In the speech “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr., rhetorical devices explain and emphasize the point he is trying to get across. He uses the rhetorical devices repetition, rhetorical question, metaphor, and hyperbole. All of these collectively help make the speech connect widely to all citizens, and exaggerate the importance of King’s thoughts. This speech is known for its use of rhetoric devices, which can show us how the use of them affect the people listening to the speech. The use of rhetorical devices in Dr. Kings’ speech provide a clear indication of the point, and allow the speech to have an effect that emphasizes and exaggerates the importance, without losing focus of its’ peers.
Martin Luther King Jr. uses repetition to achieve a particular point, which is to remind all about the Civil War, and how the wrongs should be righted, and all citizens should be given an equal chance. He repeats the phrases, “I Have a dream, Let freedom ring, Go back, Some of you, One hundred years ago, This is, and Today” (King 270-273). The uses of these words have
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great effects on what he is trying to express, and the repetition validates its importance. Without repetition, King’s speech would not be as affective to the surrounding crowds, and they would not have had the same reaction. The purpose of a rhetorical question is to ask a question not for an answer, but simply for the effect it has.
King uses one rhetorical question in his speech, “When will you be satisfied?” (King 270). The point is not for answer, but to have you think, and him to share his views on the matter. When King asks the question, he goes into elaborate detail to express his view on the point, and help accentuate the importance. Martin Luther King Jr. uses metaphors in his speech as well. Metaphors assist in the effectiveness to compare his views to make a point. King has a metaphor in which he compares justice to waters and righteousness to streams, “No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream” (King 270). This metaphor means that Americans will not be happy until they receive what they rightfully
deserve. Martin Luther King Jr. also uses hyperboles, which help exaggerate his point even further. King uses hyperboles to explain how American’s should be, even if it cannot happen in real life, “I have a dream that one day…right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers” (King 272). King does not literally mean that they are sisters and brothers, but he says that to prove a point. That point is to have all Americans treated fairly, and be able to live together as if they were one united family. The use of rhetoric devices in this speech assist in telling what King is trying to tell us. They emphasize the idea being told, to enlarge its importance, and allow it to impact all the surrounding citizens. Without rhetoric devices, the speech would not be as convincing. It would not have affected all the people as heavily due to the fact that it did not have something to push King’s message over the edge. In this speech, rhetoric devices support King’s ideas, and aid in the commitment of all the peers around.
In Martin Luther King Jr. “I Have a Dream” speech; he used a bunch of repetition such as a hundred years later; I have a dream; we must; and let freedom ring. When doing this it makes the reader understand that the author is trying to get his point across. He used
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.
Speeches are a method of persuading people to do something. For Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, their speeches were to bring equality for the people of color. However, their approaches are different. Consequently, the effects may be different. An example of their contrasting differences is a speech from each, King’s “I Have a Dream” and X’s “The Black Revolution”. Their speeches used pathos, a central metaphor, and a warning, but was presented differently.
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)
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.
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.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most important voices of America, who used non-violent methods to fight for freedom and equality for all in his nation. On August 28th, 1969, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., King delivered his most iconic speech “I Have a Dream.” In this speech, repetition, ethos, pathos, and logos are used to persuade the audience about the importance of the Civil Rights Movement. To create the greatest demonstration for freedom, he used these literary devices to “dramatize a shameful condition” (“I Have a Dream”). Although his life was taken away, his legacy continues to live on today.
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.
On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave one of the most notable speeches in American history, at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. King started off his famous “I Have a Dream” speech by stating the impact it would have on America’s civil rights movement: “I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation” (King 1). With knowledge of rhetoric and persuasion, King had a substantial impact on the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr.’s use of ethos, pathos, and logos appeals enable King to persuade the audience to achieve equality.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. use of rhetorical appeals. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. effectively uses Logos and Pathos differently in his “I Have a Dream” speech and his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” to persuade the specific audience for each occasion. In Kings “I have a Dream” speech he appeals more to Pathos because of the occasion coming off the march and Washington and the enormous crowd. King starts his speech with pathos to engage the audience and to promote his civil rights activism, “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 character”. This statement shows emotion by using his children and a hope for equality to bring listeners to an emotional state.
Repetition is useful to show the audience the importance of the subject and the urgency to react. King’s historic speech in 1963 has held great symbolic value not only for the African Americans, but also for all of the equal rights supporters of every age and race. He was the first one who really fought for the same rights of African Americans and therefore inspired other people to live his dream and to continue his work for racial equality. Work Cited King, Martin Luther Jr. “I Have a Dream”.
When writing, an author must know what rhetorical devices to use in order to effectively get their point across to the desired audience. Because of the large number of different genres, an author must specifically know what design to use, what words to include, and what appeals to their audience to assert their argument. Scientific articles, for instance, must include a great deal of evidence and specific terminology to uphold their credibility as that is being able to be upheld by scientific standards towards the scientific community. Authors of popular articles citing scientific articles have the task of presenting the evidence not only correctly but also using rhetorical devices that appeal to a wider audience that may not understand scientific
"American Rhetoric: Martin Luther King, Jr. - I Have a Dream." American Rhetoric: The Power of Oratory in the United States. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. .
One of the most influential men to ever step foot in our great nation led the civil rights movement with a peaceful approach. The Civil Rights Movement consisted of African American’s wanting the equal rights which they deserved. Therefore, on August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered one of the greatest speeches ever on American soil, in front of the Lincoln Memorial with over 200,000 people in attendance after the March on Washington. The use of the two rhetorical devices, anaphora and allusion, are effective in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech because it helped to bring the speech alive. Also, it inspired not only the two-hundred-thousand people in the crowd, but also the millions of people watching on television. Lastly,
Imagine your innocent self walking down the street then looking up to colored men, women, and children being beaten, arrested, and yelled at for fighting for their equal rights and freedom. How would you feel? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy put an end to segregation. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote two remembered writings, “I have a Dream” speech and “Letter from Birmingham.” These two writings, use persuasive rhetorical devices, in “I Have a Dream” speech shows pathos and charged language and “Letter from Birmingham” shows logos or logical appeals.