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I Have A Dream Ethos Pathos Logos

Decent Essays

“I Have a Dream” is a speech by one of the most famous figures of the 20th century in the United States of America, Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) who was an American Baptist minister, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is well known for his struggle in the advancement of civil rights using non-violent civil disobedience based on his religious beliefs. Thousands of supporters showed up to hear this great speech on August 23, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. This was the time when American society was occupied with critical problems of civil rights and racism. It was a time when blacks were finally getting free of the judgment barriers and seeking civil …show more content…

His use of pathos is incredible as he strikes emotional values of both black and white people. His first pathos of sympathy in which, he talks about all the impartialities that black people like him have gone through over hundred years which helped him gain sympathy of the people. He uses phrases like; “only white” and “life of the Negro” which sadly denote how blacks were crippled by the handcuffs of isolation and the chains of discrimination. His second pathos which pride is related to the background emotion they come from. He wanted the blacks to feel proud of themselves for the influence of disadvantages passed on by their families that helped them stand and fight for themselves today. Last but not at least, by overstating the words “I Have a Dream”, King left the mind of his audience with a faith and belief that things are going to be better. The speech not only magnified the hope that all Negros had in their eyes for their future country, but it also made the whites embarrassed of their performances. He gives the black people a never disappearing light of hope. King, in his speech, also shared with his white audience a sense of community. By referring to kind references to the injustices done by the white people, he made clear that not all of them are to be blamed for it. Consequently, by reminding black people …show more content…

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. opened his speech with a historical background of the situation of African Americans in America. King stated that hundred years ago Abraham Lincoln singed the freedom announcement setting all slaves free. He explained that African Americans are still not free using proper syllogism. For example, King refereed to a line in his speech, “America has given the Negro people a bad check”, where he uses proper deductive logic to explain his stance. My first claim correlates with the promissory note on declaration of Independence, the promise that the American government made to all citizens of American. Thus, indirectly he tries to imply that the American government failed to keep their promise that they made on the Declaration of Independence. Moreover, there is another place in his speech where he uses logic to prove his point when he states “a Negro in New York think he has nothing for which to election”. So, we know that every citizen has the right to vote under the written constitutional law. Since, Negros in New York were not allowed to choose, you can conclude from this that Negros in New York could not exercise their right as American citizen to vote as put forth in the U.S. Constitution. Ultimately, using logic and common sense MLK proved to his

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