Rhetorical Analysis Of Dr. Martin Luther King's Speech

Throughout the world, many speeches are delivered that convey an essential message to the minds of the audience. Similarly, a revolutionary man delivered a speech to embolden and assert the audience in dissidence against the intolerable discrimination as well as the segregation of African Americans. Martin Luther King Jr., a prominent figure in the history of Civil Rights, recited his famous speech, “I Have A Dream.” He stood for the ideas of social equality. Throughout his speech, he used extensive rhetorical strategies that made it effective for the audience.

Martin Luther King Junior is often known as the leader of African American civil rights in the United States. His infamous “I Have a Dream” speech brought a crowd of over two hundred and fifty thousand people to the steps and lake of the Lincoln Monument in Washington D.C. In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. led a protest in Birmingham, Alabama that focused on the unfair treatment and the segregation of African Americans. The court ruled that he was not allowed to hold protests. Therefore, he was arrested and placed in Birmingham Jail. While inside his solitary confinement cell, he wrote a letter and had it sent out through his lawyer. This letter was addressed to the clergymen of Birmingham but he knew that everybody would be reading it.

On April 3rd, 1968 in Memphis,Tennessee at the Mason Temple many protesters came together to hear Martin Luther King Jr’s speech. His purpose was to get his point across, blacks should have their freedom like any other white man or woman. Martin Luther King Jr. went on to say how happy he is to be living in this time period, able to see the period of life unfold. His purpose was to raise awareness that, something is happening in the world,things are going to start changing. Martin Luther King Jr’s use of ethos and pathos is successful in showing that the world is changing in many ways. Most of all he uses logos or logic very well, giving us the info on how, people are starting to rise up in masses and make small cities bigger like New York City, Atlanta, Georgia and many other cities.

Martin Luther King, Jr had been a strong leader in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s and fought hard to bring an end to the Negro’s struggle to fight oppression and gain equality. When he was arrested and jailed in Birmingham, Alabama he then fell under criticism by white clergy for coming to Birmingham as an “outsider” to cause trouble and increase tension through public sit-ins and marches. I feel that Martin Luther King was able to both set aside that criticism by establishing his credibility to have not only been invited to come to Birmingham to help end the injustice to the Negro people via peaceful means, but he was able to identify moral, legal and ethical cause to promote his quest to put a stop to what he identified as “the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States.” I will provide a summary that will show what Martin Luther King believed were the cause of the injustice that he was striving to end to as well as his concern over the white community’s ability to make the Negro “wait for more than three hundred and forty years for our constitutional and God-given rights.”

Martin Luther King Jr was a protestor who became the most important spokesperson and leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People(NAACP) and in 1954, he decided to take a position as a preacher at Dexter Avenue Church in Montgomery, Alabama. King felt as though it was his moral duty to help the civil rights movement which is why he planned many activities that will help get his point across. Activities such as boycotts, sit-in protest, freedom rides, and many nonviolent protests, which led to his arrest in 1963. Martin Luther King Jr. uses different rhetorical appeals to demonstrate all the conflict African

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter to his fellow brothers and sisters in hopes of rekindling their faith and giving them a vision of a more prosperous future. He spoke of the way he and his brothers and sisters were treated. The text tries to communicate a form of equality and tranquility by combining religion and ethics to persuade the clergymen to grant them freedom. Martin Luther King uses many metaphors to symbolize the tragic events his people have gone through. Near the end of the text, he finished his piece by being sympathetic towards the clergymen expecting freedom after

“I have a dream’ a great man once said, a man who knew no limits, a great man who would not let oppression and racism get in his way, a great man who would never fight with tooth and nail but instead...would fight with words. This great man that I speak of is Martin Luther king jr.Dr.king’s “I have a dream” speech was at the Lincoln memorial, the audience was the people who came to listen to his speech.Dr.King’s letter was for the eight white clergymen who criticized him for his speech by calling it "unwise and untimely". Dr.King was a man who knew no bounds, he used logos and pathos to draw people in to do the right thing, he taught people not to fight with fists but with voice for equality. And paper shall compare Dr. King's greatest speech/letter on there use of logos and pathos.

