preview

Martin Luther King I Have A Dream Rhetorical Devices

Decent Essays

Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” Analysis Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most quoted individuals of his time. He was a champion for equal rights among all and advocated for African American’s specifically. One of his most well known works is “I Have A Dream”. This speech is what King is mainly remembered for, and rightfully so. He discussed injustices and tensions at a time where so many people were afraid to speak out. Within this speech King uses Aristotle’s rhetorical devices, and common English literary devices. He also has a central theme throughout the speech. In order to understand the speech fully, the historical context of it must be analyzed as well. Martin Luther King Jr. gave the “I Have A Dream” speech on the steps of …show more content…

Within this call to action King utilized Aristotle’s rhetorical devices to really emphasize his points. (Website) Aristotle’s rhetorical devices include ethos, pathos, and logos. Each of these is showcased very well in “I Have A Dream”. Ethos is an ethical appeal of some kind. It also has to do with the credibility, and likeability factors of the speaker. This is exhibited in King’s speech when he states, “I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.” This appeals to ethos because it shows that King is rooting for the American dream. He doesn’t want individuals to succeed he wants his country to succeed. This gives him …show more content…

Not only did he use rhetorical devices, he used literary devices just as frequently. The three that stand out the most are his usage of metaphors, allusion, and repetition. His usage of metaphors is prominent when he states “ Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.” King was stating that racial injustice is like quicksand, and brotherhood is a solid rock. This is a unifying message that King uses, most likely to show how racial injustices don’t make sense. “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation.” In this quote King is alluding to Abraham Lincoln. He does not directly state this, but it is obvious considering the setting of the speech, and the Emancipation Proclamation reference. King likely starts the speech this way to address racial injustices right away, and to begin to get to the main focus of his speech without too much hesitation. King also uses repetition to his advantage in this speech by stating “Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.” This is King’s attempt to make his final point, and call to action. This repetitive phrase helps King close out his speech on a truly strong note. (King) One of the central themes in King’s speech is that of justice. He never calls for pointless violence, or retaliation

Get Access