Rhetorical Analysis Of I Have A Dream Speech

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his speech at the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.” He used a metaphor to give a more vivid description of how the emancipation Proclamation impacted the lives of African Americans. He said “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 justice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.” (209)The statement “A joyous day break to end the long night of captivity” (209) is referring to the emancipation proclamation. The long night that King is referring to would be the many years that African-Americans were enslaved. King uses the rhetorical device of pathos to bring about emotion to the nation. He gives the image of oppressed beaten down slaves that have overcome slavery only to be denied their human rights once more. This was a very powerful opening marker for King because it sets the tone for the exact purpose of why he is delivering the speech. Another metaphor within the speech is when Kings says “It is obvious that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check; a check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds’.” (209)This dynamic metaphor paints a realistic picture for Americans explaining how people of color are not being granted their equal

Martin Luther King Jr., an American Baptist minister and a Civil Rights activist, became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He is widely known for his speech that took place on 28 August 1963, “I Have a Dream.” This speech aimed toward the entire nation. King’s main purpose in this speech was to convince his audience to demand racial justice and for them all to stand up together for their rights. In this speech, King uses emotional and logical appeal to gain the audience's support. He applied many rhetorical devices to his speech to connect with the audience’s emotions, and to logically support his arguments.

King used pathos and logos as well as ethos in his speech to appeal to the audience in a more emotional way. He mostly attempts to appeal to the audiences’ emotions, fears, and desires. When King repeats with the infamously famous quote, “I have a dream,” he stresses a sense of sympathy and hope towards the African American population during that time period. King states that the, “Negro…finds himself in exile in his own land.” In this phrase, King yields compassion as one can see when he emphasizes the unfair treatment and the alienation of the African Americans. King also uses highly connotative language so that he could evoke an emotional response to the audience by saying words such as, “chains of discrimination” and “oppression” to reinforce the need to change. He not only uses words to get to the saddening side of his audience, but King also uses an uplifting tone to motivate and inspire his audience by using positive diction, using words such as “freedom,” “majestic,” and “brotherhood.” Furthermore, King appeals to logos through his use of analogies; for example, “America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds.’” This analogy applies to logos by using a form of reasoning since he appeals to the basic concept of money and the frustration of receiving a “bad check.” Not only does King like to appeal to his audience, but he also uses rich metaphors to convey his message across American

One hundred years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation to stop slavery, Martin Luther King, Jr. presented the “I Have a Dream” speech to thousands of people. The day Luther King, Jr.’s speech was the day of the March on Washington, which was for the support of the rights o colored citizens, and for the termination of segregation. King delivered this speech with a tone of hope and determination in order to convince colored people to fight for their rights and persuade the citizens that all lives matter and should be treated equally. He also delivered it in order to urge the rights these people deserved. Luther stood before all these people to express his thoughts on equality and the rights his people were stripped of. Kings’ audience consisted of the citizens of America that believed in equality for all races. In the “I Have a Dream” Speech, Martin Luther King, Jr used many metaphors, similes, analogies, Pathos, and Mythos to connect with his audience on a superior level and develop his tone.

The issue of racism in the mid twentieth century played a huge role in Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Throughout the 1960’s he gradually became a civil rights activist, participating in multiple boycotts and riots against

Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech titled “I Have a Dream” on August 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. In this speech, Dr. King is trying to persuade all races specifically Blacks and Whites to take action in order to gain freedom and harmony in the community. He tries to do this by using different techniques to appeal to his audience. It is shown that he uses pathos or emotional appeal throughout his speech. Also there are clear signs of logical appeal which is called logos. In addition, to logos and pathos, Dr. King uses ethical appeal to strengthen his argument. One of the key main techniques that Dr. King uses is figurative language which gives his speech more emphasis on why action is needed.

On August 28th, 1963, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr stood on the steps in front of the Lincoln Memorial and delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. He spoke passionately for 17 minutes on his views about human equality for African Americans at one of the largest civil rights demonstrations in history. King played a major role in ending the segregation for African Americans. His rhetorical language left an impact on America. Through his use of appeals like ethos, logos, pathos, and other rhetorical techniques. He influenced Americans to believe in the notion that all men are created equal.

