the amount of equality that the Negros were receiving in the United Stated. Although Dr. King has many different ways to grab the attention of his audience today through his speech, the best ones are his used of forensic, ceremonial, and deliberative occasions, his use of rhetorical appeals, and his use of colloquial second-person. “Five score years ago” (King). This quotes starts off the speech by using forensic occasions. In this quote Dr. King is referencing to Lincoln’s Gettysburg address. This is a very good and strong way for King to begin his …show more content…
speech because of it being in the Gettysburg address which is when Lincoln spoke about all men being created equal. Although there was always a lot of talk about men being created equally, but in this present time of Kings speech this was not the case. In the present time of this speech one way Dr.
King showed how they were not being treated as they should by saying, “Now is the time to make the real promises of democracy.” By this he means that all the promises and laws of the Negros being free and all men being treated equally have not been enforced as they should be now and in the future. “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’” (King) In this quote, Dr. King is expressing how he feels that it is obvious that it is time for America to live up to their promises of equality and freedom. King shows his good use of deliberative occasions in this quote by stressing how he has a dream about it because it was not reality in our nation. Dr. King did an amazing job for listeners and readers if this speech on not only showing them the reality of what has really been going on and promised, but also by using rhetorical appeals to help pull the audience in even more especially while using pathos …show more content…
. When using pathos, it means you are connecting to your audiences’ emotions whether it is in a positive or negative way.
King, at least for me, did this extremely well in many different ways. One including when he talked about his dreams of being free and having his children grow up somewhere not being judged by the color of their skin. This showed that although there were laws of equality and many wanted equality, it was not a reality at this time. Another example that I noted was not in the text but how he was speaking, King would take random suspense building pauses that help grasp the attention of the full audience. Emotion isn’t the only major factor when it comes to rhetorical appeal, there is also ethos and logos which try to convince the audience that the speaker is ethical and uses logic in his reasoning. When looking for ethos the main one that I realized was not in the text, but exactly where he stood, in Washington D.C, at the feet of the Abraham Lincoln memorial statue. This, in mine opinion, has shown how he wanted to be close to the authority in Washington. The passing of the constitution of the declaration of independence and how they try to enforce equality helped King establish logos with his
audience. Although I feel my first two points of his used of forensic, ceremonial, and deliberative occasions and his use of rhetorical appeals are equally more important than all others, I think that his use of colloquial second-person comes in a close second place if importance. When it comes to colloquial second-person, Dr. King used this as showing that he is going to fight with the nation and help the Negros get their equality that they were promised. For example King repeatedly uses the words “we, you and us” which gave the audience a sense of community. Thought reading King’s speech I had been inspired and informed about the reality of how little quality Negros had during the period of time that the speech was given. Then I thought to myself, what did Dr. King did to grab and keep my attention and inspire. I realized it was his use of forensic, ceremonial, and deliberative occasions, his use of rhetorical appeals, and his use of colloquial second-person. .
... 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.
He was getting his audience attention and having them feel a certain way of how the African Americans are being handled, treated, and respected. For example, when he kept saying I Have a Dream, the audience could feel the toughness and courage King had in his speech and how strongminded he was of having fairness and equality. Another quote that seems lively was when he kept starting off every sentence saying let freedom ring at the end of his speech. King let the audience know that one-day freedom will ring, segregation will end, and equality will come about. As king said both of them phrases in his speech, it had so much emotion involved. I say this because the audience can feel how Martin Luther King was feeling at that time. Using a lot of pathos in his speech made it more meaningful, inspiring and expressive. Bernie Sanders and Martin Luther King tempt to engage their audience 's emotions in their pathetic
...pair”. (King, M. L. Jr. (1963, Aug.28) Para 11). In the beginning of his speech he says “five score years ago,” which is in relation to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address’s opening, “four score and seven years ago.” (King, M. L. Jr. (1963, Aug.28) Para 2). He also uses the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence as references. He says, “This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” (King, M. L. Jr. (1963, Aug.28) Para 4).
In Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech, “I Have a Dream,” Dr. King addresses the nation in the March on Washington during one of America’s most fragile and dark times. King carries on his shoulders the responsibility of bringing a broken nation back together. He attempts to appeal to his audience of several thousand people through his use of logos, ethos, and pathos. King understands the importance of his opportunity; he needs to capture the attention and grab the heartstrings of his massive audience of people from all walks of life.
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’s speech “I Have a Dream” is one of the most famous and important speeches ever given. On August 28, 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C Dr. King gave his speech to bring freedom to African Americans across the United States. The audience who Dr. King is talking to is the American People. To get the message out Dr. King uses logos, pathos, and ethos, by doing this he captivates an entire nation using just words.
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
The very title of his speech was probably taken from his use of anaphora which was present throughout his speech. "I have a dream that one day the nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed¡K that all men are created equal." For the next few lines of his speech he repeated these words, "I have a dream," which helped arouse emotion in his audience and give them hope. This hope was that they would one day be treated as equals and walk side by side with the all other races. King uses his the phrase "I have a dream today," twice as its own paragraph. This statement was probably spoken with great emphasis since it gave the listeners the desire to change "today" instead of continuing to be discriminated against. Martin Luther King's speech could have very well been titled something else but because of his use of anaphora which strongly emphasized these words it earned itself the title "I Have a Dream."
One of the many stylistic techniques Dr. King employs to end segregation and bring about equality is word choice. At the beginning of the speech, Dr. King says, “Five score years ago.” Those words are extremely effective at making his audience of African Americans and the millions watching at home think of one of the most famous Americans to have ever lived, Abraham Lincoln. At a time in America’s history when racial injustices are beginning to become too much to bear, Dr. King had to find a suitable figurehead for his movement that all Americans could believe in and trust. It was Dr. King’s intention to have his audience think about Lincoln, as it was Lincoln who freed the slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation, and that affects every African American in the country. Dr. King also intends that the phrase “Five score years ago,” bring up thoughts of Lincoln because Lincoln held the country together through great turmoil during the Civil War. If Lincoln could stop the violence of a civil war in only one term of presidency, Dr. King wanted to show that he and anyone willing to join him could also stop the violence against Afri...
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most important voices of America, who used non-violent methods to fight for freedom and equality for all in his nation. On August 28th, 1969, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., King delivered his most iconic speech “I Have a Dream.” In this speech, repetition, ethos, pathos, and logos are used to persuade the audience about the importance of the Civil Rights Movement. To create the greatest demonstration for freedom, he used these literary devices to “dramatize a shameful condition” (“I Have a Dream”). Although his life was taken away, his legacy continues to live on today.
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.”
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.
On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave one of the most notable speeches in American history, at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. King started off his famous “I Have a Dream” speech by stating the impact it would have on America’s civil rights movement: “I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation” (King 1). With knowledge of rhetoric and persuasion, King had a substantial impact on the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr.’s use of ethos, pathos, and logos appeals enable King to persuade the audience to achieve equality.
In his speech, he proclaimed a free and better nation of equality and that both races, the blacks and the whites, should join together to achieve common ground and to support each other instead of fighting against one another. King’s vision is that all people should be judged by their “personality and character and not by their color of skin”(‘I Have a Dream”). All points he made in his speech were so strong that lots of people were interested in his thoughts. He dreamed of a land where the blacks could vote and have a reason to vote and where every citizen would be treated the same and with the same justice. 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.
King begins his speech by referencing important historical documents such as the Constitution of the United States and the Emancipation Proclamation. This is emphasized when he states, ”Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation...But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free”. Which shows how even though the Emancipation Proclamation freed the African Americans from slavery, they still are not free because of segregation. He then transitions to the injustice and suffering that the African Americans face. He makes this