A Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King's Speech

"I Have A Dream" is a mesmerizing speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It was delivered to the thousands of Americans on August 28, 1963, during the March on Washington. 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 African American 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.

Civil rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his memorable “I Have a Dream” speech while standing at the feet of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. His uplifting speech is one of the most admired during the civil rights era and arguably one of the best in American history. On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about the true American dream: equality. Although the video of his oral spectacle is powerful, the written document portrays exactly how brilliant Martin Luther King Jr. really was. Like an Architect who uses his stones to build strong palaces, Martin Luther King Jr. uses every word, every sentence, and every paragraph purposely to convey the necessity of a civil rights

Many authors use rhetorical devices and strategies to get their point across and try to convince the reader to believe in their perspective. It can also be used to get emotions from its readers, but that isn’t really the whole point of persuading someone. For instance, Martin Luther King Jr. uses an abundance of pathos in order to make the reader or clergymen feel sympathy towards the black people. Along with pathos, he uses logos and a bundle of hypophora. In order to obtain the goal of persuasion, Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter contains rhetorical devices.

On April 28, 1963 over 200,00 Americans gathered at the Washington monument to protest cruelty that was being spread among our country. On that day, one of the most famous speeches of all American history was delivered. From that speech, America experienced a change that has brought us to where we are today. In the famous, “I have a dream” speech proclaimed by Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., many types of rhetoric was utilized to try and stop the racial inequality that was occurring within our country at the time.

It's the 1960's; American society is being torn asunder by civil unrest involving the struggle for equality at home and an inhumane war in Vietnam. In the midst of such turbulence, Martin Luther King Junior argues that American involvement in the war in Vietnam is unjust. He poignantly examines the thesis using appeals to ethos logos and pathos.

In the most paramount time of racism in America, there a voice that enacted a call for change. Martin Luther King was a Baptist minister and social activist who spent countless years, fighting for a civil rights. It was on the date of August 28th, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln memorial is where King made his leap of faith and spoke out on the injustice of African Americans. His dream for African Americans to be equal, appealed to the emotions of his audience. The desire to live a civil life and not be oppressed was felt by many. Martin Luther King delivered a speech that would immensely make an impact on the country.

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote numerous speeches in efforts to inspire the idea of non-violent protesting in hopes of eventually reaching racial equality. Under what conditions can a man with seemingly no connection to a local community step in and assume the mantle of leadership as a spokesman for a segment of that community’s population? In all of the speeches, one way or another, Dr. King used several different rhetorical devices in order to defend his own actions. In specific, two of his speeches, “I have a Dream” and “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” Dr. King used the rhetorical devices of anaphora, allusion, and diction to relay his thoughts of what is right, and also as a way to build a common ground with his audience. Though the rhetorical devices are shared between the two speeches, there are also several differences. The main difference between the two speeches is that in “I have a Dream” Dr. King is vocalizing his own ideas for what could become of the United States of America. In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” Dr. King is responding to the clergymen’s letter regarding his braking of the law. The rhetorical devices as well as the speeches are similar, while the audience is the factor that changes the premise.

Dr. King uses pathos appeal on paragraph two to get the reader feel that there is hope for the racial equality situation. The hope will make them more willing to fight this battle. On paragraph 2 of the speech, Dr. King says, “great beacon light” and “joyous daybreak to end the long night.” This brings hope to the reader because usually when someone hears light, they associate it with something good going to happen. Light is a symbol of something nice and good happening. When King talks about the “joyous daybreak,” he is talking about how even through the dark, there is light. This gives the audience hope that in the end there will be equal rights for everyone no matter what color they are. It is also a way to describe something hopeful. Paragraph

On August 28th 1963, Civil Rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr. made his infamous “I Have a Dream” speech. In the speech, King confronts the mistreatment of the African American community and the lack of free will they contain in society. Throughout the mid-1900s, the Civil Rights Movement took place, influenced by centuries of cruelty towards the African Americans.. The most influential speech in the modern era was said in front of thousands of Civil Rights activists who all shared a common goal; to fight for the respect and to be treated as equals within the United States.

To begin, Martin Luther King Jr. was an African American rights activist and an impressive preacher. One day during a peaceful protest, he was arrested and sent to the Birmingham Jail. In jail, he wrote a detailed, metaphoric letter to the clergy men, speaking about the recent racism problems and how to fix it. He wrote page after page of issues, using several examples and many iconic phrases from history. Martin Luther King Jr. was not an uneducated fool, as many seen him. He knew that if he used ethos, pathos, and logos, he would get many people on his side, consisting his notable character known by the church, his ability to evoke sympathy, and his logical way to present this problem.

Although pathos takes the background in this piece, it is due to the disconnect between the church leaders and the black experience. King does not attempt to describe how racism feels because the white men have no idea, or sympathy, towards the people. King knows his audience, and discerns that this type of argument would not be effective. Instead, he uses facts and situations to create an emotional bridge between him and his audience. MLK draws on his own experience when he has “seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim…” (4). The explicit situations of brutality strike a nerve with even the hardest audience, and the emotion proves that the violence is not an overreaction. Another way King uses pathos is through likening his work as well as the injustice of laws to other prominent groups to make the reader predetermined into thinking a certain way about the subject. To discredit the claim that his protests are illegal, he juxtaposes the situation through a forensic argument that “everything Hitler did in Germany was ‘legal’ and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was

We have all heard Martin Luther King’s famous speech, I have a Dream. His main goal was to convince everyone across the country to comprehend racial equality and to reinforce a solution for those individuals already engaged in the Civil Rights movement. You could say his speech was part of what made the movement successful. By him taking a stand, much attention was put into the problems that were going on. He was and still is viewed as an important leader who was an activist in the Civil Rights Movement. Here we will basically dissect parts of his speech and define the points he was making and trying to make. Throughout the paper, you will see how Dr. King uses Ethos, Pathos, and Logos to show his audience and make them feel what went on.

Martin Luther King Jr. gives this speech on September 28, 1965. This time period was the heart of the Civil Rights movement in America. Slaves received their freedom at the end of the Civil War, in 1865. However, the battle for former slaves did not end there. While they may have earned their freedom, there was still a long road ahead to achieving equality. Martin Luther King Jr., was a Civil Rights activist and speaker. In this speech, he talked not only about what has been accomplished, but about everything that was still a problem. Touching on the KKK, racism, troubles voting, and even the unemployment of African Americans in Chicago. He touched on how during slavery, slaves often referred to the story of Moses leading the Israelites

Dr. Martin Luther King Junior was an extravagant man, and an even better speaker. His “I Have a Dream” speech was one of many performances that inspired so many people. Dr. King started out as a minister that worked hard as a civil rights activist to get equal rights for people of color. On August 28, 1963, the day Dr. King stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial, he presented one of the most well-known speeches in history to about 300 thousand people. The thing that makes this speech so inspiring is the way Dr. King used his profound speaking skills to present his words to the audience.

Ph.D. and black rights activist, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in his speech, I Have a Dream, expounded his views on social justice for African-Americans. The famous speech was held in 1963 during The March on Washington. King’s purpose was to display his belief that African-Americans deserved yet lacked equality, unlike other Americans. He confidently executed his message with a passionate tone to influence his audience of fellow activists, common citizens, and dignitaries to fight for racial equality and to end segregation. King commenced his speech by reminding the audience of the historical event that occurred 100 years ago to establish the purpose of his demonstration.