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.

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.

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.

In the most paramount time of racism in America, there a voice that enacted a call for change. Martin Luther King was a Baptist minister and social activist who spent countless years, fighting for a civil rights. It was on the date of August 28th, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln memorial is where King made his leap of faith and spoke out on the injustice of African Americans. His dream for African Americans to be equal, appealed to the emotions of his audience. The desire to live a civil life and not be oppressed was felt by many. Martin Luther King delivered a speech that would immensely make an impact on the country.

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.

One of the things he says to appeal to their emotions are, “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” (King, M. L. Jr. (1963, Aug.28) Para 12) He also says, “When will we be satisfied? 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.” (King, M. L. Jr. (1963, Aug.28) Para 9)

    “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.

Martin Luther King used logos in his letter to birmingham. Logos is an interest to rationale, and is a method for convincing an audience by reason. Martin conveyed “We diligently urge people to obey the Supreme court decision of 1954 outlawing segregation in the public school”(Martin Luther King). This discussions about a particular certainty the Supreme Court chose in 1954. This help his motivation since he faced isolation, much the same as the Supreme Court did when they prohibited isolation in public school. Another kind of enticement to logos is more verifiable. It requests that perusers see into the displayed realities. In citing an older African American lady,"My feets is tired but my soul is at rest"(Martin Luther King), Dr. King makes such an interest. He specifies that her statement is syntactically mistaken, stressing her absence of knowledge and his consciousness of such. Why attract awareness to this information? To bring up that even the uneducated know and sense the greatness of the bad form of isolation.

The “I have a dream” speech delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the greatest speeches given during the civil rights movement. Appealing to the audiences’ emotions plays a crucial role in the act of persuasion and with his utilization of pathos, King does just that. “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” (King). The reference to his children helps charge an emotional image into the listeners mind, more so because they are likely to pity the way the actions of others affect the younger generation.

In his speech he used sensitive words to the audience and intelligent use of style which made people cheer for him, touch their hearts, and agreed with him. In his speech “I Have A Dream” he said “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” What he said means that he has a dream that his four little children will one day live in a place where they will not be giving their opinion by the color of their skin but by their behavior.

encouraged his audience not to resort to violence when taking a stand, but to instead use peace and “soul force” to handle issues.

He appeals to his fellow African-Americans to continue the fight for the end of segregation. He tells them to continue fighting to put a stop to the horrible brutalities that have happened to their families. It is because of segregation that families have been attacked and have lost loved ones do to hate. With his appeal to emotion he is able to convey a message to his followers to keep fighting and appeal to the emotions of the clergymen to end segregation.

A sense of hope is also created by stressing King’s vision of a future society filled with racial justice and equality for all types of people. He appeals to the sympathetic emotions of his listeners by stating his dream of living in a world where his “four little children … will not be judged by the color of their skin” and “little black [children] will be able to join hands with little white [children] as sisters and brothers”. King

‘I Have a Dream’ by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr in 1963 is recognised as one of the most memorable speeches in American history. It was delivered to an audience of more than 200,000 civil rights supporters on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial at a time of great civil unrest and increasing racial tensions to encourage white and black people working together to achieve racial peace and harmony. In the speech ‘I Have a Dream’, King successfully appeals to the audience by using ethos that made it very effective in persuading. Martin Luther was an incredible advocate for the civil rights movement which gives his words immediately weight.

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