Rhetorical Analysis Of I Have A Dream Speech

Within this quote there are multiple metaphors that help bolden King’s thoughts: “crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination,” “island of poverty,” and “vast ocean of material prosperity.” These metaphors explain how it still felt nearly impossible to end discrimination, and how Negroes are on their own with no support. The use of the metaphors display a deeper and stronger meaning to the topics that King was passionate about. These rhetorical devices brought to the non-colored portion of the audience’s attention of how difficult the life of a Negro was and that freeing the slaves one hundred years ago was not enough.

Dr. King starts off his speech with a powerful message, “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro Slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.” His use of historical context and the use of a technique known as ethos would help draw in his audience and intrigue them to listen. By utilizing historical context, such as the Emancipation Proclamation, Gettysburg Address, the Constitution, and Declaration of Independence, Dr. King was able to embrace every aspect of what his speech was about. Dr. King states, “When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the ‘unalienable rights’ of ‘Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Further, with the appropriate allusions, context and quotations Dr. King was able to gain lots of credibility with his speech. Thus, allowing his audience to gain his trust.

In this speech, King utilizes diction throughout, such as "we," "America" and "free." Words like "we," and "America" in the same sentences and same speech, gives everyone, African-Americans, the feeling of being equal and they deserve to have the same rights. Thus giving hope to everyone that they will, one day, be equal in everyway and have the same unalienable

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 primary message King is conveying is that equal rights for African Americans has not happened in the United States since it was first granted over a hundred years. African Americans are still being segregated against even after being declared free in 1865. King's techniques are effective because they leave a long-lasting impact on the audience's emotions. Martin Luther King Jr.’s message is relevant due to it being delivered at a time where segregation was at a high point. King accomplished his purpose in making the United States a better place by motivating its citizens to enforce equal rights for all

On august 28th, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr delivered a historical speech, “I Have a Dream” after the march on Washington. More than 200,000 people gathered at Lincoln Memorial where he spoke about the racial discrimination of African American in United States. Dr. King plays a vital role to establish an equality in United States and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. His skillful way of using rhetorical language in his speech left a huge impact on audience. The main purpose of the speech was to encourage and convince audience to stand and fight to overcome racial discrimination and segregation by effectively using ethos, pathos and logos.

In the beginning of Kings speech he repeats the words history and 100 years. Although the words are simple and used every day they have a deeper meaning in his speech. The words are used to remind his listeners that one hundred years ago the Emancipation Proclamation was signed to free slaves so they could live equal lives. But, a hundred years later black Americans still live a very segregated life. This emphasizes that even though they were relieved from slavery and promised freedom they are still forced to be treated as second class citizens. Black Americans were not even allowed to use the same facilities as everyone else. For example, they could not use the same restrooms or even be served at the same restaurants unless there was a sign that said they could. If they were caught somewhere that they were prohibited from being they would be verbally harassed, arrested, or even beaten. If a restaurant served black Americans, they took the chance of having their restaurant being

All throughout his speech King was using a prophetic voice to get to his audience. From the beginning of his speech when he said “I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation” to when he started talking about overcoming obstacles when he said “I say to you today, my friends … even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.” He used these words and his way of saying them to set the mood of the speech to be inspiring and strong. Along with him speaking in urgency and crisis he made the people feel as if he was a prophet sent by God but instead of a prophet sent to bring back people who have drifted away, he is there to put sense into people that blacks and whites are equally created and should be equally

Starting off his speech, King does a successful job in setting his own credibility with the audience by bringing up references that are historic to The United Sates of America. For example he states, “When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir” (King). By bringing up the Declaration of Independence, King is stating that with this document what is said in it should be enforced to all American citizens, like the founding fathers originally intended it to be. Since the African American’s have not been given these rights, it just supports his position on how the American government has neglected the rights that all Americans are supposed to have. Another way King brings credibility and significance to his speech is when he references the Emancipation Proclamation. He brings up how “a great American” (King) signed this document . Abraham Lincoln is a well known president and someone who also fought for black equality. By using him in his speech King is able to show how he is fighting for something Lincoln also fought for many years ago. Having historical references in his speech showed how King was well-informed about what has taken place in the past and how that is relevant to the issues that the African American community were facing.

King was president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He was a husband as well as a father to his four children. To build his ethos King explains his peaceful protesting tactics and how he didn’t want any demonstrations to end in violence. Further building his ethos King makes it known that he is not a racist that is against all white people. His platform is to bring about the rights of African-Americans that had been taken from them. People of colored skin had been denied the right to vote as well as the right to attend certain schools. They were expected to eat at certain places and they had to use separate water fountains. The use of anaphoras are very common throughout his speech. His use of anaphora’s put emphasis on exactly what King is stressing. He is expressing the importance of equality amongst all of the human race. Moreover, one example of this is within the opening part of his speech he says “But One hundred years later we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. presented his historical, “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. His main goal for presenting this speech was to make the American people realize that a major change was needed. He stood up and inspired a nation into action with his words. He wanted to convince his audience to stand up against racial injustice and segregation for the African Americans. He believed that African Americans deserved to have the same respect and privileges as Caucasians. To make sure that his goal was fulfilled, he used the rhetorical devices: pathos, ethos, and logos. He also used figurative language like repetition when he constantly says, “I Have a Dream” throughout his entire speech. For African Americans, the speech was intended to delivered a message of hope with the promise of freedom and equality. While for whites, it helped them understand that their freedom was different than the freedom of African-Americans. The genre of this speech is argumentative since it conveys the personal thoughts of the author. Furthermore, the tone of the speech is descriptive, argumentative and informative.

Martin Luther King Jr practised plenty of repetition in order to convince the audience that he dreams a greater future for African American in the United State. King shared his thought, ”I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I I have a dream ... I have a dream that one day in Alabama, with its vicious

In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. made his infamous “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. He delivered his speech to some 250,000 people who were present there to advocate for the equal civil rights of African Americans. A majority of the activists were themselves the victim of inequity. In this speech he called for an end to the racism and injustice against the African American people, and asked the nation to recognize the absolute lack of basic human rights. King used many forms of figurative language and powerful diction which helped him to rally his audience.

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave one of his most influential speeches entitled “I Have a Dream.” King was an American civil rights activist that used nonviolence and civil disobedience tactics, based upon his Christian beliefs, to persuade the hearts and minds of many in the advancement of civil rights. He used ethos, pathos and logos to attract his audience to understand his views. King adduced crucial documents from American history such as the Emancipation Proclamation, the United States Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence in his Dream speech. This widely known rhetorical oration was a defining moment of the Civil Rights movement, because he touched the hearts of many with his dreams of freedom and equality.

Much like the years prior, 1963 was a very active, racially violent year. Protestors are beaten in the streets and arrested, black churches were being bombed, racially injustice was at an all-time high. Dr. King’s extraordinary efforts for the civil rights movement are second to none, he was perfect for the movement and his I Have A Dream speech showcases in every way why Dr. King was vital to any progress made in the movement. Standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington, Dr. King’s speech is about to have a monumental effect on the entire the country. Racially tension is extremely high and both sides cannot see eye to eye, King’s speech pulls on the heartstrings of everyone listening to his great vocal skills. King successful uses ethos and pathos making the structure of his speech perfect. His speech is well balanced allowing him to speak to every audience, average blacks and white, black protestors, and white supremacists.