Rhetorical Analysis Of I Have A Dream Speech

Dr. King is attempting to make his audience feel what blacks where going through for hundred of

The author starts with the King already incorporating the “dream” topic in to his smaller speeches. He used the phrase “I Have a Dream” phrase in Birmingham Alabama while talking about different color children playing together without judgment. The second time he used the phrases was in Detroit while talking about color people being able to buy houses or to rent

In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered one of the most influential speeches in history. Throughout his speech, King employs many rhetorical devices that further his appeal for civil rights. King establishes his credibility as soon as he steps to the podium. King, an American civil rights activist and leader, was already known by the American people for his leadership throughout the civil rights movement. His leadership role as a civil rights activist asserts his message as credible and true to the American people. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech addresses the grueling topic of racism in what will go down in history as “the greatest demonstration for freedom” and one of the most influential movements toward an end to institutionalized

African American Baptist minister and activist, Martin Luther King, Jr., in his “I Have a Dream” speech, addresses racism against Negros and demands equal rights and freedoms. King’s purpose is to motivate his audience to join him in fighting for what they deserve. He shifts from an urgent, demanding tone at the beginning of the speech to a more hopeful and patriotic tone towards the end. Throughout the speech, Dr. King appeals to the audience’s desire to better their futures by utilizing figurative language, such as similes and metaphors, and rhetorical devices such as repetition and parallelism.

    The speech opens up with a very strong use of diction that creates a logical and emotional appeal on the audience. At this point, the speech already created an appeal of pathos. He then goes onto create a very logical appeal when stating that the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 gave “hope to millions of Negro slave who had seared in the flames of withering injustice.” The Emancipation Proclamation was the first event where African Americans were increasing up the ladder of social hierarchy. Dr. King uses anaphora, the repetition of a word, to create and appeal of emotion and logic. He describes that it has been one hundred years after the Emancipation Proclamation but still “the life of the Negro is still badly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination”,” the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote and delivered many speeches in his lifetime. However, perhaps one of the best known and the most easily recognized of his speeches is “I Have a Dream.” But many ask, what in particular about this speech made it have such a great impact on the population? He uses repetition to make important words stand out. Such instances occur with the words and phrases: “now is the time”, “I have a dream”, “let freedom ring”, and “free at last” (Narins, par.6,15,22,27). All of these words have to do with blacks becoming free, or acquiring civil rights and equality. King also used imagery in his speech when he compared a “sweltering summer” to the Negro’s unhappiness of the lack of freedom and justice. Martin Luther King Jr. also used

“I Have a Dream” is one sentence that changed the lives of thousands forever. Martin Luther King Junior is the architect and liberator of these influential words. Along with the speech, it galvanized. He made his voice heeded, and how he did it is what made this speech liberalizing beyond words. During Doctor King’s speech he applied the compelling technique of repetition. Throughout his speech he repeats phrases such as, “We cannot be satisfied,” “Let freedom ring,” and the remarkable, “I have a dream.” Repetition is a prevailing mechanism, and Dr. King fulfilled its power. When he recapitulated exceptional phrases or words the audience was able to understand how important the message is. Repetition is not the only astonishing way Dr. King

The repetition of the phrase “now is the time” serves as a persuasive technique employed by King in order to stress to the audience that it is vital to protest against racism now. He is able to convince the audience that it would be “fatal” to their movement for equal rights if they were to “overlook the urgency of now.” He outlines that no African American will be satisfied as long as “[their] children are stripped of their selfhood” and “robbed of their dignity.” Emotive language such as this encourages the audience to sympathise with those who are affected in such ways by racism, and compels them to support his cause. Although King is adamant about change, he outlines that many who have attempted to fight for their rights have ended up in “narrow jail cells” and have faced “great trials and tribulations,” yet King maintains hope.

He repeats the words “I have a dream“ to try to make his audience understand what he his goal is and what all black people goals were to overpower segregation. Dr. King also uses metaphors. For example, He starts off the speech with a metaphor, describing the Emancipation Proclamation as a “light of hope to millions of Negro slaves. ”He continues in the same sentence by describing slavery as searing in the flames of withering injustice. The “I Have A Dream" section of the speech also uses metaphors.

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

King cautioned the nation to not underestimate the urgency of the civil rights movement. He expressed his concern for the black population’s discontentment and alerted the audience not to ignore this dissatisfaction for justice, as it will only add fuel to the well-lit fire. King acknowledged the high tensions and the struggles that the nation was about to face with his new expectations that he had brought about with asking the nation to walk as one union, unite mankind and humanity. King reiterated the importance to stay hungry for the day when equality becomes a reality. The speech references the phrase "I have a dream" nine times. Although King’s speech was in front of him, his message began to move and empower the crowd, which lead him to extemporize.

Martin Luther King Jr had a dream and that dream was to spread freedom for blacks everywhere. Also that blacks and whites can go to the same school together to not be judge by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. On August 28, 1963 Martin Luther King Jr gave his “I Have A Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in front of more than 250,000 people. King uses the rhetorical device such as repetition to convey his central idea.

His word choice was very positive because he wanted to persuade about the facts of injustice and the urgent need to eradicate it and get to freedom without using violence. The rate of the speech was moderate because he wanted all the attention and understanding, and conviction of his audience for which the speech was really appropriate. Decades after the Emancipation Proclamation and the Declaration of Independence, the Negros are still suffering racial injustice and this has to be addressed and ended. Dr King made eyes contact throughout the entire communication and was raising his hand and using space while speaking. He was pausing sometimes to get the entire

The ‘I Have a Dream’ speech (title of his speech was probably taken from his use of anaphora which was present throughout his speech) shook society to its core and had a massive impact {due to social tensions and conditions at the time} as it managed to illustrate the despicable racial complications of the time - evoking feelings of sympathy and shame from a white audience, while striking directly into the hearts of the dejected African-American population, by providing hope. Also, by using rhythmic repetition, King really emphasised his ever increasing passion, including phrases such as; “We can never be satisfied” … “With this faith” and “Let freedom ring” more than three times throughout. Sadly, the very speech that made the movement and Dr. King so popular, made those who he defied, those who he opposed - treat

On August 28th, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King conveyed his acclaimed I Have A Dream speech. Dr. King is known as an exceptional speaker, and the speech he vocalized to the general population that day will everlastingly be a piece of American history. King’s approach to his speech is like a minister conversing with his congregation, giving him a huge enthusiastic interest to the group. The flow-through King's speech is easy and effortless, the motivated sound of his voice keeps the group on their toes.