Rhetorical Analysis Of I Have A Dream Speech

‘I Have a Dream’ was a speech delivered by a very controversial person in the history of the USA who paved the path for the establishment of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, Dr Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. The speech was delivered in 1963 in front of the Lincoln Memorial, in Washington D.C. The message in his speech, which was being delivered to all of America, was simple: to put an end to racial segregation, injustice and inequality against the Negro population in America. Dr King effectively delivers this message by the use of a range of written devices, audio codes and body language techniques. Some of the devices he uses are the written techniques of appeals and metaphors; the audio codes of pacing and volume; and the body language

An appeal has been used by King when he mentions: “Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom has left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality.” This targets the sense or value of justice in the audience and triggers it, confronting the audience about the large amount of persecution and police brutality that is being shown to the African Americans, due to the amount of racial injustice in the society. As well as causing the audience to feel sad for the victims, it gets across the effects of racial injustice and therefore motivates the audience even more to put an end to it, so that there is justice for everyone in the society, no matter what race they are. In addition to this, King also uses a metaphor

King uses gesture by raising his hands in the air with his palms open, after which he mentions: “... when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics will be able to join hands …” While speaking, he shuts his palms into a tight fist. When he has his hands open and is showing his palms, he is signifying the acceptance that needs to be shown by the people of the American society, not only to the Negros, but to all races. However, to show acceptance of people into society, it is a must that segregation, inequality and injustice is abolished. The effect associated with the change in society and the acceptance of all races would allow America to become a nation with a strong back bone or a strong foundation, due to the fact the each person would be at peace with their neighbour as they would be accepted by them but, also because people from all races would be able to live with harmony, allowing America to become a strong, progressive nation. For this reason, the audience would be persuaded to make this change, as everyone would like to live in a nation that is strong and progressive. By the use of gesture King has been able to convey his message to the audience effectively and