Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King's Speech

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The Nego is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation” (cite MLK speech). Martin Luther King Jr. declared one hundred years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. After leading a nonviolent protest in Alabama, Dr. King was introduced as the civil rights leader during the March for Jobs and Freedom. In his speech “I Have a Dream”, Martin Luther King Jr. used rhetorical concepts ethos, pathos, and logos to unify this nation at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. In the struggle for freedom, Martin Luther King Jr. incorporated his Christian background, peaceful tactics of Mahatma Gandhi, and led the African American community in the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. King not only transformed the African American …show more content…

And as we walk, we must make a pledge that we shall always march ahead”. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his liberating speech “I have a dream” to a crowd of more than 200,000 spectators. Dr. King started his speech by declaring it would “go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation”. Supporter from various religions and races gathered at the nation’s capital in support of his vision. Dr. King introduced his vison by claiming “we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force”. Throughout the speech Dr. King continued to unit his audience by stating they “must not…distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers…here today… have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny”. With his rhetorical proficiency, Dr. King was able to convey the message congregated by the Civil Rights …show more content…

Through emotion, Martin Luther King Jr. was able give connect with his audience during his speech when he declared the Constitution is “a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed…life, liberty and pursuit of happiness”. Therefore, he referred to this promise as a “bad check” and so he announced to the people that it was time for the African American to cash the check that would give them “upon demand the riches of freedom and security of justice”. Throughout his speech, he stated the struggles of injustice by declaring “the Negro…still finds himself an exile in his own land”. With a keen voice, he declared to the African American that it was time to “go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed”. Overall, with the use of hope and faith, he was able to apply emotion to his speech and assure his audience that together one day African Americans would be truly

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