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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 Returning to the historical documents, Dr.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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