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I Have A Dream Speech Rhetorical Analysis

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Martin Luther king once said Discrimination is a hellhound that gnaws at Negroes in every waking moment of their lives to remind them that the lie of their inferiority is accepted as truth in the society dominating them. The United States of America is the most racially diverse country in the world where African-Americans are striving to live in peace and tolerance. Therefore, multiple civil rights activists appeared who tried to establish a better environment. The most liberal activist of them was Martin Luther King Jr. Throughout the 1960s, he engaged in multiple civil rights protests, helping African-Americans to gain their eventual victory. The "I Have a Dream" speech has a massive impact that illustrated racial discrimination of that time. …show more content…

Martin Luther king's structure was intended to make the audience sympathize with the African-Americans, hate racism, and give the Negroes hope for a better world. In order to achieve this, Martin Luther King used rhetorical strategies such as pathos, logos and ethos along with irony and metaphor to provoke the audience. An example of Pathos is shown when Martin Luther King says, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." This paragraph emotionally stands out because it is very heartfelt and inspiring. This quote makes the audience think of their children. None of the parents in the audience want to see his child suffer from racism and go through the same horrible things they went through. This quote evoked the audience's feelings to put an end to racial discrimination. Moreover, ethos and logos, other rhetorical appeals, are shown in his speech when Martin Luther King goes back to when the Emancipation of Proclamation was signed. The Emancipation of Proclamation was supposed to free all slaves' and give them hope. Martin Luther King points out that after a hundred years, African-Americans still do not have the freedom that they were promised to have. Then, he points out how the Declaration of Independence stated that all American men should have equal rights. This is also considered ironical since America literally broke their promise to the Negroes and inequality still exists in America. Furthermore, Martin Luther King used metaphor in his speech by saying that racism is a "dark and desolate valley" while freedom is a "sunlit path". This made the audience realize that they live in a dreary environment and gave them hope to live in an improved and unified country where freedom is a right to every

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