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.

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.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech was given on August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial to over 250,00 people and was broadcasted on TV for the people to see. It was one of the largest marches that Washington D.C. had ever seen. His message was a call to end racism in the United States and demand for civil and economic rights. Dr King's speech was highly successful because he used many different modes of persuasion to convince the American people to agree with his position on certain issues. The three main certain modes of persuasion that he used in his speech are logos, pathos, and ethos. The aim of Logos is to appeal to an audience by convincing them with reason or logic. Pathos aims at encompassing the emotional response from the audience and reduce the audiences ability to judge. Ethos deals with the character of the speaker, and also convinces the observers that the speaker and author is reliable.

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.

We have all heard Martin Luther King’s famous speech, I have a Dream. His main goal was to convince everyone across the country to comprehend racial equality and to reinforce a solution for those individuals already engaged in the Civil Rights movement. You could say his speech was part of what made the movement successful. By him taking a stand, much attention was put into the problems that were going on. He was and still is viewed as an important leader who was an activist in the Civil Rights Movement. Here we will basically dissect parts of his speech and define the points he was making and trying to make. Throughout the paper, you will see how Dr. King uses Ethos, Pathos, and Logos to show his audience and make them feel what went on.

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.

In Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, he uses the elements of ethos, logos, and pathos to gain credibility, to influence the audience’s reasoning, and to relate to the audience. Ethos helps Dr. King gain credibility in the sense that someone or something famous agrees with him. Logos helps Dr. King by using factual information that the people will believe. Pathos helps Dr. King by relating to the reader on a more personal level. All of these rhetoric techniques are laced into every sentence in Dr. King’s speech and it impacts the listeners greatly.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a Dream" speech was a pivotal speech given in response to the problem of segregation in the United States. In the speech numerous examples of logos, ethos, and pathos were extremely prevalent. The first part of the essay will consist of the analyzation for Dr. Kings’ speech and its structure. Next, the use of pathos, ethos, and logos will be clarified to show how Dr. King used these techniques to get his message across to the audience. Finally, the conclusion of his speech will be analyzed, and it will be shown it solidified the message he was trying to convey to the world.

On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. the great Civil Rights activist, delivered one of the most powerful, influential, and famous speeches, I Have a Dream, to thousands of citizens at the Washington D.C. Lincoln Memorial. Dr. King 's memorable speech occurred in a dire moment of the Civil Rights movement. His argumentative speech persuaded people in opposition to civil rights by using different methods of rhetorical appeal. Dr. King 's speech was so interesting, because of the combination of rhetorical appeal styles he uses, such as ethos, logos, and pathos.

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.

On August 28th 1963 one of the most influential speeches was presented by Martin Luther King Jr. This speech is recognized as his “I Have a Dream” speech. The way Martin Luther King outlined this speech was very creative and meaningful. It also had a purpose. He outlined the speech using many different types of rhetorical devices such as logos, pathos, and ethos. He uses this strategy so that it will have a bigger impact on the audience so they will understand the purpose of his speech.

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