Political Paralysis: Danusha V. Goska

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. became a civil rights activist shortly after attaining his doctorate in theology from Boston University. He later went on to deliver one of the finest speeches in United States history on August 28, 1963 entitled “I Have a Dream.” Over 200,000 people arrived to hear King deliver this speech. King uses a number of rhetorical devices to accentuate his point such as metaphors, antitheses, as well as anaphora’s. In addressing the nation Dr. Martin Luther King Jr effectively uses the appeals of Ethos, Pathos and Logos to convince the audience to take action in demanding racial justice for African-Americans; He envisioned a nation uniting as one to defend the rights of every ethnicity under the constitution.

Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered as one of the greatest leaders of modern humanity. Perhaps the most astonishing aspect of his leadership was his ability to adapt to whatever leadership style was necessary for any specific scenario. He could be a transformational leader if people needed to be mobilized, a servant leader when followers needed to be led by example, or a charismatic leader when he gave any one of his plethora of monumental speeches. Not only could MLK perform in each of these leadership roles, but he excelled at them. Dr. King was one of the greatest, most versatile leaders ever. We will discuss why in the following paragraphs.

Martin Luther King’s Jr.’s letter was influential in inspiring and ultimately altering societal attitude on racial issues. He used a creative use of language that addresses any plausible audience including: the clergymen, the religious moderates, the equal rights supporters and the oppressed black community. The use of famous icons, religious leaders, and traditional scholars as references provided a multitude of examples that clearly illustrated King’s key points. Moreover, King carefully analyzed the duplicity of racial segregation through examples of “civil disobedience” among important historical icons valued in society (King par 21). In doing this King is able to utilize Luke’s, three-dimensional approach and tilt the power dynamic in his favor.

It takes great determination to achieve great goals.  Determination is like a freight train, it takes a great force to get it started, but once it gets going, anything that stands in its tracks will be forced out of its way.  Likewise, for a train to stop it takes a long time and a lot of effort, that is why they just keep on going until they reach their destination.  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. knew this concept well.  In 1963, King wrote the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”.  Determined to destroy the injustice of racism in America, he set out with the goal of reaching his destination.  His undying will eventually landed him in a jail cell, but that did not stop him, he kept going and forced the obstacle aside.  From the jail cell, he wrote this letter.  In his letter, he talks about many different solutions that our nation could use to resolve the problem.  Committed to solve injustice no matter what came his way, Reverend King showed his determination in this letter using the three common rhetorical appeals of ethos, logos, and pathos.

One of the many influential people in American History was Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King was a pastor in the Baptist faith, but he also was a leader in the advancement of colored people. During Dr. King’s time, segregation was at an all time high throughout the nation. But Dr. King, didn’t believe in violent protest, instead he insisted non-violent protest was the way to go. Dr. King held multiple speeches in multiple states about civil rights in America, until he reached the national level. On August

Martin Luther King Jr uses repetition, concrete diction, and tone in his speech to distinguish between the ways someone acts, gets treated based on the colour of their skin and the ways that they feel. In his speech, King says “I have a dream” and “let freedom ring” a lot to show repetition. He also uses concrete detail when explaining how the blacks no longer want to be disrespected or be under their discriminating rules. King’s final way of expressing himself is through tone, he changes his tone when saying what him and his people want. The purpose of this speech is for people of all colours to understand that King tried to spread a message that he wanted a better community without racial discrimination and rights for black people.

Dr. King tussled with the cares of life looking for solutions, concern for his family, and stood up for righteousness, justice, and truth. Dr. King knew what he was up against was daunting and knew enough to call on the name of Jesus. Dr. King believed in the power of prayer even through the countless number of threats he received and even arrested he stood unyielding for what is right, justice. Dr. King refused to sink in the quick-sands of racism and abhorrence. Dr. King realized that he had to alter the mindset of society if change was to come.

Diving in the Citizen’s United Ruling case state that corporations and other independent groups have the right to raise unlimited campaign funds. This campaign fund, representing the corporation's freedom of speech, can be used for and against federal candidates. The ruling of Citizen United permitted groups to make “independent expenditures,” not affiliated with any candidate or party since they were not allowed to spend treasury funds in Federal elections (Citizens United). Corporations and unions can have a certain limited contribution to their political action committees, organizations that raise and spend money for specific candidates, that then contribute to the outcome of federal campaigns. Organizations, social welfare, and trade associations

In November of 2009, Bruce Ambramski purchased a 9mm handgun for his uncle because of his discount as a former member of the police force. On the ATF form he completed with his purchase, he specified that he was not buying this firearm on another person’s behalf.

He questions the audience about society and what they have done for their community. “We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality; we can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities; we cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one; we can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity,” (King). King knows how to bring the people into the speech to involve every single person standing before him and make them feel like they are apart of the speech. He mentions what has been taken away from them which creates anger within the crowd. King’s ability to appeal to the audience through emotion affected society for decades after and changed the sense of pride the African Americans had.

The public has labeled Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in many different ways over the years: a minister, a dreamer, and a leader. In Birmingham, April 1963, he could have been said to be a law-breaking extremist by many of the community’s members. Dr. King previously, before being thrown in jail, was the leader of the non-violent protests happening in the Birmingham area. A group of clergymen scorned his actions and those of his followers in a local newspaper. His rebuttal was not hateful, but rather insightful to the reasonings behind his actions and why they were necessary. Dr. King uses religious allusions and references which helps deliver this message and makes it so it is easily comprehensible. He has to put on a large aura of knowledge and

Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and social activist who fought for the equality of African-Americans and victims of injustice. His leadership was instrumental in ending the legal segregation of African-Americans in the United States. One of his famous quotes: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends” was delivered during the 1967 Steeler Lecture. This is one of the five orations in the “Trumpet of Conscience” which encompasses distinct themes about issues on inequality, mobilization of young people, nonviolence, and social change. This quote was a call to action for bystanders to start supporting the movement to end segregation. Nothing happens when people stand by passively.

Martian Luther King Jr. had many role models that also gave him the urge to help society. Dr. King’s mother told him he “was as good as anyone.” This made Dr. King want to prove to society that he truly was as good as anyone. Dr. King’s dad was another role model. In a shoe store, Dr. King and his dad were told to go to the “colored” section of the store. According to Heeding the Call by Diana Childress, “Reverend Martian Luther King, Sr., replied, “We’ll either buy shoes here or we won’t buy shoes at all.” Then he took his son’s hand and walked out.” Dr. King’s dad refused to be humiliated, which influenced Dr. King to feel the same

No one has to be told who Martin Luther King Jr. was. He was a visionary, a teacher, a leader, a preacher, and serves as an example of someone who believed in justice. King’s legacy is manifest in history sites all across the nation and he undoubtedly solidified his position as an awe-inspiring and dynamic non-violent civil rights leader. However, when studying the illustrious and remarkable words of King, it is important to not romanticize his messages. Yes, he did indeed overwhelm our hearts with hope in his I Have a Dream Speech. But King was the same man who wrote the heartfelt “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” in which he openly and sincerely expressed his frustration of living through injustice.

Dr. King had the courage to face the risk and pursed non-violent call to arms. He led a social movement of equality during a time when he wasn’t supported by most. He was threatened and despised by many but he did not show reluctance or even shaken. In fact, he encouraged others by telling them cold facts