Rhetorical Analysis Of MLK Speech

Kennedy utilized an empathetic tone throughout his speech to gain his audience’s trust and validate their emotions. After the assassination of his brother, he could relate to the pain of the black audience in a way only he could. Kennedy reminds the audience that “I had a member of my family killed, but he was killed by a white man.” Kennedy sought to gain their trust by reminding them that he knows their feelings because he recently went through a similar tragedy. If Kennedy’s audience trusted him, they would be less likely to revolt. He reveals to the crowd that he understands their temptation to be filled with “hatred and

Kennedy advocates greater civil rights for African Americans. Because of increasing violence and chaos between whites and blacks, Kennedy felt the need to address the nation concerning racism. In John F. Kennedy's speech, The Nation Faces a Moral Crisis in Regard to Race, Kennedy hoped his audience would consider and support equal rights for all men “I hope that every American, regardless of where he lives, will stop and examine his conscience about this and other related incidents […] This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds […] It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights

Robert F. Kennedy started his speech by informing everyone that Martin Luther King Jr. was shot in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968. He continued talking about how “Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and justice between fellow human beings”. Kennedy then asked everyone in the crowd what kind of nation they were and what direction they want to move in. In Robert F. Kennedy's speech he said:

Kennedy, it is clear that the audience to his speech feel empathy for Martin Luther King Jr and all of the people who his death affected. He states, “ I have some very sad news for all of you, and, I think, sad news for all of our fellow citizens, and people who love peace all over the world; and that is that Martin Luther King was shot and was killed tonight in Memphis, Tennessee.” (RFK’s speech) Kennedy’s statement breaks the news of Martin Luther King’s death to many people of the USA and makes them feel empathy for Martin Luther King. This inspires people to take action in the world because it helps them realize that things need to be changed and that Martin Luther King shouldn’t die for nothing. Also toward the beginning of the speech, Kennedy inspires the audience to take action. He explains, “Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and to justice between fellow human beings. He died in the cause of that effort. In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, it's perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in.” (RFK’s speech) These examples support the argument because they show how Kennedy’s words inspire the world to take action.

Kennedy also brought the past into his speech. He spoke about Americas founding ideas and how the other countries did not support them. Kennedy wanted to change that. He hoped that every nation would put their differences aside and support each other’s views on freedoms.

On the night of April 4 1968, people gathered to listen to the wise words of Robert F. Kennedy. What many thought was going to be a political speech soon took a twist, and the news of Martin Luther King’s assassination was announced and out to the public. Gasps and tears quickly erupted while everyone was gathered around Robert Kennedy’s pickup truck as he stood high above all trying to bring hope and comfort to those who lost someone that fought for their equality, rights and freedom. Kennedy's speech was powerful and successful because of the way he showed empathy to the crowed. He related the tragic scenario to his own life bringing comfort to the many broken hearted and showed both sides of the situation using contrasting forms. Lastly, Kennedy’s speech consisted of repetition with the use of anaphora.

On April 4, 1968 Robert F. Kennedy began his political campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in Indiana. Before boarding his plane, Kennedy found out that Martin Luther King, Jr. had been shot in Memphis, Tennessee. At his arrival in Indianapolis, Kennedy was informed that Martin Luther King, Jr. had died from the incident. Kennedy was scheduled to speak to a large African-American audience, and was advised by the Indianapolis Police to not speak. The Chief of Police warned Kennedy that he would not be responsible for whatever may happen, making this speech even more dangerous. Kennedy chose to ignore the warning signs, went into the conference campaign, and spoke to the audience. Robert Kennedy, putting his political aspirations aside, advises the Indianapolis African-American audience not to retaliate to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination with violence, but with prayer, understanding, and love as Martin Luther King, Jr. taught. This is done through the use of motivational appeals, rhetorical devices, and expressing to the audience a purpose.

While talking about how the US can be bitter about MLK’s death, he says, “We can move in that direction as a country, in greater polarization -- black people amongst blacks and white amongst whites, filled with hatred towards one another.” America is at a crossroad- it can either continue discrimination and loathing, or, as he says later on, America can learn from this experience and move towards peace and equality. Using plain folks appeal and parallelism, Kennedy shows the need to act responsibly- the brighter future exists so long as the right steps are taken. After talking about MLK, Kennedy states that “we will have difficult times in the future. It is not the end of violence; it is not the end of lawlessness; and it’s not the end of disorder.” By using parallelism, plain folks appeal, and repetition, he shows his audience that the civil right leader’s death won’t be the last- the worst has yet to come. It’s not only them who this rule of life applies to, but him, and the entire country, as well. Later on in the speech, he encourages everyone to “... dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the lift of this world.” Kennedy, in his final statements, refers to the Greeks in a historical allusion while endorsing the idea of peacefully going about MLK’s death. America’s current situation is not a foreign one- people ages

