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A Rhetorical Analysis Of Speech By Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was a civil rights activist who believed in equal rights of not just all men but black men also. He had a belief that all men should have the same rights know as freedom. On August 28, 1963, Dr. King stood in front of thousands of people and gave an iconic speech known as “I have A Dream.” He addressed his speech to all who shared the same views as himself. His speech uses rhetorical strategies to give examples of things he had noticed like injustices against the Declaration of Independence. He states in his speech that the Declaration of Independence was a promissory note to all Americans “This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the “unalienable Rights” of “life, …show more content…

Martin uses repetition in the speech he made. He uses the injustices of the declaration of independence, he spoke of the check analogy, and he spoke of freedom many times in his speech. He shares an analogy of how America wrote a bad check to Negros. He writes that the check was bounced because of insufficient funds. He states that the freedom of the blacks was a symbol of the check and the check had bounced as a symbol of the freedom being taken away. Dr. Martin spoke on how the declaration of independence should be valid for all and not just for one race. Dr. Martin said “But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.” He does not believe that this is it for blacks. He doesn’t want them to give up on their freedom. He wants them to keep pushing forward. In his speech, he also repeats the purpose of his speech. He says many times “I have a Dream”, this dream is not just a dream it’s a figure of speech. It’s a phrase that he uses to show his meaning on a wish he wants to come true. He wants the injustice of the declaration of independence to stop. “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed.” The creed isn’t being used to the fullest, it is being neglected. Dr. Martin repeats “I have a dream” to show consistency in what he believes. He wants the true meaning to be

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