Dr. King's Famous Speech Would Have Been Altered If The Audience Was Changed

Dr.King wanted everyone to hear and understand his dream and how it can make a difference. The speech was mainly for blacks, because they wanted to be treated fairly and have equal rights. Dr.King understood the pain blacks was having from being mistreated all those years and strongly wanted freedom for them. The speech was also addressed to white people too. He wanted them to fight along their side, because blacks deserve equal rights too. When Dr.King starts speaking for the blacks he says, “This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.”He states this to begin speaking on how nothing has changed for black’s freedom, but will change that day. In the his speech which is meant for whites fighting with blacks, Dr.King says “The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.” The speech gave a message to the blacks of hope with the promise that the goals of freedom and equality were likely to be achieved. The speech connected to whites that hope of African Americans, placing them squarely in the context of the American

The audience who heard "I Have a Dream", is exactly the audience that the speech was intended to be spoken to. This is evident in the language and content of the speech. Martin Luther King, Jr. did not only relate to the oppressed African Americans in his speech. He did not bring up the wrongs that had been performed between white and black abolitionists, nor did he ridicule white Americans in any way. By doing this he spoke to everyone hoping for a chance, by making it clear that racial equality was everyone's fight. By not attacking the opponents of his beliefs and dream, King set up a chance to perhaps open up an their minds to views they may not have considered had they been forced to be defensive due to attacks aimed at

Some may have viewed Dr. King's speech as threatening when he tells us "it would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro." Then goes on to tell us that we are in for a "rude awakening" if changes do not occur. Using the culture in 1963 Dr. King hinted at revolution but turned his words towards peace. The answer to gaining equality and freedom did not include "bitterness and hatred." As Dr. King speaks of the injustices he also speaks of trust and unity as one answer to the issues at hand. Dr. King is clear in his instruction to the audience by telling them that the only way for the Negro to succeed is through non-violence and faith that there will be a change in culture that would allow equal justice

King did not want African Americans to express a feeling of hatred toward all white people. He made an excellent point when mentioning, "…not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny…" By presenting this point in his speech Martin Luther King made known to everyone that he is a man of great character and honor.

The primary purpose of Dr. King’s eloquent and dramatically delivered speech is that of persuasion. King’s claim is the Negro people are still not free one hundred years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. This warrant is supported by King’s effective emotional appeal to his African American audience. He supports this with the following: "but one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free.” This is emotional because after one hundred years of oppression, the African American community has still not achieved their cultural and economic potential according to King. He is endeavoring to persuade his audience, fellow minorities and

Life was difficult for African Americans before the passage of civil rights laws recognizing equal rights. They were constantly insulted with comments of racism. The photograph of a lunch counter protest from the article “Miss. honors 50th anniversary of its Woolworth’s sit in” in the USA Today shows three protesters being abused by an angry mob. From the photograph we can conclude racism was a big thing blacks had to deal with every day.

In Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech: “I Have a Dream,” he argues that all people are created equal and racism should be eliminated. He supports his claim by first illustrating an image of the future he believes in by anaphorically saying “I have a dream.” He then addresses the black community by saying they need to take their rights, then he demands America to give the black community their rights, and finally tries to convince America broke their promise. King’s purpose is to explain the black Community’s problems in order to set them free from the prison that is their daily life in America. He establishes a hopeful tone that is meant to represent a promising future for black people, targeted at Whites,

Furthermore, the main point of the “ I have a Dream” speech is to emphasized on the past struggles African Americans faced during slavery. To emphasize on the struggles they face presently even though they are no longer slaves, and hope for a struggle free future. During the slavery period, blacks were mistreated and dehumanized. After the emancipation proclamation was signed; they started to see a light at the end of the tunnel. This light was dimmed by the oppressors being that there was still injustice and discrimination. King’s speech argued that this light at the end of the tunnel should be

Abraham Lincoln, signed the Emancipation proclamation that saw the end to slavery. King did this because he was trying to let the oppressed know that they were not alone in the struggle as powerful men had also fought alongside from the beginning. In doing this, he was trying to capture the attention of the white citizens, in order to make them realize their mistake as they have lost their roots and are no longer following the footsteps and damaging the legacy of the men who built America 5 score years ago. According to a survey in 2007 by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life, “the African-American population are found to be more religious than the U.S. population as a whole with 87% affiliated to a religion, and 79% saying that "religion is very important in their life"(Wikipedia) This is why King also adopted the use of the word “God” frequently to entice his audience, this was because religion played a very important role in the lives of people and the decisions they take. So, it helped in getting the attention of the white Citizens who believed in God making them realize that their actions are contrary to the wishes of God on how people should treat one another, which may perhaps change their attitude toward African

Dr King’s speech, “I Have a Dream” claims that how people are treated decides how they feel in that if treated poorly they will feel alone and segregated. He describes this by saying, “One hundred years later the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land.” (p.1). Dr. King aims to make the crowd realize how the African American community feels in order to make them support the cause of making white men and black men equal. Martin Luther King is connecting with his audience of African Americans who are hungry for equality between the white and black people.

Yet, King’s “I Have Dream” speech of 1963 galvanized his African American and white audience overlooking the Capitol. In “I Have Dream”, Dr. King employs

"I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream... 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" These words spoken by King are laced with the tool of pathos. He uses his words skillfully to relate not only to the African Americans in the audience but also the White Americans. He does this by using children in his speech. A want to protect children is something all humans, no matter race or cultural background can relate to.

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.

The Speech “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr is a very strong speech which is remembered until now as one of the greatest speeches given. In his speech, King demanded for racism to end in the United States of America as well as for economic and civil rights for the blacks form the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The audience of the speech were civil rights supporters that were mostly blacks but also had whites. Martin Luther King used many rhetorical techniques during his speech “I Have a Dream” like voice merging, prophetic voice and dynamic spectacle to get to the people and influence them to fight for their freedom in a peaceful civilized way.

Martin Luther King was a brave man, his heart beat for freedom for all, regardless of the color of your skin. He created the speech “I Had a Dream...” which changed the very views of our nation. During his time discrimination based on the color of your skin was still a significant problem, which left many of the black community with their rights in jeopardy. King's speech remains an important part of our history because of it's eye opening and persuasive language. The emotional impact causes the reader to immediately have an response. Dr. King uses his strong use of heartfelt language in order to appeal to the masses. His controversial topic is brought to life in a way that causes individuals to stand for a cause whether it applied to them or not. He appeals to the audiences sense of compassion for the lives of others. King uses the words, “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