On April 4, 1968, right after Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, civil rights supporter Robert F. Kennedy, brother of John F. Kennedy, gave a speech in Indianapolis, Indiana to civil rights supporters and supporters of Martin Luther King Jr to calm everyone down about Martin Luther King's assassination, not let anyone hate others just because of who assassinated Martin Luther King, and let everyone know that there is still peace in the world even without Martin Luther King. In this speech, Robert F. Kennedy uses a lot of rhetorical devices to achieve these goals. These rhetorical devices include pathos, parallel structure, and juxtaposition. Kennedy frequently uses pathos to calm everyone down about King's assassination. One example

RFK made a speech about MLK and he had to tell everyone that MLK had been shot and killed. The central idea of “On the death of Martin Luther King Jr.” RFK wants us to know that we can all come together and instead of acting in riots and anger we can act in peace like MLK wanted us to. RFK wanted us to know that we can act in peace and come together as one and not fight but be at peace to continue the dream of MLK. The most compelling speech was On the death of Martin Luther King Jr.” speech. I said this speech was most compelling because RFK wanted us to know that we should treat everyone equal.

Kennedy’s speech, “On the Mindless Menace of Violence” was also spoken on April 5, 1968, the day after the tragic assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., in the city of Cleveland, Ohio. The purpose of this speech was mainly to inform the society that violence, high is inside of every single American, is slowly destroying the society. Furthermore, he urges that Americans stand together United as one to prevent violence by truly believing in the equality of all men. Kennedy uses antithesis by stating, “Whenever any American's life is taken by another American unnecessarily—whether it is done in the name of the law or in defiance of the law, by one man or a gang, in cold blood or in passion, in an attack of violence or in response to violence—whenever we tear at the fabric of life which another man has painfully and clumsily woven for himself and his children, the whole nation is degraded” (Kennedy). The power in this quote speaks to the entire nation. It states that violence, no matter who is attacking or being attacked, is still violence, and, with it, the nation cannot survive. Also, Kennedy asks multiple rhetorical questions to the audience, leading to the fact that violence does not accomplish anything. In addition, he delivers the powerful line, “No wrongs have ever been righted by riots or civil disorders. A sniper is only a coward, not a hero; and an uncontrolled, uncontrollable mob is only the voice of madness, not the voice of reason” (Kennedy). With

MLK’s letter was directed toward the Clergymen who criticized his work and ideas, but his audience was geared towards white men in general.

I am bewildered by the fact that one of the greatest American speeches ever written is unknown to the majority of the American public. A speech so powerful that it prevented a major city from rioting. The words of Robert F. Kennedy on April 4th, 1968 in Indianapolis, Indiana still persists strong in the sight of his burial in Arlington Cemetery and in the minds and hearts of the individuals who got to witness this live. The speech was known to be so dynamic that some scholarly institutions like that of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Texas A&M regard the speech as the seventeenth greatest American speech of the twentieth century (Wisconsin-Madison & Texas A&M). Whether it is your first or fifteenth time reading or watching the speech, it is still fascinating to grasp how Robert F. Kennedy is able to convey his message of unity and peace in such an equivocal way in order to try to prevent the city of Indianapolis, Indiana from rioting in the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. I believe Kennedy accomplishes this through the usages of rhetorical devices such as ethos, logos and pathos. To further understand this principle, the reader would have to understand the context which led up to the speech and how it affects the speech itself.

Similarly, Robert Kennedy’s speech also concerns with the assassination of a great man – civil activist Martin Luther King. In his speech, Kennedy, as in Mark Antony’s eulogy, also uses repetition, especially anaphora, to augment and stress the purpose of his speech – that peace and solidarity, instead of anger and division, should be the response to such a devastating event. In his speech, he describes the appropriate course of action in response the recent assassination, “What we need in the United States is not division;” urges Kennedy, “what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love and wisdom, and

"Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country," is a well-known quote among Americans that has so much meaning behind it. John F. Kennedy was a president for the United States and loved among many American citizens. His speeches were always thought out and used many rhetoric devices to reel his audience in. Therefore, making his speeches brilliant and known the citizens of America. By going over the main points of rhetoric JFK used in his innagural speech like antithesis, pathos, and the theme one can realize how deep the speech actually is.