Rhetorical Analysis Of I Have A Dream Speech

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. became a civil rights activist shortly after attaining his doctorate in theology from Boston University. He later went on to deliver one of the finest speeches in United States history on August 28, 1963 entitled “I Have a Dream.” Over 200,000 people arrived to hear King deliver this speech. King uses a number of rhetorical devices to accentuate his point such as metaphors, antitheses, as well as anaphora’s. In addressing the nation Dr. Martin Luther King Jr effectively uses the appeals of Ethos, Pathos and Logos to convince the audience to take action in demanding racial justice for African-Americans; He envisioned a nation uniting as one to defend the rights of every ethnicity under the constitution.

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.

100 years after the delivery of the Emancipation Proclamation delivered by President Abraham Lincoln, a young man by the name of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. also known as the father of the modern civil rights movement, would stand on stage in Washington D.C. and deliver a speech to over 250,000 people known as the “I Have a Dream” speech. Arguably, one of the most memorable speeches of all time, Dr. King would raise the issues of social injustice, police brutality, and racial segregation. Hoping to one day see equality, unity, and equity prevail in the United States. As promised by our forefathers, all Americans would have unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Dr. King would resonate this message in hopes that all would hear and that things would change for the better.

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.

This speech was delivered in Washington by MLK. MLK wants the American people to treat blacks equally and not judge them by their skin color but by their character. He thinks this will bring America together. His philosophy makes more sense because his goal is to gain equal rights in a peaceful way which is why he says “I Have a Dream”, it also shows that he’s hoping that this will happen as a result of peaceful protests.

King wrote one of the most influential speeches ever, and to be able to see if it was effective, an analytical tool could be used called The Rhetorical Triangle which helps the identify the speaker, the audience, and the subject in the speech. The speaker in “I have a dream” is Martin Luther King, Jr. The audience of the speech would be anyone during that time period who believed in the idea of cultures mixing. And the purpose of the speech was to encourage hope in people. He wished to unite white people and black people in peace

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.

    “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Junior is a widely known speech that demonstrates the power of rhetoric and the effect it can have on the audience. This speech was written and presented by Martin Luther King Jr. in the year 1963, right in front of the Lincoln Memorial. He uses symbolism, metaphorical imagery, and powerful diction to create an impact on the audience. These rhetorical strategies demonstrate ethos, pathos, and logos to help the audience Martin Luther King Jr’s message and purpose.

was very courageous but not through physical strength but through the power of his thoughts and words. In the story, it says “ M.L. first planned to become a doctor but decided he could help others better as a lawyer” This shows he had bravery because he was thinking of the goodwill of others before his own even though he may be risking his own life. Next off in the text it states “He wanted to learn more, to deepen his understanding of theology, and to prove himself at a white seminary” This was courageous because most White people back then differentiated African-Americans because of their skin color. At a white school he would be treated very differently by not only the students but also the teachers, so that would take a big leap of courage to do. Pursuing this further, in the text, it also states that “.....ready to take action against segregation, asked the scholarly, soft-spoken preacher to lead their protest.” In this small portion of the text, the preacher is meant to be Martin Luther King. But this shows bravery because, as we all know based on today’s society, Martin Luther King had chosen to lead their protest. But having courage shaped him into a man who had a strong and brave heart. That led him to fight for what he believed in. That brings me to my final ending paragraph.

So in 1955, Martin Luther King started the civil rights movement for non-violent protest against the whites for not making blacks not socially equal. Martin had been arrested for these protests and was criticized for his ways of nonviolence. He wrote a letter to white clergymen who criticized him for being “unwise and untimely.” Martin Luther also presented his “I Have a Dream” speech on the Lincoln memorial steps. In this essay, I will compare and contrast critical information of the two passages.

In the speech of martin luther king’s “I have a dream” he starts to talk about what is wrong with this nation and how we should start to change the way we think about black people, and that they are just the same and as intelligent as white people.

He alludes to the Emancipation Proclamation in which Lincoln decreed all slaves to be free men. He invokes the Declaration of Independence about “the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of

The, “I Have a Dream” speech given by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is arguably the most emotionally moving and persuasive speech of all time. But, to understand the speech one must first understand the context. At this time, the slave era was far gone but, not forgotten. Negro men and women were still experiencing segregation in the 1960’s. There was negro bathrooms, negro schools, negro water fountains, and even negro restaurants. Martin Luther King Jr. was an influential black man who took on the fight for equality. King presents his speech to a crowded Lincoln memorial — the same Lincoln who delivered the Emancipation Proclamation which freed enslaved Negros in the south nearly a hundred years before. King’s speech, later known as the, “I

Accordingly, Martin Luther King, in this speech spoke of injustice, preached with passion, and stressed the importance of non-violent protest so the voices could be heard. The author often spoke of how police brutality was the norm and that someday this would change. People believed in his every word and his every action. Martin Luther King, in his speech said, "With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountains of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that will be free one day” (King). The structured remarks demonstrated

Picture yourself living in a society where people are judged and hated upon because of the pigment of their skin, terrible right? Enslaved, criticized, and alienated because there were “different” from everyone else. Even when granted freedom, colored men and women were still treated as if they were peasants to America. Martin Luther King Jr’s speech had the power to motivate this broken society to end their racist ways. After being lied to for many of years about being “free”, King decided that during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, he would put an end to it all. After hundred of years of being hurt by the “manacles of segregation and the chains of determination”(“ American Rhetoric: Martin Luther King I