Rhetorical Analysis of Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream Speech

1085 Words3 Pages

The famous “I Have a Dream” speech delivered by Martin Luther King, Jr. at the historic March in Washington in August 1963 effectively urged the US government to take actions and to finally set up equality between the black and white people in America. Although there were many factors that contributed to the success of the speech, it was primarily King’s masterly use of different rhetorical instruments that encouraged Kennedy and his team to take further steps towards racial equality. King effectively utilizes numerous linguistic devices, such as metaphors, anaphoras, allusions, and provides an abundance of specific examples in his address and this all makes the speech more convincing and memorable.

But before we look at these rhetorical devices employed in the speech in more detail, a brief summary of the discourse may be helpful. It can be divided into two parts. In the first part King depicts the racial injustice in America and calls for action using several themed paragraphs (e.g. “Now is the time to…” and “We can never (cannot) be satisfied…”). The second half conveys King’s hope for a better future where there will be equality between the citizens of America regardless to the color of their skin. This part contains the thesis of the speech: “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.”“ The address finishes with an emotionally rich and competently improvised paragraph themed around freedom.

As you read the text, you come up with hundreds of metaphors. Found almost in every line, they adorn the speech and make it more effective. Most of those metaphors are used to highlight the contrast between t...

... middle of paper ...

...ssippi is referred to more frequently than the other states. And this is not coincidental; as at that time Mississippi was relatively more associated with racial injustice, mentioning this state would bring the strongest emotions in King’s audience. All of these geographical references exemplify King’s points and make the speech more sweeping and extensive.

The linguistic devices skillfully implemented by King, his remarkable emotions and brave improvisation at the end of the discourse transformed his speech into a rhetorical masterpiece. However, what I most like in “I Have a Dream” is its maneuverability. The address clearly hints at revolution, but at the same time King uses peaceful words like brotherhood, freedom, etc., and thus provides an option that everyone could buy into, an option that everyone did buy into and that changed the world for the better.

Show More
Related

  • Summary Of Rhetorical Devices In Martin Luther King's Speech

    540 Words  | 2 Pages

    On August 28th, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C, Martin Luther King Jr., spoke to roughly twenty-five thousands people attending the March on Washington for jobs and freedom. In Dr. King’s speech, “I Had a Dream”, he uses rhetorical devices to convey that all people are created equal and to educate the importance of the Civil Rights Movement.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis of Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream Speech

    1035 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dr. King first starts out all pumped up on a very light note. He is very optimistic about his speech in the very first line. However he bluntly addressed the issues of hardship, which African-Americans endured while America was beginning to become a stronger symbol of hope and freedom. He acknowledged the experience of wealth which his race became accustomed to, the ghetto poverty. He recognized the right of each color and pale man who contains the right to live, liberty, and the pursuit of true happiness. As bluntly as he began his speech, he boldly pointed out the Supreme Law of The Land- the Constitution - and quoted the Declaration of Independence as all.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of I Have A Dream Speech

    523 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the 1960s inequality was a major problem in the United States. One advocate for making things right was Dr. Martin Luther King. Dr. King organized many marches, sit-ins, and boycotting events. But one of Dr. King’s greatest and memorable works has to be the “I Have a Dream” speech. During this speech Dr. King was conveying a message of freedom for all, to 250,000 civil right followers and many more people listening to the radio broadcast. To spread his message Dr. King uses rhetorical appeals like logos to appeal to the reason of his audience, ethos by his examples of practicing what he preached, and his metaphorical language and repetition.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis of the I Have a Dream Speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

    1025 Words  | 3 Pages

    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."

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis of Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream Speech

    822 Words  | 2 Pages

    Martin Luther King uses a lot of repetition in his speech. They are scattered throughout but very close. One of the repetitions in his speech is “I have a dream.” He uses this phrase to show what he sees in the future of America. One of the phrases he uses with it is: “I have a dream that one day this nation will and live out the true meaning of its creed: we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” Another is “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their nature. I have a dream today.” (King, M. L. Jr. (1963, Aug.28) Para 12) Two other repetitions he uses is “Let freedom ring” and “Free at last.” (King, M. L. Jr. (1963, Aug.28) Para 16&17)

