Rhetorical Analysis Of I Have A Dream Speech

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.

Martin Luther King Jr in his speech “I Have a Dream” furthers his purpose of demonstrating himself as a leader to his community in regard to fighting against slavery and segregation by effectively employing pathos, logos and ethos.

King’s speech; he puts himself in everyone else’s shoes by saying, “I am happy to join with you today.” By doing this, he captures their attention by telling them that “today will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.” Now that the audience is fully engaged, he moves towards the sole purpose of his speech. He does this by saying that after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, “100 years later the Negro still is not free.” He goes on to continue to list some of the issues which still occur today and ends his introduction with saying “now is the time” to start action. The body of his speech is primarily made up of the summarization of injustice that the African American people face. He brings up the fact that some people are unable to vote and the police brutality’s which of course support his argument. He makes it personal by giving his insight of his hopes and dreams for the future by stating that his kids will “not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” The speech’s conclusion properly reviews Martin Luther King Jr.’s points and stimulates the emotions of the audience. He does this by using the repetition of the phrase “let freedom ring” to rejoin with the audience and really emphasizes his belief of the importance of freedom and injustice. Finally, the last line of his speech, “all of God 's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and

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

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech was an astonishing display of language that persuaded the American nation to dissolve the barrier that stood between equality for all in our great nation. The true beauty in Dr. King’s speech rests in his ability to persuade the audience at the Lincoln Memorial, as well as, the nation to believe that it is a necessity to rid the exigence of segregation. Through the usage of metaphors that engage the reader, King uses language as an instrument to control the audience’s emotions and fuel their ideas that they can be the ones to make the change to propel our nation from one mediocrity to greatness. In his speech, King uses an eloquent blend between symbols and emotions through metaphors to persuade the audience that there is no true constraint that can hold them from achieving their goal and use the historical March on Washington as the solution to this exigence that failed to wither away one hundred years ago when Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

Martin Luther King Jr uses repetition, concrete diction, and tone in his speech to distinguish between the ways someone acts, gets treated based on the colour of their skin and the ways that they feel. In his speech, King says “I have a dream” and “let freedom ring” a lot to show repetition. He also uses concrete detail when explaining how the blacks no longer want to be disrespected or be under their discriminating rules. King’s final way of expressing himself is through tone, he changes his tone when saying what him and his people want. The purpose of this speech is for people of all colours to understand that King tried to spread a message that he wanted a better community without racial discrimination and rights for black people.

In the year of 1963, when racial discrimination was evident in the community, Dr. King delivered two of his most noted works called the “I have a Dream” speech and “Letter from Birmingham Jail” to the public. These two pieces, quickly following each other in succession, were literary works of Dr. King devoted to the cause of racial equality and used eclectic devices and appeals to achieve that goal. King’s purpose bolstered in his “Letter” and “Dream” speech by key rhetorical devices are supported by audience oriented diction and appeals.

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.

Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech was written and delivered on August 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and remains one of the most historically influential and world-changing speeches of all time. Fifty-two years later, this speech is considered to be one of the best persuasive speeches ever delivered. Dr. King is not only attempting to persuade his audience to understand the plight of minorities in the United States, but he is also attempting to encourage a nation to change for the betterment of mankind. Through the effective use of several literary elements, Dr. Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech prompted Caucasian Americans to look closer at the country 's dismal record of civil rights for black Americans and other minorities.

The speech “I Have a Dream,” written and spoken by Martin Luther King Jr., is intended for the Black population and racist individuals. He was an activist who became a well-known leader of the Civil Rights Movement. It was delivered on August 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. This speech about equality for Black people consists of dreams, freedom, satisfaction, and justice. By using anaphoras, allusions and metaphors, King persuades the United States to strive and fight for the privileges that Black people deserve.

On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. electrified America when he presented his “I have a dream” speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial at Washington, DC. The speech was presented on a march for one of the largest political rallies for human rights in the history of United States (ourdocuments.gov). With the use of many rhetorical strategies to elaborate King’s message and purpose, this speech is widely considered to be a masterpiece of rhetoric. The speech also presents the three modes of persuasion--ethos, logos and pathos--strongly so that the message is delivered to the audience effectively.

“I Have a Dream” is a speech by one of the most famous figures of the 20th century in the United States of America, Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) who was an American Baptist minister, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is well known for his struggle in the advancement of civil rights using non-violent civil disobedience based on his religious beliefs. Thousands of supporters showed up to hear this great speech on August 23, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC.

Civil Rights activist and Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., discusses the issue of segregation and discrimination in his renowned speech, “I Have a Dream…,” in hopes of bringing awareness to the issues faced by the black race and their determination to gain equality. His assertive tone appeals to the listener’s emotions and rationality and his strong use of figurative language, such as metaphor, anaphora and pathos – support his morals.

On the Lincoln memorial in Washington D.C on August, 28th of 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. broadcasted his famous, “I Have a Dream” speech to a crowd full of civil right activists and protesters striving for an end to discrimination. King provided his powerful dream of “all of god’s children”(para.6 &24) being equal no matter their skin color or religion. Martin Luther King endeavored to promote the awareness of political, economic and social discrimination against African Americans using vivid imagery and powerful parallel sentence structure. In Martin Luther Kings “I Have a Dream” active rhetoric speech, he portrays more than just a symbol of hope but a step forward to make equality a reality.

As he delivered his speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial he analogizes Lincoln in his speech, “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the emancipation proclamation.” (King) His use of Lincoln brought authority into his speech. Lincoln was a powerful and great president who empowered the American people throughout the civil war. He gained the trust of America and established a new sense of freedom. Martin Luther King is invoking the authority of Lincoln and his view on civil rights. This is providing a strong ethos appeal and establishing credibility with his audience.