Abigail McCranie
Cody Griebel
Final Paper
25, May 2023
Fighting against injustice and oppression accomplishes more in our society than some may realize. Oppression is shown in books, movies, and music and spoken against in different forms of protests. Injustice and oppression often shows itself in works of literature.
To kill a mockingbird was a literary text highlighting the unjust treatment of African Americans in the 1930’s. The book used fictional examples to publicize the inner workings of the justice system, including the racist layers. The unjust conviction of Tom Robinson guides the story. Atticus Finch displays what the American justice system should aspire to be, standing up for justice when the majority disagrees, and being non
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Martin Luther King Jr. Wrote and recited a speech fighting against segregation, which is a form of oppression. Martin Luther King extensively uses metaphors and figurative language in his speech. He fights oppression in his speeches, specifically in America, protesting and opposing racism. His use of metaphors such as “We refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.” This analogy is used to compare the march on Washington, to a cashed check for rights promised to all men in the constitution. He refuses to believe that America cannot provide these rights to all men, in other words, believing that the bank of justice has gone bankrupt. King's speech was performed and broadcasted to thousands of Americans to oppose oppression. King’s speech also influenced people to fight for oppression in a peaceful manner. He was well known for his peaceful protests, and his speeches encouraging peace. His methods of peace not only were effective for his cause, but helped him gain support from many people who believed in nonviolent protests. His “I Have a Dream” Speech, he expressed to the people his visions for a peaceful future, using pathos to sway his audience. His speech was mainly to spread awareness towards the problems of injustice and segregation , and played a viable role in the civil rights …show more content…
When he broke free of his handicaps, he was breaking free from the government's oppressive system. He enjoyed his freedom before being shot soon afterwards by the government. Although his rebellion was unsuccessful, he inspired others to question the system and break free similarly to everyday life. Protests, speeches and literary texts all inspire people to fight for their rights, and to not follow something that is unjust regardless of the popular
Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most well-known leaders of the civil rights movement. He was an amazing man and inspired many people. His most popular speech is his "I have a Dream " speech. He also wrote a letter while inside the Birmingham Jail when he was arrested for his nonviolent protest against segregation. When reading "Letter from Birmingham Jail" one may notice that Martin Luther King Jr. used many instances of logos, ethos, pathos, and even kairos.
Martin Luther King Jr. and other African Americans put themselves through harsh cruelty and dangerous situations to receive what they deserved and what African Americans along with everyone else were entitled to. Martin Luther King Jr. uses many meaningful and interesting quotes in his letter from the Birmingham Jail. In his letter, he discusses injustice and the challenges African Americans were facing during the Birmingham Campaign. For an example, King Jr. demonstrates the hard work African Americans face when he says “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” He uses logical appeals when he uses the term oppressor and oppressed.
Have you ever wondered just how powerful and moving words can be? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s speech, “I Have a Dream” as well as his “Letters From Birmingham Jail” are full of powerful and inspiring wording. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr takes advantage of this wording to help bring to light the issues that black people in America were being subjected to, so that people would feel inspired to take action. Martin Luther King Jr utilizes figurative language to effectively make the people who listened to his speech better visualize the struggles of black people in America so that they will actively try to get the government to change laws to be more inclusive. An example of this is when Martin Luther King Jr announced, “[That] this sweltering summer
King begins his speech speaking about justice and freedom; “We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation, because the goal of America is freedom” (1). He includes the nation in his speech to agree with his argument they everyone should have the same equal rights. By including the nation King can firmly state his idea and people are more likely to agree with it. He also discusses how nonviolence is a crucial piece of peaceful protesting; “Over the last few years I have consistently preached that nonviolence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek” (3). King uses this viewpoint to get the nation to be against violent forms of protesting because it does not send the correct message.
