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I Have A Dream Speech Rhetorical Analysis

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Racial inequality has been a grand issue in the United States. Martin Luther King Jr. addresses discrimination in his "I Have a Dream" speech through the use of various rhetorical choices. This speech was delivered on August 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial in front of 200,000 people; in addition, the speech was broadcasted live throughout the nation. What made his speech so powerful was that he was a father sharing his dreams for the future of America. Dr. King was a social activist and Civil Rights leader; he encouraged non-violent protests. The “I Have a Dream” address by Martin Luther King Jr. utilizes components of the rhetorical situation, such as the setting, audience, type of communication, author’s role, and purpose. Knowing where …show more content…

His audience consists of 200,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial as well as people across the country watching on television. Dr. King illustrates that he desires his children to live in a country where they will not be “judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” (King). Numerous African Americans also share this dream as they continuously get discriminated against with segregated schools, bathrooms, water fountains, and unjust Jim Crow laws. Dr. King shares his hopes and dreams to create an image for the audience that one day the nation will improve and racism will not prevail. Knowing and recognizing the audience helps the type of communication Dr. King uses; however, his role contributes to the rhetorical …show more content…

King’s purpose is to inform the audience about the plethora of injustices that America has given them through the use of metaphors. Returning to the historical documents, Dr. King demonstrates how they were cut short of their “unalienable rights.” For example, he writes, “America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds.” (King). Here Dr. King compares his rights to a check to help the audience comprehend that America had promised them “unalienable rights” and freedom; however, they were scammed because African Americans were still not free. Dr. King successfully informed his audience about their rights and how America has denied them these rights. In the words of Dr. King, “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred”. Dr. King’s purpose is also to advise change in a peaceful manner. In this metaphor, he does not want his audience to submit to physical violence because it would only prove to the people in power that African Americans are dangerous. Martin Luther King Jr. fulfilled his purpose in his “I Have a Dream” speech which correctly impacted the rhetorical

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the biggest players in the Civil Rights Movement and he wrote/spoke two famous works, his “I have a Dream” speech and his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” of which both had a different purpose and audience. He used different rhetorical techniques depending on the purpose and the audience that he is targeting with the work such as Logos (Logic) and Pathos (Passion). In Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech his purpose is to encourage people to keep peacefully protesting and not to lose hope or start getting violent. The audience that he speaks to are Civil Rights supporters that want equal rights for all races.

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Martin Luther King Jr. inexplicably opened the eyes of Americans across the nation with his role in the movement and his use of resonating imagery, excellent emotional appeal, powerful voice, and evocation of logic in his “I Have a Dream” speech. With such an enthralling rhetoric he gained a vast amount of support and exponentially increased the pride in standing up for what’s righteous and just. Exemplifying the throes of being a colored person, King evoked sympathy whilst simultaneously applying the valid logic that no human should be subjected to lesser standards. His rhetoric wholly changed American history that day and thus conveyed his ability to maintain equanimity throughout all of the

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My source is reports of inspectors at factories during the industrial revolution, these reports were written in 1863.   The inspectors wrote about prosecutions within the factory. I trust this report because I think it is significantly important these prosecutions were made in 1863 during the time period these harsh conditions were being demanded and they were made by people who either witnessed or took part in these actions. This is proving my working thesis considering how the brutal conditions were a negative

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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.

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Martin Luther King Jr, a remarkable American activist, has made his way into the hearts of thousands of individuals. Dr.King is widely known for his earth shattering “I have a dream” speech that he delivered over 40 years ago, in 1963. The speech made its first appearance during the March On Washington, one of the largest political rallies in American history that tackled various issues regarding civil rights for African Americans. Dr. King uses numerous persuasion techniques within his speech to enthrall his audience within his will to change the devastating realities African Americans must survive through. Humans need to hear things a number of times before they really become glued into their minds.

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On August 28, 1963 King gave a speech titled I Have a Dream while standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. The speech's goals were to increase public awareness of the civil rights movement and racial segregation in America while also rallying support for the cause. In his address, King combined logos and pathos

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These beginning lines help connect King to the audience and lays the foundation for the rest of the speech. Following these introductory lines, King alters his center of attention and starts to focus on America's history and the beginning of our nation. He states "five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice........". In this section of the speech, King alludes to Abraham Lincoln and the history of America to gain credibility with his audience.

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King then appeals to the audience’s logos when he explains that our constitution is a “Promissory note” and our civil rights are a check stamped “insufficient funds”. By explaining the black peoples’ problems in this simple term, King gets all the audience to understand that they are there for the same reason, to fight for their civil rights. King takes his audience on an emotional roller coaster ride. King calls his audience to action; he pleads; he provokes, and he inspires. For example, when King repeats the words, “Now is the time…”

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King argues that, “It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned... America has given its colored people a bad check." this instils pathos because this causes the audience to invoke pity or sadness for African Americans, thus persuading people to rethink how people are being treated by using an analogy to compare civil rights to a check that's gone bad. King uses parallel syntax in his speeches, to help the audience comprehend the point he is trying to get across.

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