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.

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.

In 1963, minister and rights activist, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave a speech in front of Lincoln memorial to bring awareness to the unfairness of injustice for black people. King's speech was an effort to try and mandate the coming together of the black and white race and finally have the equality between us all be put into force for a free nation. As the speech left King’s mouth and entered 250,000 citizens ears, it left them to think about what point he was trying to make because he uses pathos, logos, and ethos.

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.

Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the highest regarded civil rights activists in the mid-1900s. His two texts, “I Have a Dream” and “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, were greatly influential on the fight for African American rights. The way that King was able to persuade his audience, and preserve his their attention, was through using logos and pathos. Logos use a clear line of reasoning supported by evidence, and pathos use charged language in order to prod at the listener’s emotions. In his two pieces mentioned above, King uses these appeals in different areas and to different extremes.

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.

Logos or logic, was used to give data and statistics such as the amount of bombing in Birmingham or the methods that Martin Luther King jr. uses to fight against segregation. Logos was used mostly when distinguishing between laws that cannot and should not be broken and laws that can be broken because those laws themselves are out of harmony with moral laws. Dr. Martin Luther King then furthers

Martin Luther King’s use of Pathos and Logos in “I have a Dream” showcases how he uses the devices to inspire others, compared to how he uses these rhetorical devices in “Letter From Birmingham Jail” to persuade the Clergymen. Martin Luther King, also referred to MLK, uses both Pathos and Logos to fit the audiences and occasions for each text. His uses of Pathos and Logos in these two texts are examples of how words can inspire change.

King used numerous examples of pathos, ethos, and logos throughout his speech. Pathos appeals to audience’s emotions and feelings, whereas ethos relies on the author's credibility. Logos are used in heated discussions to help get a message across. Pathos often rely on the use of logos and ethos to be effective. An example of pathos used in his speech is how he could guide the emotion of the crowd to make them feel sympathetic towards African Americans. He could make the crowd understand how segregation was tearing the country apart and made people have feelings toward the subject. He stated, “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”. (King) He talked as a parent wanting the best for his children which emotionally touches people because many people want their children to have a better life than they did growing up. He used ethos in the beginning of the speech when he stated” Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. In this example, he refers to President Lincoln and the great work he had done to abolish slavery. This example provides credibility to his speech because he referenced president Abraham Lincoln who played a major role in the ending of slavery. He also referenced the Declaration of Independence, the most important piece of literature ever written for this

This quote from Dr.King’s speech was one of the few quotes that used logos. “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the emancipation proclamation.” (King,261). Dr.King used this to state that one hundred years ago, America’s president at the time promised all african americans they would be freed from the chains of slavery and be given equal rights but were instead merely loosened by the jim Crow laws. Dr Kings used a fair share of logos as well as pathos. Dr Kings use of Logos was quite powerful but not quite as strong as his use of Pathos. “I have a dream that one day, down in alabama, with its vicious racists, with it’s governor having his lips drip with the words“interposition” and “nullification” - one day right there in Alabama little black boys and little black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and little white girls as sisters and brothers.”(king,264).The appeal to the audience is dr. King saying that one day even the states most racist will become some of the most calm 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

From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial more than two score years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King electrified America with his momentous "I Have a Dream" speech. 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 all 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.

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