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Rhetorical Analysis Of I Have A Dream Speech

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“We may all have come in different ships, but we’re in the same boat now,” said Martin Luther King Jr. on August 28, 1963. On this day, Martin Luther King Jr presented one of the most rhetorically inspiring speeches delivered to-date. King gave his iconic “I have a dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington talking about jobs and freedom. In this speech, King synthesized portions of his earlier speeches to focus on the necessity for change and the potential for American society. When King first began the speech, he imposed that his speech would go down as the greatest demonstration for freedom in American history. King’s speech is known for its sweeping oratory, with a few phrases standing out and quoted frequently (Clardy). King’s quotation of the Declaration of Independence echoed the essence of the social contracts reflecting on “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” but in the lines following, the speech had more of a reflection of a revolutionary nature (Clardy). The speech was given not only to black Americans but to all Americans to promote the idea of equality. Having this audience, King made sure his speech appealed it to all Americans so all would listen. Martin Luther King Jr’s speech not only contained civil rights issues, it involving many rhetorical strategies. King wanted to stir the emotions of the American people who were still holding on to the idea that freedom and equality could exist without having segregation. In the opening statement,

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