Rhetorical Devices In Dr. Martin Luther King's Speech

“And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.” - Dr. Martin Luther King. Dr.King’s speech given on August 28, 1963. The speech is the best known usage of Rhetorical Devices to the english language today. This speech also made history. It was the first time a black activist was on television addressing a major issue. A rhetorical device is a technique that the author uses to engage with their audience. This speech is also brilliant because of King's model of Syllogism. The syllogism King used noted the organization of the speech. The impact of his context used was both influential and memorable. Within the preparation of his speech, that included rhetorical devices. We will be focusing on three main devices: Metaphors, Anaphora, and Parallelism. These three devices add significant and noteworthy value towards his speech. How exactly do these three devices contribute more to this speech than any of the other known devices? Let's find out.

Metaphors act as one of the three rhetorical devices displayed in Dr. King’s speech. A metaphor is a direct comparison between two or more unrelated subjects. Martin Luther King

proclaims,"We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation." This quote is demonstrating the confidence that the black community strives to have towards a better life and freedom. We can infer that King wanted to use context in a way that spoke to everyone. The negro community related well because they lacked a fair education. King had the opportunity to attend a great school, he wanted to assure the people that they were not alone. Through the use of metaphors, this message is delivered. Another example of a metaphor is, ‘’ America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked insufficient funds”. This is a famous metaphor that still is in use today. The pope actually quoted King during his speech in reference to this metaphor. This was a big deal because the british authority figure had quoted a black authority leader. This metaphor influenced the crowd because everyone knew what it felt like to receive a bad check. Especially the African American community. King’s metaphors are hard hitting, factual, and stir up the emotions in his audience. His metaphors captivate the focus of his audience and speaks to all ethnicities. Moreover, King displays a lot of memorable Anaphora within his speech.

Anaphora acts as the second out of the third devices displayed in Dr.King’s speech. An Anaphora is a phrase or word that asserts more than once. It also expresses the importance of the speech and its meaning. This include, “I have a dream,” “Now is the time,” “Let Freedom Ring,” and “ We cannot be satisfied.” These phrases express the message and add on to the rhetorical effect. King thought outside the box.;Twenty-five thousand people he preached to. King did not expect all his audience to remain engaged with what he was saying the entire time. Anaphora often highlight the message of the speech. If we recognize the order of repeated phrases frone hundred years later to I have a dream to Let freedom ring, it demonstrates the main idea of King's purpose through emphasis. King was clever with the use of this device because it would conduct the audiences minds back to a general understanding of his purpose. If any of his audience went about not remembering the details of his speech, they would remember key repeated words like “ I have a dream.” Furthermore, King’s speech flowed within a structure and harmony known as Parallelism.

Parallelism is the third device out of Metaphor and Anaphora displayed in King’s speech. Parallelism is a highlight of the flow and structure of a speech or any written document. An example of parallelism happens to be like an anaphora with, “ I have a dream.” That anaphora is repeated eight times within the speech. This created a creative parallel structure that engaged the listeners. King also painted a picture of an unified and integrated America. Parallelism is a hard device to tackle because it is easy to lose your audience by repeating the same words. King demonstrated this by incorporating details to highlight the importance of repetition. King was a minister and his speech modeled a sermon. Ministers often use the same words with different meaning to express the impact of what he or she is trying to say. King modeled that with the use of parallelism. He painted images and presented an argument within this structure.

“And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.” - Dr.

Martin Luther King. The difficulties faced within the nation cannot be changed without the dedication of the people. King motivated that confidence within his speech by using rhetorical devices and also using biblical references such as shakespeare, Abraham Lincoln, and Thomas jefferson. This is a prime example of how modest and brilliant King was with delivering the language of his speech. He understood what it took to make the nation a better place. All he needed to do was prove,show that integrity through this speech. It marks fifty years since this speech has been delivered and one cannot argue that students have not had to conduct a paper off of this speech. That highlights King's favorable usage of rhetorical language and

devices.