Dr. Martin Luther King Junior was the biggest revolutionary and motivational speaker of the mid-19th century. King petitioned for the progression of civil rights, and to bring forth equality and fairness between white and black Americans of the time. Through his emphasis of non-violent protest and resistance and motivational speaking American Negro’s were granted basic human rights. One of King’s most memorable actions that bought forth publicity to major civil rights activities and efforts was the highly iconic ‘I Have A Dream Speech. Presented On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. led a march on Washington, D.C. where he then presented his motivational speech to hundreds of thousands of American citizens. Despite being one of the most influential parts of the Civil Rights Movement many believe the reason it is so resounding and memorable is because King was a master of rhetorical and literary devices. His word choice matched the strength of his message.

According to Martin Luther King,”The time is always right to do what is right” This shows Martin Luther’s fairness and well tuned logic. So I found that,”I Have a Dream” to be the more compelling speech for many reasons. His central idea of having the rights brought by the founding fathers come to fulfillment is very inspiring. His main ideas ,on the other hand, use rhetorical devices such as figures of speech and imagery to support his central idea well. He also uses allusions and ethos to help his argument.

One hundred years after the abolishment of slavery, under a luminous summer sun, a large crowd assembles in between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. The activists hustle and bustle around, murmuring in anticipation and unaware of the exquisite masterpiece they are about to perceive. Soon though, a preacher by the name of Martin Luther King Jr. is introduced and steps to the podium. The crowd is overwhelmed by thunderous applause that is instantly silenced once he speaks the first words of a speech that is to be remembered for the rest of history. “I am happy,” (King 1) King starts and he has a splendid reason to be; after all, he inspired millions to justly defend their basic human rights. His adroit use of rhetoric such as

In these excerpts from his speech, he talks about his experiences as in what he has seen and heard. For example, he talks about how he watched both black and white men waging war against Vietnam, burning down huts and crushing men’s deepest dreams. Martin Luther King Jr. speaks about the cruel irony of this war when in Southwest Georgia and East Harlem the same thing is happening only its Us citizens fighting each other. This type of argument is compelling because it speaks of a horror that to most US citizens have no way to relate to and compares it to the Vietnam which citizens saw first hand. He also appeals to the hearts of the masses using their sympathy for the soldiers and connects this to the residents

Throughout his truly remarkable life, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. consistently found ways to captivate his audiences. With the ability to deeply move his followers, his speeches were greatly effective in motivating each and every one of them to rise up against the injustices to the African American community. His speeches were so compelling and his words so impactful; it is no surprise that he will forever be remembered as a champion of civil rights. On April 3, 1968, Dr. King delivered his last speech in Memphis, Tennessee called “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop”. Through this speech, he appeals to his audience by utilizing an organized structure, allusions to the Bible, repetition, and figurative language.

1. Martin Luther King’s Jr. Speech was one of the most inspiring Speeches ever delivered; it was given on August 28th in Washington D.C. It was a touchable speech directed to not only black Americans, but to all Americans so that he could promote the idea of equality. This speech demonstrates the power of the speaker and the effect that it had on the audience based on the techniques that were used to reach the desired purpose.

King’s “I Have a Dream” speech he uses Abraham Lincoln to show ethos. He says, “Five score years ago a great American in whose symbolic shadow we stand today signed the Emancipation Proclamation” (1). When he uses Abraham Lincoln in his speech this brings power to his speech. He used someone who is credible and who has had an impact on America by signing the Emancipation Proclamation. Dr. King used him in his speech because both of them had the same idea of wanting blacks to be free.

still have a dream.” Using ethos helped demonstrate his credibility by showing that he can relate to Negros and that he too has personally experienced racial inequality.