On August 28th 1963, Civil Rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr. made his infamous “I Have a Dream” speech. In the speech, King confronts the mistreatment of the African American community and the lack of free will they contain in society. Throughout the mid-1900s, the Civil Rights Movement took place, influenced by centuries of cruelty towards the African Americans.. The most influential speech in the modern era was said in front of thousands of Civil Rights activists who all shared a common goal; to fight for the respect and to be treated as equals within the United States.

On August 28, 1963, in Washington D.C., Martin Luther King, Jr. gave the famous speech named “I Have a Dream.” In the speech, he used many forms of figurative language and literary devices. These helped him in getting his point across because the people he spoke it to could understand and agree with it.

Life was difficult for African Americans before the passage of civil rights laws recognizing equal rights. They were constantly insulted with comments of racism. The photograph of a lunch counter protest from the article “Miss. honors 50th anniversary of its Woolworth’s sit in” in the USA Today shows three protesters being abused by an angry mob. From the photograph we can conclude racism was a big thing blacks had to deal with every day.

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King jr delivered one of the most influential speeches in American history. America was in the thick of the Civil Rights Movement, and Martin Luther King jr desperately wanted to mend the deep tear in our country. King stood on the Lincoln memorial, and impacted the nation with his words. King spoke about the injustices of segregation and discrimination of African Americans that was taking place in the United States at that time. In his first statement King wrote, “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.” King was determined to unite as one, and cure our country of racial injustice through this speech, and relentlessness. King was able to inspire the nation with his words. In his speech, King masterfully includes uses of an ethical standpoint, an emotional connection, and a logical approach to prove that racism was not the intended basis of the United States.

Courage, strength, persuasion, and the way one speaks are only a few qualities of a great public figure. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. possessed these qualities and was a great public figure in the movement towards freedom for all in America. King went to college at the age of fifteen, ordained as a minister at age eighteen, and received his PHD at the age of twenty-six. He grew up in a time that segregated the African Americans from the whites, a place where he thought that all men were free, but truly were not. This caused him to want to stand against these inhuman rights that were being held from the African Americans. He believed in a nonviolent approach may work in order to become a justice system that is equal. Some of his white Americans did not believe in nonviolence towards his protest, so they fought nonviolence with violence. He told the protesters to fight “violence with nonviolence and hate with love” (Dr. Martin Luther King: A Historical Perspective). On August 28, 1963, King gave his infamous “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington in front of tens of thousands of people and viewers at home. He wanted to let the people know the true injustice that was going on during this time. He sympathized with all his listeners, no matter what race they were and acknowledged that some went through a lot in order to see listen to his speech in person. In his speech he mentions his hopes for the future, that one-day things will be different and equal for all.

In Martin Luther King Junior's speech “I Have a Dream,” he was able to get millions of people together to fight for one cause. His enthusiastic voice and hand gestures motivated a lot of people. In Dr.King's “ I Have a Dream” speech, he repeats things using his voice inflection. He puts emphasis on those words that make people really want change to happen. This piece of evidence is showing his speaking skills because he can make the words more exciting and enthusiastic which motivates people. When Dr.King says “ I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads to the palace of justice,” he raises his voice. This motivates people a lot. By using this imagery and raising his hands, Dr.King can emphasize the words and make

In the speech by Martin Luther King Jr. “I Have a Dream” develops the theme, it doesn't matter what is in the outside but the characteristics of a person by using the symbol of the bad check and the alluding to the constitution of the united states. As King is using the Constitution of the united states as an example of how all men were promised equality to all men King mentions, “Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds. ” King uses a bad check to symbolize the lack of civil rights African Americans received.

The marvelous use of ethos in this speech really brought out the problems that the blacks were faced with. The documents, government, and granted rights, said one thing but were they really meant for all? Even after the Emancipation Proclamation, Constitution, and Declaration of Independence, “the Negro still is not free”(“ American Rhetoric: Martin Luther King I Have a Dream”). All of these documents and promises made by the government about “freedom for all” wasn’t completely true because the blacks were given the same promise. They still had to sit in the back of the bus, and use different bathrooms, and go to segregated schools. King confronted the government about these unfair “rules” they produced by “ coming to cash this check”(“ American Rhetoric: Martin Luther King I Have a Dream”), meaning they have come to receive the promises they were given. The check was to give them “the riches of freedom” and “the security of justice“(“ American Rhetoric: Martin Luther King I Have a Dream”). He backs up his ethics by describing the real life actions he faced during the racist times like, physical violence and abusive