Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King's Speech

Throughout the world, many speeches are delivered that convey an essential message to the minds of the audience. Similarly, a revolutionary man delivered a speech to embolden and assert the audience in dissidence against the intolerable discrimination as well as the segregation of African Americans. Martin Luther King Jr., a prominent figure in the history of Civil Rights, recited his famous speech, “I Have A Dream.” He stood for the ideas of social equality. Throughout his speech, he used extensive rhetorical strategies that made it effective for the audience.

“Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation… But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free...the Negro is sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chain of discrimination,“ (King 261). During the civil rights movement Martin Luther King, Jr. had a speech about how they were treated and does not have much right like others, even they were supposed to be free long ago. During the 1960s, the group of people was treated poorly than another group of people. People who are treated unwantedly wanted a right, freedom, and change in society. Like what Martin Luther King told his audiences they were supposed to have the same

It's the 1960's; American society is being torn asunder by civil unrest involving the struggle for equality at home and an inhumane war in Vietnam. In the midst of such turbulence, Martin Luther King Junior argues that American involvement in the war in Vietnam is unjust. He poignantly examines the thesis using appeals to ethos logos and pathos.

"What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness, but love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice towards those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black."1

To begin, Martin Luther King Jr. was an African American rights activist and an impressive preacher. One day during a peaceful protest, he was arrested and sent to the Birmingham Jail. In jail, he wrote a detailed, metaphoric letter to the clergy men, speaking about the recent racism problems and how to fix it. He wrote page after page of issues, using several examples and many iconic phrases from history. Martin Luther King Jr. was not an uneducated fool, as many seen him. He knew that if he used ethos, pathos, and logos, he would get many people on his side, consisting his notable character known by the church, his ability to evoke sympathy, and his logical way to present this problem.

Martin Luther king Jr. uses the word hope in the sense of optimistic attitude and anticipation of positive results. He has used the word several times in his letter because it has the power to help people heal. King has mentioned it mostly in pathos and logos.

The central idea is that Martin Luther King Jr. persuaded a lot of people that they should go out and peacefully try and make a difference. In “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr. he is very compelling because he uses a lot of figurative language to explain his reasoning behind why African Americans should have the same rights as whites. The most important paragraph was the third paragraph. A quote that describes it well is “ One hundred years later, the life of the negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.”

As we have been discussing, rhetorical analysis asks us to look not only at what a text says, or the meaning of the text, but also at how that meaning is created in the text. For this assignment, I want to challenge you to not just analyze the “ethos, pathos, and logos” of a text, but to delve deeply into how the text moves us to identify with its message, and to think, feel, or act in a specific way.

Martin Luther King, Jr was the groundbreaker of civil rights in United States. He has devoted his life to the scuffle for the racial equality of the African American community. In August 28th, 1963 King presented one of his most powerful speeches entitled “I Have A Dream.” This speech was a serious footstep toward civil rights movement, because deprived of it King’s views of equality and freedom would never grasp the hearts and lives of his people, therefore they would never have the drive to stand up and defend themselves. During the speech, King effectively stated his opinions, and emotionally touched many listeners. This accomplishment came from his delicate approach to audience, his clever use of style, and his inspiring character.

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King jr delivered one of the most influential speeches in American history. America was in the thick of the Civil Rights Movement, and Martin Luther King jr desperately wanted to mend the deep tear in our country. King stood on the Lincoln memorial, and impacted the nation with his words. King spoke about the injustices of segregation and discrimination of African Americans that was taking place in the United States at that time. In his first statement King wrote, “I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.” King was determined to unite as one, and cure our country of racial injustice through this speech, and relentlessness. King was able to inspire the nation with his words. In his speech, King masterfully includes uses of an ethical standpoint, an emotional connection, and a logical approach to prove that racism was not the intended basis of the United States.

One hundred years after the abolishment of slavery, under a luminous summer sun, a large crowd assembles in between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. The activists hustle and bustle around, murmuring in anticipation and unaware of the exquisite masterpiece they are about to perceive. Soon though, a preacher by the name of Martin Luther King Jr. is introduced and steps to the podium. The crowd is overwhelmed by thunderous applause that is instantly silenced once he speaks the first words of a speech that is to be remembered for the rest of history. “I am happy,” (King 1) King starts and he has a splendid reason to be; after all, he inspired millions to justly defend their basic human rights. His adroit use of rhetoric such as

In these excerpts from his speech, he talks about his experiences as in what he has seen and heard. For example, he talks about how he watched both black and white men waging war against Vietnam, burning down huts and crushing men’s deepest dreams. Martin Luther King Jr. speaks about the cruel irony of this war when in Southwest Georgia and East Harlem the same thing is happening only its Us citizens fighting each other. This type of argument is compelling because it speaks of a horror that to most US citizens have no way to relate to and compares it to the Vietnam which citizens saw first hand. He also appeals to the hearts of the masses using their sympathy for the soldiers and connects this to the residents

First and foremost, Dr. King begins his speech by making it clear that he and the oppressed are American citizens and should be treated as such. By this statement alone, he questions the integrity of the American government and its loyal citizens. As through slavery and segregation, the Christian foundation of which America was built on has been discarded. What the founding fathers fought for and wrote in the Constitution mostly applied to white Americans. In a way, one can say that the minorities were fatherless because they did not look upon as American citizens. They were treated as the unwanted children of America and the Rosa Park bus incident which is the reason of his speech, portraits that perfectly.

The intended audience would have to be every single American person alive. Because, of the microphone stand we know it could be heard nationwide, and the police officers in the photo next to the speech, lets us know there was an immense crowd.

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered one of the most famously known speeches today, “I Have A Dream.” Martin Luther King Jr. starts his speech off to the public audience, which consists of both black and white individuals at his speech in Washington D.C. and also people that are watching the speech on television, by stating that he is happy to be here and this day will go down as history because of his speech. King Jr.’s purpose was to persuade the audience to play an essential role in ending segregation for African Americans and help encourage the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He uses different persuasion methods in his speech, “I Have A Dream.” King uses different modes of persuasion like ethos and pathos throughout his speech.