Ph.D. and black rights activist, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in his speech, I Have a Dream, expounded his views on social justice for African-Americans. The famous speech was held in 1963 during The March on Washington. King’s purpose was to display his belief that African-Americans deserved yet lacked equality, unlike other Americans. He confidently executed his message with a passionate tone to influence his audience of fellow activists, common citizens, and dignitaries to fight for racial equality and to end segregation. King commenced his speech by reminding the audience of the historical event that occurred 100 years ago to establish the purpose of his demonstration. He stated that “Five score years ago a great American in whose symbolic shadow we stand today signed the Emancipation Proclamation,” in an allusion to President Lincoln signing the document which freed slaves. He expands by arguing that that, “100 years later, the Negro is still not free.” King refers to this event in order to display his knowledge about the issue. By doing so, he appeals to the audience's ethos by ensuring credibility in his speech. …show more content…
He implements this belief with analogies by saying that “America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds.” King compared the lack of social justice to corrupt capitalism in order to better visualize the crisis. Despite the Constitution promising all men the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, King argues America excluded blacks from this inheritance. This vivid and bold statement awakens the audience and creates a memorable symbolism of the current
The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the American Negro.” This quote shows integrity because King is responding to the challenges of his critics, and truly speaks about the struggles that black residents go through. During this time, they were waiting too long for the freedoms that they were
He references historical events such as the American Revolutionary War against Britain and early slavery to make his point. He indicates that “the first American to shed blood in the revolution...was a black seaman named Crispus Attucks.” King also reminds the readers that it was “Negroes who were with George Washington at Valley Forge.” In concluding this section, King references Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation that was supposed to ensure equality in America, but “equality has never arrived” because African Americans are still facing discrimination. His appeal to logic gives the black audience proof of their worth so that they can see why they deserve freedom.
In his speech, King expresses, that the "Negro...finds himself in exile in his own land” (Jr., Dr. Martin). This expression yields empathy as it demonstrates that he sympathizes with the unreasonable treatment and distance of African Americans. He likewise utilizes highly conative words to bring out an enthusiastic reaction in the audience, for example, "chains of discrimination" and "oppression" to fortify the requirement for change. He also uplifts his audience through positive diction using words such as “freedom,” “majestic,” and “brotherhood” to spur and move his crowd. He additionally claims to logos through his utilization of analogies: “America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked ‘insufficient
Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most famous civil rights activists in the history of the United States. He gave several important speeches and promoted non-violent protests. His most famous speech was “I Have A Dream”, around a quarter of a million patrons, black and white, attended this empowering speech at the March on Washington on August 28, 1963. The reason his speech was vastly successful in the movement against segregation and injustice was because of its repetitiveness.
Martin Luther King Jr. built his speech around fighting unjust conditions placed on both African Americans and soldiers of the Vietnam war with non-violent protest. King is arguably the best speaker the world has seen, he knows how to get his audience passionate about the problems America faces while also informing them of what causes these problems.
Referring to “vaults of opportunity… riches of freedom and the security of justice”, Martin Luther King Jr. intelligently and metaphorically expresses how valuable equality is for African American citizens (King Jr. 2). After speaking out about injustice and lies, his discourse changes as it comes to an end. King Jr. focuses more on the unification of the nation instead of focusing only on African Americans. He faithfully believes the nation can “transform…. Into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood” (King Jr. 5). Highly contrasting from his first metaphors, the audience is provided a sense of peace and faith. Martin Luther King Jr. used many metaphors to mold the hearts of the audience and persuade them to believe in the civil rights movement.
“Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation.” -MLK. He adverted to the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln's declaration to liberate black slaves in America. He then quotes from the Declaration's claim of "the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." With several references to biblical passages, Christian verses, and God, King develops his credibility by including generally held religious beliefs into his speech.
He first uses this device when he alludes how, “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation” (1). The great American he is mentioning is Abraham Lincoln, who is a president that is greatly known for his stand against segregation. By mentioning Lincoln in his speech, King would inspire his audience to fight for equal rights, just like Lincoln once did. King also refers to the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence when he mentions that these documents guaranteed all men “the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (1). By stating that all men, including black Americans, are guaranteed equal rights, King is encouraging his audience to fight against the inequality in the nation. King also makes more historical allusions when he refers to the popular patriotic hymn “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee.” He references this song to appeal to his audience and remind them of the rights that have been promised to every
We have all heard Martin Luther King’s famous speech, I have a Dream. His main goal was to convince everyone across the country to comprehend racial equality and to reinforce a solution for those individuals already engaged in the Civil Rights movement. You could say his speech was part of what made the movement successful. By him taking a stand, much attention was put into the problems that were going on. He was and still is viewed as an important leader who was an activist in the Civil Rights Movement. Here we will basically dissect parts of his speech and define the points he was making and trying to make. Throughout the paper, you will see how Dr. King uses Ethos, Pathos, and Logos to show his audience and make them feel what went on.
In his speech, he refers to Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation by stating, “Five score years ago a great American in whose symbolic shadow we stand today signed the Emancipation Proclamation” (Jr.). He is showing tribute to Abraham Lincoln about how that if it wasn’t for him, then he wouldn’t be where he is at the moment. King Jr. and other Negros were frustrated
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
In a speech Rev. Martian Luther King Jr. gave to the Riverside Church in New York City, King conveyed his beliefs on the horrific atrocities currently present in the Vietnam War. King began by stating that no longer Vietnam was a oversea issues, "Vietnam [had to be brought] into the field of my moral vision". Likewise, King stated the issues at home such as the overwhelming majority of the nation's poor were fighting in the Vietnam War. In King's mindset, a nation that held it self on the acclaim that all men are created equal, was in fact not equal. King uses a variety of persuasive elements including, but not limited to: concrete examples and analysis, a robust tone, and powerful rhetoric. While King was only one voice out of many of those who were on both sides of the war, King still managed to change others views about politics through the usage of his persuasive elements. In all, King posses a natural eloquence that allows him to spread his message far and wide with the hopes that America will never forget the testatrices that took place at home and oversea during the Vietnam War.
King bemoans the fact that “one hundred years” after the Emancipation Proclamation an the end to slavery, “the Negro still is not free.” This may not seem like a typical logical appeal at first because it appeals to emotion, but it also points out that the revered Emancipation Proclamation that supposedly freed African-Americans, in fact, only lengthened the chains that bound them. King also argues that despite the words written in the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal” and are therefore guaranteed certain rights, African-Americans still have yet to be given those rights at all. He furthers the logical argument by comparing this denial of rights to a “bad check, a check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds’" (King). This appeals to the logic that if all men are created equal, then they should be treated equal; one man should not have more or less rights than
On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr delivered one of the most moving speeches in American history. His powerful oration was characterized by bold statements that provoked deep thought and recollection among members of his audience and the nation as a whole. In his “I Have a Dream” speech, Dr. King employs anaphora, allusions and strong metaphors and imagery to address the issue of racial injustice and mobilize the people towards a common cause.
Martin Luther King Jr is an African American civil rights activist during the 1960s. I decided to do my analysis on his speech "I Have a Dream" because this speech is very important in American history. The speech has a simple context. "I Have a Dream" speech was given during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963. Dr. King's main purpose was to make a change in white and black citizens during the Civil Rights era. He wanted to end racism in the United States and wanted everyone to accept the change in a non-violent way. “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed. We hold those truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” (Jr).