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Martin Luther King: March On Washington For Jobs And Freedom

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On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Junior, a respected civil rights activist, gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The speech, simply written and only 17 minutes long, revealed the egregious nature of American racism and removed the veil of ignorance many whites had willingly worn to avoid responsibility for the horrors they had caused. The message of his speech was clear. America needed to change, and this change was possible. Through his use of rhetorical strategies, such as imagery and anaphora, Martin Luther King, Jr. achieves his goal of dramatizing the racial inequality in American society, inspiring the supporters of his cause, and fostering a sense of hope in the future. To …show more content…

Furthermore, to give himself more credibility and create a sense of trust, King alludes to Amos 5:24 saying “We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” Amos verse 5:24 shows how God wants His people to live justly and stop their hypocrisy. When pairing this sentence with the allusion to the Declaration of Independence, it becomes evident King is holding the American people accountable for being hypocrites who do not follow God’s word. It illustrates how Americans are betraying their Constitution and their Judeo-Christian values, and how they should be ashamed of themselves. Without the hope of something better to result from a long, strenuous struggle, no one would fight for anything. To inspire people to fight, King provides people with a glimpse of the possible future. King states the words ‘I have a dream’ every time he illustrates how America can change for the better. These words, becoming a phrase of anaphora, are so profound that they will be remembered forever in American …show more content…

King’s dream of racial equality reflects the biblical vision of a just and inclusive society where love and brotherhood go beyond racial divisions. Moreover, he uses metaphors to convey more emotion than simple words could ever describe and foster a sense of hope. He states “We will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope” and the nation will transform into “a beautiful symphony of brotherhood” (Martin Luther King, Jr., “I Have a Dream”). The first metaphor, breaking out of the mountain of despair, highlights the weighty and oppressive feeling of segregation and discrimination. They feel they are stuck in a rock, never making any progress or breaking free. Breaking out of the rock is a liberating feeling, and his metaphor illustrates that perfectly. The Symphony of Brotherhood shows how if all races were equal, the world could work smoothly together in peace and produce a melodic song that is nothing but joyous. The hope King describes makes people want to fight against discrimination and the oppressive society. It gives people a goal to strive

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1963, time of the Civil Rights Movement, and the world was one of chaos and the fight for equality was at its end. 250,000 people congregated at Washington D.C. to listen to Martin Luther King Jr. express his and his followers views on the issue of racial injustice. His words persuaded and inspired many to not only end inequality, but to expose of it. However, none of this would of been possible if good ole rhetorical devices didn’t come into play. His superb usage of ethos, logos, and pathos quite possibly changed the outcome of the Civil Rights Movement.

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I Have a Dream’s Rhetoric A momentous day in history is exalted by the enthralling speech and resonating imagery of a man whom wanted to make a difference. Just over 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation was implemented, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a very riveting speech to over 250,000 Americans during the March on Washington, the nation’s largest demonstration of peaceful protest. With peace typically comes logic of which King very much emanated from his speech. With powerful rhetoric, King captivated an entire crowd and subsequently the entire nation with emphasizing while being freed from the travesty that was slavery people of color are still placed in chains by society’s gruesome yet commonplace demarcations.

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He continues to say that people should not be judged by the “color of their skin but by the content of their character” (28). King blends the alliteration in his speech in such a way to urge the unity of all races. The subtle use of alliteration in the pieces assists King in voicing the message that colors and whites should live together, not

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In the year of 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. towered over two hundred thousand people of all ages, genders, and races at the nation’s capital. Throughout his speech, Dr. King used a variety of rhetorical devices like ethos, pathos, and logos to move society. After tiring protests, Dr. King was able to notify the nation of the wrong and unjust treatment of its citizens. He gave this inspiring speech not only to African Americans, but also to all Americans in order to promote the idea of equality. The famous, “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr. was able to persuade America to change its horrendous ways and come together to make life better for all with the use of rhetorical devices.

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“Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.” (King). King calms the African Americans who are being oppressed by using the words, “this situation can and will be changed.” and “Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.” which gives them hope that there will be a new day when a change will take place.

