Rhetorical Analysis Of I Have A Dream By Martin Luther King Jr.

The Speech that I chose was, “I have a dream,” by Martin Luther King Jr. I chose this, because I found that he was not only addressing a major problem, but he was addressing the fact that we thought that we had solved it 100 years ago. Also, it is saying that, Black and white segregation needs to stop as a whole. In his speech, he uses many different forms of figurative language, and rhetorical devices. In fact, there are only a few of them that weren’t in this speech. All of his rhetorical devices, and figurative language was one of the biggest reasons that it is the best speech.

The biggest main idea that I found, was that 100 years ago, our founding fathers declared the problem fixed, but it never was, in fact, hardly anyone recognized

“We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.” (MLK, 2)He used figurative language like this simile. This could also be counted as imagery, because he uses it to paint a picture in the audience's’ minds. “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”” (MLK, 4) He also uses very good word choice in this. What I mean by that, is I think he is using words that are mostly, “freedom” related. “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.” (MLK, 4)These help the main idea, by giving the audience the feeling of hope, and the will to make this dream come

“When this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men,” (MLK, 5) This helps the central idea, by spreading his main goal, to the people and asking them to spread this news everywhere. “With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.” He used repetition in his speech, when he used different verbs and adverbs with the word “together”. This helps because it allows the audience to feel like whatever happens, it will always be, together. “Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that: Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.” (MLK, 5) He uses repetition here also, but he also uses paragraph structure. He uses it in the speech with