    Read More

  • Pathos In I Have A Dream Speech

    746 Words  | 2 Pages

    On August 28th, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous and powerful speech I Have a Dream, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. The purpose of his speech was to fight for the civil rights, equality, and to stop the discrimination against African-American people. His use of imagery, repetition, and metaphor in his speech had created an impact with his audience. King used the three rhetorical devices, ethos, pathos and logos to help the audience understand the message of his speech.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of I Have A Dream Speech

    726 Words  | 2 Pages

    The speaker is Martin Luther King Jr, an African American who had to deal with all the cruelty and unequalness that blacks were getting. The occasion is to get equal rights for everyone in America, no matter their race or gender. The audience that Martin was connecting to was people with authority that would change the conditions of their lives and hardships, but was also to everyone that would listen and would try to make a difference. The purpose for King writing this speech was to get equal rights and show people that everyone is the same. The subject of the speech is the rights of african americans and how they are the same as whites. The tone Martin has is determined and destined to get the outcome the way he wants it to

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King

    1020 Words  | 3 Pages

    In his speech, King uses different types of rhetorical guidelines. He uses them to show his points in a better and easier way to understand .At the beginning he successfully uses a mythos. A mythos has a deep explanatory or symbolic resonance for the audience. In mentioning the Emancipation Proclamation he shows that our ancestors signed a contract, in which all human beings are created equal, and therefore should be treated in the same way as others. He also visualizes his ideas with visual examples, which everybody can understand. “America has given the black population a bad check, which has come back marked insufficient funds”( I Have a Dream)

    Read More

  • A Summary Of The Autobiography Of Martin Luther King

    1022 Words  | 3 Pages

    On the day of his “I Have a Dream” speech, King stood upon the steps of the Lincoln Memorial located in the heart of our nation’s capital. This location was essential to King’s success because it was a symbol of our nation’s historic efforts to abolish the enslavement of African-Americans; an act which was made possible due to the valiant efforts of Abraham Lincoln. As the preponderance of the speech began, King made reference to the former president in what Peter Paris said was a “Declaration proclaimed to America on behalf of all African people”. King stated, “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice” (I Have a Dream 2). Through these words, he was able to mimic the tone and style of Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address while also evoking remembrance of the nation’s harsh past. The signing of one such bill, the Emancipation Proclamation, was the first time in history that African-Americans were able to progress in the social order. King tied this into his argument by introducing the concept that other laws could be enacted in order to allow the African-American population to continue

    Read More

  • A Rhetorical Analysis: of I Have a Dream

    1479 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech, King makes use of an innumerable amount of rhetorical devices that augment the overall understanding and flow of the speech. King makes the audience feel an immense amount of emotion due to the outstanding use of pathos in his speech. King also generates a vast use of rhetorical devices including allusion, anaphora, and antithesis. The way that King conducted his speech adds to the comprehension and gives the effect that he wants to rise above the injustices of racism and segregation that so many people are subjected to on a daily basis.

    Read More

  • I Have A Dream Rhetorical Analysis

    403 Words  | 1 Pages

    "I Have a Dream" : Rhetorical Analysis Martin Luther King Jr. In his 1963 speech, "I Have a Dream" asserts the issue of civil rights for African-Americans. He presents his striking speech in a time when tensions between the whites and blacks were running high. King utilizes parallelism and allusions to explain the importance of equality for all people regardless of race, gender or religion Initially, King employs parallelism multiple time throughout the speech.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream Speech

    513 Words  | 2 Pages

    Martin Luther King Jr. was not just anybody; he was symbolic. “ I Have A Dream” speech contained a lot of metaphors. A metaphor is a figure of speech that is used to explain, but it is not literal. One metaphor was, “The negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.”

    Read More

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

    814 Words  | 2 Pages

    From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial more than two score years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King electrified America with his momentous "I Have a Dream" speech. Aimed at the entire nation, King’s main purpose in this speech was to convince his audience to demand racial justice towards the mistreated African Americans and to stand up together for the rights afforded to all under the Constitution. To further convey this purpose more effectively, King cleverly makes use of the rhetorical devices — ethos, pathos and logos — using figurative language such as metaphors and repetition as well as various other techniques e.g. organization, parallel construction and choice of title.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of I Have A Dream Speech

    1115 Words  | 3 Pages

    ‘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

    Read More

  • What Was The Purpose Of I Have A Dream Speech

    745 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

More about Rhetorical Analysis of Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream Speech

Open Document