Rhetorical Analysis Of Mlk Speech

When most people hear the name Martin Luther King Jr., they automatically think of his famous speech, “I Have a Dream.” A major reason his speech is so popular and well-liked is because of how influential it was. In this persuasive speech, Martin Luther King Jr. passionately expressed his thoughts about equality to the public in order to unite everyone through equal rights. Due to the strong points he made, his rhetorical context, his use of appeals, and the tone he used, this speech became one of the most persuasive and effective speeches ever conducted.
During the time this great speech was delivered, segregation had clearly been a major issue. By that time the Emancipation Proclamation, Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution,

and the Gettysburg Address had all already occurred and been passed; although, discrimination and segregation was still heavily being used (“Martin Luther King”). Outraged, many African Americans began to fight back, including Martin Luther King Jr. In fact, many African Americans had already taken part in activities, such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott, in order to get their point across that segregation is unjust (“Martin Luther King”). At this time, MLK decided that he had gone through enough and needed to put an end to inequality.
Martin Luther King Jr.

made many strong points in his speech. He talked about how the Emancipation Proclamation and the Declaration of Independence were supposed to slow the segregation of blacks and whites, yet 100 years later, they were still having major segregation. King then went on to discuss equality. He strongly pointed towards the fact that he wanted equal rights for everyone in this country, no matter what color your skin was. He stated that everyone is brothers in this country, so everybody should act that way instead of separating people solely based on their skin color. MLK then goes on to share his dreams. King stated that he has a dream that all states will be a place of freedom and justice. Also, he expressed that he has a dream that his children will be able to play with others while not being judged by their skin color. Furthermore, King said that he has a dream that all little boys and girls will be able to hold hands in harmony as brothers and sisters rather than enemies. Finally, MLK strongly states that he has a dream that everyone will be able to do everything together in freedom without

segregation.
When looking over Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech, the reader is able to pick out certain things, like rhetorical context and his tone that all add up to make his speech persuasive. In this speech, his use of rhetorical context of argument included purpose, audience, and focus. This speech’s purpose was to show that there is still an issue with segregation in this country, even though it was supposed to be already abolished. The whole public who attended his speech on the footsteps of the Lincoln Memorial were being addressed in this speech; although, those who were discriminating against colored skin are more specifically being lectured. The focus of this speech was to try to convince people that segregation should be permanently removed from society because it is hateful and unfair. Throughout his speech, MLK used a hopeful, yet urgent tone. He used many hopeful or optimistic words and phrases such as; “magnificent words”, “bright day of justice”, “majestic heights”, and “beautiful symphony of brotherhood” (King Jr.). On the other hand, he also used many urgent or critical words and phrases such as; “withering injustice”, “lonely island of poverty”, “dark and desolate valley of segregation”, “bitterness and hatred”, and “heat of injustice” (King Jr.). This tone helped add persuasiveness to his address because it shows how critical of an issue it was, as well as to show there was, in fact, a solution.
Martin Luther King Jr.

used stylistic tools as well. He used logic, emotion, and credibility in order to better persuade. MLK used logos when he described the Emancipation Proclamation and the Declaration of Independence in order to prove that slavery was, in fact, supposed to be terminated by that point in history. Logos were also used when he explained this different levels of segregation between some states like Georgia, Tennessee, and Mississippi. His ethos are that a black male during that time of segregation and he is using his personal experience knowledge as well as his knowledge of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Declaration of Independence. King used pathos when he talked about how everyone should not being alone, unlike how they were at the time, and when he called white people positive names, like brothers, instead of more pessimistic names. He also repeated the statement that he had a dream multiple times in order to emphasize and make it more of an emotional point. MLK also had a claim, reasons, and evidence to back it up. His claim was that our country was supposed to be segregation free, but black are still constantly separated from whites, but he has a dream that this country can be fixed and everyone can have equal rights, no matter what color your skin is. His reasoning is that although segregation should be near nonexistent by that time, it wasn’t and Martin Luther King Jr. wants to finally put an end to it. He has evidence from his personal

experience of living during this time, as well as knowledge of the law and how it was made to be and the way it was currently being acted out by everyone.
Like almost every other speech giver, Martin Luther King Jr. may have made some overgeneralizations and assumptions in his presentation; although, he handled opposing viewpoints in his speech quite well. King possibly made an overgeneralization when he spoke for the whole country that segregation was still in existence. Although, making this overgeneralization helped to add to the urgency of the issue he was addressing. He also assumed that by giving this speech, a movement would start that would end segregation against blacks and whites. Opposing viewpoints were important to consider, and MLK handled them well. He not only stated what the opposing viewpoints were, but he explained why individuals who had those viewpoints should reconsider in order to rise above bitterness and hatred.
Without Martin Luther King Jr. and his “I Have a Dream” speech, this country might have never seen true equality between races. He made a major impact during the Civil Rights Movement. Through a hopeful, yet urgent tone, listeners were persuaded to give up inequality and move towards a society filled with equal rights for everyone, no matter their skin color. His rhetorical context, logos, ethos, pathos, and tone all added to his speech’s overall powerfulness. Martin Luther King Jr.’s persuasiveness throughout his speech allowed all future generations to benefit from his speech because his dreams of equality became their reality.