Analysis of Excerpt from Martin Luther King’s “Why We Can’t Wait”

Throughout the world, many speeches are delivered that convey an essential message to the minds of the audience. Similarly, a revolutionary man delivered a speech to embolden and assert the audience in dissidence against the intolerable discrimination as well as the segregation of African Americans. Martin Luther King Jr., a prominent figure in the history of Civil Rights, recited his famous speech, “I Have A Dream.” He stood for the ideas of social equality. Throughout his speech, he used extensive rhetorical strategies that made it effective for the audience.

This is an example of imagery which King uses to express his view of early television. He saw it as an incredible little box that offered visual entertainment much like a book offers entertainment. The vivid description paints a picture in your head of his TV and the things he watched. To him it was a whole new world, and he shares tat feeling with his readers using this imagery.

Martin Luther King Jr., the author of “Letter to Birmingham Jail,” that was written in 1963, uses many rhetorical strategies throughout his letter;. Additionallyconsequently, he uses these strategies to get his points across. For example,The rhetorical devices he employsuses are repetition, he uses ethos, and he uses rhetorical questions. During the time he gave his speech, was during the time of the Civil Rights Movement. Furthermore, segregation was happening, and racial discrimination between blacks and whites is commonplace.were not treated equally. King uses d rhetorical strategies in order to emphasize what he was most passionate about; he was his passionate about - equality and nonviolent protestings, for he was a black himself. He usesd his letter in order to bring about make a change. Therefore, he needed to really get the listeners’ attention.

* Metaphors: King uses numerous metaphors to provide a powerful link between the realities of the hardships faced by black

This is effective because the audience and the reader are able to be persuaded to fight against injustice. Another metaphor that king uses also persuades the readers audiences to change their views on racism. “The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jet-like speed towards gaining political independence, but we still creep at horse-and- buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter. ”(pg.264, line 20) In this quote King challenges the United States stance of being the leader in the struggle towards racial equality.

emotion is also shown through his tone of voice during his speech and the evident passion he holds as a civil rights activist. Another important tactic used in King’s argument is his extensive use of metaphors throughout his whole entire speech. Using metaphors in an argumentative piece of writing can sometimes help put theoretical ideas into concrete matter. In King’s use of metaphors, he uses phrases like “great beacon light of hope” and “great vaults of opportunity” to make his opinionated words more understandable to the common man. Also, his appeal to logic (making claims that defy all counter arguments) makes his argument multiple times stronger than what it could be without it.

Dr. King used two kinds of tactics of writing, one appealing to emotions and the other appealing to logics. The two appeals allow the audience to connect to the situation and help relate each other’s stories.

For this reason, King uses personification in the following example: “This movement is nourished by the contemporary frustration over the continued existence of racial discrimination.” King is humanizing the movement, saying it is fed by racial injustice. This further increases the power of his words, making the problem very human, and therefore, very much something to naturally be concerned about. In addition, King also uses metaphors in his letter. Specifically, the start of the last paragraph in his letter writes, “Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away”; he uses symbolism from color in this metaphor. Ironically quite a few of them have to do with literal light and dark bringing a symbolic attention to the context of racial equality. Another metaphor in the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” King compares the pain of segregation to the hurtful pokes of being hit with darts, “I guess it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say wait.” He is painting a 3D picture with his words, while also involving all your senses. This metaphor is challenging the reader to imagine this pain and then say wait, because once you have felt the sting you are driven to make a change. It is because of his words that

In his speeches, Martin Luther King builds ethos as well as relatability through his use of allusions, specifically biblical. King’s use of allusion in speeches creates a higher regard for the speech and for the speech-maker by increasing reliability and sensibility. By relating current events that King wants to address and bring about change with to events or bible verses that are common knowledge to his listeners, he is better able to keep an audience enthralled and understanding. Allusion is specifically apparent in “I Have a Dream,” “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” and “Beyond Vietnam: Time to Break Silence,” three of Martin Luther King Jr.’s most memorable and controversial speeches.

To enhance the effectiveness of his iconic speech, King uses Repetition, imagery, and audience involvement alongside Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. Moreover, a literary device in which words become used over and over to emphasize important points, King makes use of repetition. King uses this strategy when describing his desire, “I have a dream…” (King 71). Expanding upon his aspirations, King repeats the phrase eight more times.. The repetition of this phrase builds intensity, creates rhythm, and illustrates passion. Alternatively, visually descriptive language forms the literary device of imagery. King uses this strategy when explaining why blacks cannot stop fighting for their rights, “No, no we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied

In his speech, King was illustrating present facts to illustrate the racial problem that existed in the present time and it’s effects. But he was also illustrating what it could be if country accepted the change. One important technique King uses is cause and effect, a rhetorical strategy that supports his message; for the government to recognize the reality of the injustice practices towards the blacks in America and to invoke a change for freedom and equality between white, blacks and other minority. Furthermore, in

Martin Luther King, Jr. played a critical role in bringing awareness to the Civil Right’s Movement and took part in many other campaigns and groups including the Poor People’s Campaign, Montgomery Improvement Association, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). He spread awareness not only in America but also globally. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s the call for equal rights for people of color, intensified across the country. Martin Luther King, Jr. used the power of words and peaceful protest to alert citizens of America and around the world to abuses and unfair treatment based on race. On April 3, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave a now acclaimed speech, “I See the Promised Land.” King employs metaphors, to emphasize the hope required to get to the “promised land”; anaphora, to stress the phrase “If I had sneezed” and “I wouldn’t have”; biblical references, to prompt appeals to pathos; pronoun shifts, to highlight the need for collaboration in pursuit of his dream; and imagery, to accentuate the major events that brought them to this pivotal moment. In his speech, given in support of striking garbage workers, King offers a vision of the future he sees for the Civil Rights Movement. While he is speaking to the Memphis crowd he is also speaking to all people of color and, indeed, all people of America. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers his speech with a very optimistic and hopeful tone, reminding his audience immediate and extended, that he sees the nation reaching the “promised land” very soon.

In the next paragraph King portrays his point by using lots of metaphoric and emotive language.

All throughout his speech King was using a prophetic voice to get to his audience. From the beginning of his speech when he said “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” to when he started talking about overcoming obstacles when he said “I say to you today, my friends … even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.” He used these words and his way of saying them to set the mood of the speech to be inspiring and strong. Along with him speaking in urgency and crisis he made the people feel as if he was a prophet sent by God but instead of a prophet sent to bring back people who have drifted away, he is there to put sense into people that blacks and whites are equally created and should be equally

By Martin Luther King Jr’s usage of emotive language, he connects the suffering of the social group to the African Americans, this approach alerts the audience which causes them to feel agitated about the racial segregation the blacks had to endure. He utilizes manipulation to get the best of his readers so that they feel sympathy. Martin Luther King explains,