Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr 's I Have A Dream 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.

100 years after the delivery of the Emancipation Proclamation delivered by President Abraham Lincoln, a young man by the name of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. also known as the father of the modern civil rights movement, would stand on stage in Washington D.C. and deliver a speech to over 250,000 people known as the “I Have a Dream” speech. Arguably, one of the most memorable speeches of all time, Dr. King would raise the issues of social injustice, police brutality, and racial segregation. Hoping to one day see equality, unity, and equity prevail in the United States. As promised by our forefathers, all Americans would have unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Dr. King would resonate this message in hopes that all would hear and that things would change for the better.

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.

I have a dream that one day everyone will understand what Martin Luther King Jr said in his infamous speech on August 28, 1963, and recognize the power and beauty in his words. In the “I Have a Dream” speech, Martin Luther King, Jr. persuades the citizens of the United States that they should no longer accept segregation, and all men should be created equal, as our Constitution states. In this fight though, we can not use violence, but use the power of words, and not stop until every human being is free. This speech was given in a time where black people were made to think that they were equal with white people, when in actuality, they were “separate but equal” which is not the same thing. This is when called segregation flourished and eventually, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had enough of this injustice and he spoke out to the citizens of the United States and the world to fight for freedom. This speech used all of the rhetorical devices: ethos, logos, and pathos, and it used such powerful, discrete language that not only persuaded the reader, but entertained them, drawing in his audience after every word. Its rhythm made it stay with people, haunting them. He truly made it clear of the awful ways the African American people were being treated, connecting to them, making them feel something, making the reader want to listen to him and follow King with every step he took.

Individuals that could be described as icons in their respective countries have delivered speeches meant to change their thinking pattern and inspire change. In the course of doing this, these icons have employed rhetoric devices and figurative language unbeknown to some of their listeners. Tommy Douglas and Martin Luther King Jr. did these to much effect. The general idea is that application of rhetoric devices always serves a purpose. Some may argue that application of more rhetoric devices or less rhetoric devices is useful. However, this paper shows that despite the small or full application of rhetoric devices, if done correctly will always serve its purpose. Douglas’s Mouseland and King’s I have a Dream speeches are both persuasive speeches even though the former uses one predominant literary device, while the latter combines multiple devices. The objective of this paper is to show that no application of rhetoric devices – whether in large or small magnitude or whether in combination or sole use – is superior or secondary to another if applied appropriately.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist and first hand witness of mistreatment of African Americans from the mid-1950s until April 4, 1968 when he was assassinated. He was a black man who grew up during a time of segregation and injustice. King Jr. came from a loving and structured home in which his father was an influential role model and a had a big impact on his future professions. Religion was also a large part of his life and was one of the biggest influences for his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. In this contextual analysis I will be summarizing the historical context of King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream Speech” and how it impacted his social standing and life's work. I will be exploring how Martin Luther King Jr.’s upbringing set the stage for his civil rights activism involvement and allowed him to become one of the most famous African Americans in the twentieth century.

Martin Luther King’s speech was made after the March on Washington on August 28, 1963. He delivered the “I Have a dream” speech on the Lincoln Memorial steps. He verbalized this speech to millions of people blacks and whites. This is one of the greatest speeches because it has many elements like repetition, assonance and consonance, pathos, logos, and ethos.

Civil rights activist, Matin Luther King Jr., in his “I Have a Dream” speech, addresses the inequalities that were prevalent in America in the 1960s. King’s purpose is to demand societal change, so that all people are equal without separation based on race. He adopts a powerful tone in order to inspire the African Americans to nonviolently protest the inequalities present in their communities.

On 28th August 1963, during the rally in the nation’s capital, Dr. King delivered his most famous speech, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, on the steps of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial. Portions of the speech, that are frequently quoted, including, “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’ … I have a dream that my four little 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.”

In the speech “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr., from the American Rhetoric website, explains how he had a vision for African Americans to be as equal as white Americans, as segregation was an issue. The speech is especially memorable for King Jr. repeating the title numerous times following scenarios of equality and unity between African and white Americans. As a reverend, King Jr. uses a plethora of rich language throughout the speech, which was unique and new for a speech to the general public. Even though Martin Luther King Jr. acknowledges that the promise of equality for African Americans was not satisfied, more importantly, the speech reflects the specific strategies and style of the clergy.

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.

Have you ever heard of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a Dream…” speech? Of course you have because it’s one of the most famous speeches in the history of America! The real question is though, why was it so special and famous? Why was this speech so much more impactful than most other speeches in our country’s history? Here we are going to zone in on the few allusions Dr. King uses throughout the speech to communicate to people who didn’t support racial equality that they are wrong and equality and freedom for all is coming.

On August 28, 1963, social equality extremist Martin Luther King, Jr. conveyed a standout amongst the most popular talks in American history. His "I Have a Dream" discourse was planned to motivate the 250,000 individuals at the Washington, D.C., rally and past to consider a world in which high contrast kids could learn and become together. The message served as a main impetus in propelling political pioneers and subject activists to push for more prominent balance and a conclusion to isolation. Temperament is an abstract gadget used to make peruses encounter certain feelings. It likewise settled a specific manner of speaking.

I HAVE A DREAM Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” gave a major impact in the cause for the equal rights movement as it brought many key promises that were made and denied to the African-Americans. King’s speech creates an understanding of what it is to persevere through segregation and inequality while maintaining a peaceful resolve to allow those who have wronged them to be forgiven. Segregation is often thought to be one of the darkest crimes committed from the inhabitants of the United States. However, with the “I Have a Dream” speech delivered by Martin Luther King in Washington D.C. August 28, 1963 the shadow cast upon America from a broken promise that lead to segregation took a turn to a light of hope shining through the dark clouds

In America’s history, there have been many issues with equality, and many movements made in an attempt to rectify the injustices of the past, perhaps the most compelling of these speeches is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's “I Have a Dream” speech. This speech drew its power from the expert writing and use of rhetorical devices. The purpose of Martin Luther King’s, “I Have a Dream” speech was to persuade the reader/ listener that white men and black men are created equal, and that whites and blacks should live in peace. This speech was given on August 28, 1963 and was given to show that the people demanded equality. The first main idea of the speech is that blacks will not be comfortable or content until equality is achieved.