Injustice is a prevailing theme in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Tubman, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass, Spider Woman’s Web by Susan Hazen-Hammond and Great Speeches by Native Americans by Bob Blaisdell; the diligence of several characters in these stories and narratives has made it possible for them to preserve and overcome injustices. The United States has not always been a land of the free; white settlers destroyed the meaning of freedom when they stole lands from the indigenous people. Freedom was also destroyed when black people in America were not treated as full human beings. Despite of the many obstacles the oppressed faced, their thirst for freedom and determination led them to
He explains and defends his motivation for change in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech and in “ A letter from Birmingham Jail”. The Civil Rights Movement was caused
King is an inspiring piece of literature that has had a significant impact on history. Throughout the letter, he lists the criticisms of fellow clergymen who believed his peaceful protests were causing a dispute among many people. He wrote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” a phrase that has influenced many individuals to stand and speak up for what’s right. Dr. King’s arguments to support his case for civil rights were both powerful and effective. He in addition wrote, “A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God.”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made long speeches, proclaiming his dream of equal rights for all people, including African Americans. He used rhetorical devices and ethos, pathos, and logos to spread his message. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's method of protest was effective because he peacefully resolved racial inequality and segregation. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. used anaphoras and pathos to persuade his audience to support equal rights for the African American community. In Dr. Martin Luther Kings Jr's "I Have A Dream Speech,"
Martin Luther King Jr. wanted justice and equality, and used many rhetorical devices to hopefully open people’s hearts and eyes to the injustice happening around
Deluged with remarkable linguistics, King’s rhetoric wholly epiphanized and unified a country that had been stricken with unrest by war and hate and thus became the epitome of the March on Washington and the summation of the Civil Rights Movement Summarized Speech The speech encapsulates the desire to remain equal among the exalted American people, those of White color. At the outset King utilizes a policy signed 100 years ago as reference to a declaration of freedom that has only been contorted to produce new boundaries on freedom;
In the speech "I Have a Dream'' and “The Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr utilized accomplishing influential figurative language to persuade his peers to ensure justice for unacceptable civil rights, of injustice meant of this period. Martin Luther King Jr was a civil rights activist for segregation. Martin Luther King Jr was exceeded in his movements with the use of rhetorical devices made a huge impact on his movement, because his use of powerful language made a comforting and strong message, provided a safe environment to freely express how they felt, and a dynamic voice for the period. Doctor King. compares“...quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.”
Martin Luther King Jr. was an important figure in gaining civil rights throughout the 1960’s and he’s very deserving of that title as seen in both his “I Have a Dream” speech and his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” letter. In both of these writings Dr. King uses logos - logical persuasion - and pathos - emotional appeal - to change the opinions of people who were for segregation and against civil rights. Although King was arrested for a nonviolent protest, he still found a way to justify his actions with the use of logos and pathos. MLK uses both ways to gain the attention and agreement of the audience but, he uses pathos not just more, but in a more relatable way in order to appeal to his audience.
On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr gave us one of one of the most rhetorically moving speeches ever given. Titled as the “I Have a Dream Speech,” he read this speech to the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom”. As a civil right mover he gave this great speech to all Americans (black and white) so that he could give off the idea of equality on the same level. Because of his crowd of mix races King made sure to make his speech imploring to all no matter what the race that they may be. He uses metaphorical imagery, powerful diction,and symbolism to create an impact on the audience.
The main idea of his speech is that all people were created equal and, although this is no longer the case nowadays, King felt it must be the case for the future. He argued peacefully, yet passionately and powerfully. In preparation for the speech, he studied the Bible, The Gettysburg Address and the US Declaration of Independence and he alludes to all three in his address. The intensity of King’s speech is built through parallelism, metaphors, bold statements and rhythmic repetitions:
Martin Luther King 's uses various literary devices such as metaphors, personification, similes, and imagery in his speech so that his audience would be able to better understand and visual what he is saying. An example of a metaphor in King 's speech is when he compares the deprivation of African American rights with "a bad check that has come back from the bank of injustice marked with insufficient funds". He states that we must cash a check that will give us the riches of freedom and security of justice. This metaphor is referring to the freedom and rights that African American 's deserve and are promised but are not given. An example of personification in his speech is "Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.