How Does Martin Luther King Use Ethos Pathos Logos

Rhetoric is a form of writing in which the author carefully chooses language that will connect with the audience and convince them of the author’s position. This can involve using the rhetorical triangle (ethos, pathos, logos) or other rhetorical devices, such as figurative language or irony. Rhetoric is used frequently by many public speakers, including one of the most important figures of the Civil Rights Movement – Martin Luther King, Jr. In his “I Have a Dream” speech, King employed various rhetorical devices to connect with his audience and convince them that the country must work towards giving African-American citizens equal rights and opportunities.
To start with, King used logos, one of the parts of the rhetorical triangle. Logos is

King connected to the audience’s emotions in an incredible fashion. One example of this is when King said, “We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their adulthood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating ‘For Whites Only’” (“I Have a Dream”). This made the audience sympathize with the difficulties African-American citizens go through. He specifically mentioned children, as well, which amplified the emotional effect on the audience. This made it more likely for people to agree with King that changes need to be made. This particular sentence connected more with the white part of his audience, those who had not experienced what King described themselves. He then continued to use pathos, this time appealing to other African-Americans in the audience. He wanted to encourage them to do everything they can to incite change, as long as it was done peacefully. He told the audience, “I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulation. Some of you have come here from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality” (“I Have a Dream”). By acknowledging the pain that his audience has gone through, King ensured they understand that he could empathize with them. This made them listen to what he had to say

He used other rhetorical devices to convince the audience that he and other African-American citizens deserve the same rights as their white counterparts. King used metaphors extensively, which made his words have a greater impact on the audience. He described the life of African-Americans as “crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination” (“I Have a Dream”). This emphasized the difficulties that were experienced by African-Americans and how it hindered them from succeeding. By emphasizing this, King made his argument more persuasive because he captivated the audience. They were much more likely to want things to change when they heard him describe the situation this way. Another rhetorical device used by King was anaphoras. An anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase at the start of several clauses to create emphasis. King’s best use of this begins in the very title of his speech. He declared to his audience, “I have a dream that one day… sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi… will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice” (“I Have a Dream”). By repeating the words ‘I have a dream’, King was able to place emphasis on the central idea of his speech – his vision of a country where black citizens are treated the same as white