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.

In the beginning of this speech, King used a simile that really popped out. Martin said, “It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.” Here he is speaking about the Emancipation Proclamation and that it gave hope to Blacks. King was explaining how the signing of this was like a “breakthrough” for blacks. It gave blacks hope that one day they would be completely free, except even one hundred years after the signing of this by Abraham Lincoln, colored citizens were still not treated equally. He uses this figurative

"I Have A Dream" is a mesmerizing speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It was delivered to the thousands of Americans on August 28, 1963, during the March on Washington. Aimed at the entire nation, King’s main purpose in this speech was to convince his audience to demand racial justice towards the mistreated African Americans and to stand up together for the rights afforded to African American under the Constitution. To further convey this purpose more effectively, King cleverly makes use of the rhetorical devices — ethos, pathos and logos — using figurative language such as metaphors and repetition as well as various other techniques e.g. organization, parallel construction and choice of title.

Martin Luther King Jr. was the man who wrote the speech entitled “I have a dream” and presented it to nearly 250,000 people on August 23, 1963. In that speech, MLK Jr. used several different types of figurative language/rhetorical devices in order to convey his message to the people on a deeper level. These devices include personification, allusion, symbolism, hyperbole, metaphor, simile, and anaphora.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech is one of the most successful and most legendary speeches in United States history. Martin Luther King Jr. was a masterful speaker, who established a strong command of rhetorical strategies. By his eloquent use of ethos, logos, and pathos, as well as his command of presentation skills and rhetorical devices, King was able to persuade his generation that "the Negro is not free" (King 1). His speech became the rallying cry for civil rights and lives on as an everlasting masterpiece.

Martin Luther King Jr. was the man who wrote the speech entitled “I have a dream” and presented it to nearly 250,000 people on August 23, 1963. In that speech, MLK Jr. used several different types of figurative language/rhetorical devices in order to convey his message to the people on a deeper level. These devices include personification, allusion, symbolism, hyperbole, metaphor, simile, and anaphora.

In a period of time where few were willing to listen, Martin Luther King, Jr. stood proudly, gathered and held the attention of over 200,000 people. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech was very effective and motivational for African Americans in 1963. Many factors affected Kings’ speech in a very positive manner; the great emotion behind the words, delivering the speech on the steps of the memorial of the President who defeated slavery. And not only was this message beautifully written for the hope of African Americans, but the underlying message for white people, revolution and peace. To stimulate emotion from both parties of his listeners, King used a selection of rhetorical devices such as allusions to historical

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.

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.

In Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech, King makes use of an innumerable amount of rhetorical devices that augment the overall understanding and flow of the speech. King makes the audience feel an immense amount of emotion due to the outstanding use of pathos in his speech. King also generates a vast use of rhetorical devices including allusion, anaphora, and antithesis. The way that King conducted his speech adds to the comprehension and gives the effect that he wants to rise above the injustices of racism and segregation that so many people are subjected to on a daily basis.

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.

Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his speech, “I Have a Dream” in front of a million audience back in 1963. His speech served as a call for civil and economic rights for Americans and a call for an end to the racism that happened in the country. His speech has become an inspiration for people to fight for justice up until now. To this end, King uses rhetorical devices to address various points in support of his speech.

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.

In King’s “I Have a Dream” speech his goal during his speech was to get through to the people so they know how this affects him and other African Americans. King does this speech first of all because he feels as if they are still not treated right even after the Emancipation Proclamation. King is also doing this speech to stand up for the people who are too scared to stand up for themselves.  King's expected outcome is that the people marching will be equal to the people who do not have a reason to march or speak up for themselves. Martin Luther King uses diction, figurative language, and repetition in order to appeal to his audience during his speech.

Rhetorical devices are the techniques and tools of language applied in a writing or speech so as convey meaning (Harris, 28). Brilliant use of rhetorical devices nourishes, enriches and brings clarity to a text. Literary writers use literary tools to distinguish a literary work from the non-literary one as well as creating an effective literary work. According to Harris, rhetorical devices are not only used in literary texts, but they are also used in speech, so as to improve the effectiveness of the speech to the listeners as well as making it more appealing (Harris, 39). Rev. Martin Luther King who lived between 1929 and 1968 was one of the core leaders of the A.M.C.R.M (American Civil Rights Movement) and he was famous for his non-violence protests advocates, in America. The speech "I have a Dream" is one of his historical watersheds that he delivered in a remarkable day, March 28th August 1963 while at the Memorial of Lincoln Washington DC. In order to make his speech majestic and make it memorable, Rev. Martin Luther used various rhetorical flourishes such as repititionto engage his audience.