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He places the strong authority of the declaration on his side to show how the American people are in contradiction to their own “sacred obligation” and the Negros have gotten a “bad check.” A metaphor representing the unfulfilled promise of human rights for the African Americans. King skillfully evokes an emotional response from all races with the use of religion: “Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.” By doing this he finds a common ground that brings black and whites closer with a common belief in God they share, as well as the mention of

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Hundreds of students, experts, professionals and admirers in the rhetoric world have reviewed, examined, critiqued and or praised King’s delivery. Without a doubt, the message in the speech coupled with the style of delivery is one to be appreciated if not rewarded. As such, I Have a Dream has received different arguments all from different viewpoints (at times polarizing) from scholars to students and researchers. Delivered to over a quarter a million civil rights supporters, I Have a Dream had both local and global impacts giving that day significance for generations and generations to come. Having known the gravity of this speech, its direct and indirect impact, the richness of rhetoric it entails, this paper seeks to give a bipartisan well thought analysis of the speech as well as my personal critique.

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Both lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and Martin Luther King's “I have a dream” speech are similar in that they both express the concept of freedom to achieve their purpose. However, they each have different ideas about freedom, and about what they want their audience to do. Both influential speeches rely heavily on rhetorical devices to convey their purpose. In King’s speech, the use of sensory and visceral language is abundant, creating an emotional and powerful atmosphere. “Manacles of discrimination,” “Lonely island of poverty” and “Chains of discrimination” paint a bleak picture of life as a minority in America, and contrasts phrases such as “Bright day of justice” and “Sacred obligation” which symbolize freedom.

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In a society where one’s country has the ability to enforce the seclusion of the “equal and unalienable rights” of its people based on the color of their skin is one in which change has to be demanded. Having to be constantly petrified of the idea of walking down the street due to the possibility of being lynched by the Ku Klux Klan and the constant stigmatism of the “Jim Crow Laws” provoked Martin Luther King Jr. to fight for this change. Consequently, Martin Luther King Jr., an American Baptist minister and leader of the civil rights movement, impressively delivered his prominent “I Have a Dream” speech. His passion was not only noticeably demonstrated on the day he delivered his ideas, but also on the written words that can be seen today. In this work, Dr. King effectively uses the rhetorical appeal, Pathos, with his implementation of anaphora, parallelism and metaphors.

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722 Words | 3 Pages

Dr. King compares segregation to a "dark and desolate valley," and he describes justice as a "mighty stream. " These images are vivid and memorable, and they help to convey the urgency and importance of the civil rights movement. The Speech's Themes:

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631 Words | 3 Pages

Martin Luther King uses many analogies while giving his memorable speech. The most impactful and memorable one is, “Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial injustice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.” In this quote, King is using the word “valley” to describe the dark times Negros went through during the times of segregation and slavery. He is also using the phrase “solid rock of brotherhood” to acknowledge that without God and each other as a diverse body of Christ, we are doomed.

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522 Words | 3 Pages

He establishes a hopeful and motivational tone to his audience by stating his dream of everyone of every color,religion, and origin to be free from discrimination and

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James Bond is a fictional character created by Ian Fleming – Fleming wrote twelve novels and 2 short story collections, in which Bond appeared in. Bond is the longest running English language film franchise to date, making billions per film in the box offices, here and around the world. In this essay I will be picking out the semiotics to show the dangers behind the images as well as the different emotions portrayed by the girls used in the posters. From Russia with Love was the second James Bond film, released in 1963.

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Martin Luther King Junior’s “I Have a Dream” speech has a powerful purpose embedded within it. His speech caused a national uproar in every community. Therefore, the uproar caused the outcome of his speech brought many of the members of the African American and American communities to unify. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech caused such an uproar was due to his skilful use of poetic devices which strengthened his speech greatly. Martin Luther King Junior’s “I Have a Dream” speech reveals the theme of creating peace through unification due to the usage of the poetic devices, imagery, metaphors, and symbolism.

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1229 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout his speech he implies a lot of metaphors to make his speech effective and influencing. For example, King constantly describes the Negroes as being “crippled” by the “manacles of segregation”, “Storms of Persecution,” and “chains of discrimination.” Through these metaphors King indicates the crises the Negroes face. A few of King’s strongest metaphors are his references to prejudice: “the quick sands of racial injustice”, the “heat of oppression”, “the dark and desolate valleys of segregation”, and the “chains of discrimination.” King also indicates the unbearable inequality by creating an image: “the sweltering summer of the negro’s discontent.”

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