March On Washington Rhetorical Devices

The policy of segregation was one born out of racism and from the "Reconstruction Era". Many prominent figures would make famous speeches during this tulmutulus era, which would be catalysts of change. One of these speeches would be from John Lewis from the famous "March on Washington" which used rhetorical questions, repetition, and allusions. Throughout the passage, rhetorical questions are used to achieve Lewis's purpose. In the early parts of the speech, the speaker makes a point about truly how many political parties in the United States at the time could say "My party is the party of principles". Due to the fact that many of them were corrupt and cheap political leaders. He then goes on to ask the audience "Where is our party?". This

Another rhetorical question Lewis uses is the question of "what side is the federal government on?" This highlights the game of tiptoe the government is playing with both sides of the segregation argument. Not only does this call out the government for its inert action, it wakes up the audience to how shady the government has been. John Lewis also used repetition to convey his message to the audience. When the opposing side stated "to be patient" and to wait for change, Lewis repeatedly stated the demand of the people using "we" exclaiming how "we cannot be patient and wait for our freedom, and we want it not". This brings a sense of unity to the speech as this is not a one person fight; it is quite the opposite. Other uses of "we" are prominent in the end portion of the speech, when Lewis starts naming locations of bustling cities and the deep south. This also brings a sense of unity and unwavering bravery against the racist south. This has the effect of showing how even against the most racist parts of the U.S, the March on Washington will not