ipl-logo

Martin Luther King's I Ve Been To The Mountaintop

522 Words3 Pages

Martin Luther King was one of the greatest speech givers in the modern era. King knew how to move crowds with words and utilize the strength in his tone to empower others. A reverend by training, King always used religious references to further lift emotions in the crowd. His most famous speech was undoubtedly I Have A Dream but King made many more famous speeches. I’ve Been to the Mountaintop was King's last and arguably his most powerful speech.
King’s speech would reiterate the struggle of the African-American race and his vision for a brighter future. King came to Memphis with the focus of speaking for the rights of public sanitation workers. He would take the simple subject of poor treatment of sanitation workers and turn it into an inspiring speech of reaching the promised land. The promise land of freedom for all, not just for a few. The promise land of equal education and the promise land of racial …show more content…

Faith and religion was especially focused on in this speech in particular. King regularly used diction found in the bible as references to the hardship of modern times. Verses and quotes from the bible got the crowd to listen attentively to his speech. Martin Luther King ended his speech with the imagery of him being Moses and God showing him the promise land but he would never get there in his lifetime. This would foreshadow the outcome the following day, with the death of Martin luther King himself.
Martin Luther King’s last speech was passionate, faith-filled, and moved the crowds. The original intention was to get support for a sanitation workers strike but the speech eventually turned into a speech of empowerment and a calling for unity among the black community to reach the promised land together as one unit. Although racial tension is still present today, Martin Luther King made great progress to unite the United States of America. But inequality still exist and the journey to the promise land continues

Show More
Related
943 Words | 4 Pages

King Jr. and several members of his staff are there in Birmingham because a promise made to them was broken. The terms of this negotiation were thought to have been made in good faith and trust. However, a short time after the negotiation and promises were made, they were broken. “As in so many past experiences, our hopes have been blasted, and the shadow of disappointment settled upon us.” With this statement Dr. King Jr. makes is abundantly clear the effect that this broken promise has had on the African-American community.

Read More
1236 Words | 5 Pages

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

Read More
1070 Words | 5 Pages

By drawing on powerful examples from the past, King is able to build a compelling case for the need for immediate action in the fight for Civil rights. “Negroes have experienced grossly unjust treatment in the courts. There have been more unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than in any other city in the nation” (King 518). Martin Luther King makes sure to use examples of past events which he witnessed in ways of helping to show and prove his point in his letter. Another example may include, We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation, because the goal of America is freedom.

Read More
756 Words | 4 Pages

Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil right activist who fought for the right and equality of African American citizens. In his speech, he stressed that nonviolence was a more effective way to success. One of the rhetorical devices that was key was his persona. His persona showed his followers that with patience and persistence change will come. In his speech, King spoke about the march in Birmingham, Alabama, where he and his friend Bull Connor lead.

Read More
886 Words | 4 Pages

He wrote “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” and wrote his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. He was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the biggest visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement. This man was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In both of his writings, he used pathos and logos to appeal to the audience and fit the occasion.

Read More
946 Words | 4 Pages

Martin Luther King Jr., a minister and social activist, led the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the mid-1950s until his death by assassination in 1968. He was an advocate for equality between all races and a civil and economic rights Activist. Because of his leadership, bravery and sacrifice to make the world a better place, Martin Luther King was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize. His incredible public speaking skills and ability to properly get his message across can clearly be scene throughout the speech. Tone: Dr. King delivered his speech at the university of Oslo in Oslo Norway in front of a large group of people.

Read More
624 Words | 3 Pages

Martin Luther King Jr. was a leader in the African American Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, he was known for his nonviolent movements and methods of protesting. This involved many African American citizens to take verbal and physical abuse from the police and not being able to do anything about it. He used his words to inspire the nation into taking action, instead of promoting violence. Dr. King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech in front of thousands of United States citizen from all different backgrounds at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. Kings uses ethos to point out why segregation was unjust and to justify why African Americans deserves the same rights as the white citizens of the United States.

Read More
477 Words | 2 Pages

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, and passed on April 4, 1968. His father was a pastor at a catholic church and was the co-pastor. Martin went to school in Georgia and he graduated from school at the age of fifteen. He attended Morehouse College, which is a distinguished Negro in Atlanta from which both his father and grandfather had graduated. After three years of theological study at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania, he was awarded the B.D. in 1951.

Read More
732 Words | 3 Pages

“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.

Read More
804 Words | 4 Pages

On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr gave us one of one of the most rhetorically moving speeches ever given. Titled as the “I Have a Dream Speech,” he read this speech to the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom”. As a civil right mover he gave this great speech to all Americans (black and white) so that he could give off the idea of equality on the same level. Because of his crowd of mix races King made sure to make his speech imploring to all no matter what the race that they may be. He uses metaphorical imagery, powerful diction,and symbolism to create an impact on the audience.

Read More
719 Words | 3 Pages

The main idea of his speech is that all people were created equal and, although this is no longer the case nowadays, King felt it must be the case for the future. He argued peacefully, yet passionately and powerfully. In preparation for the speech, he studied the Bible, The Gettysburg Address and the US Declaration of Independence and he alludes to all three in his address. The intensity of King’s speech is built through parallelism, metaphors, bold statements and rhythmic repetitions:

Read More
1848 Words | 8 Pages

Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential leaders of his time and played a crucial role in the African-American Civil Rights movement. Luther was a charismatic leader who took a firm stand against the oppressive and racist regime of the United States (US), devoting much of his life towards uniting the segregated African-American community of the US. His efforts to consolidate and harmonise the US into one country for all is reflected in many of his writings and speeches spanning his career. As a leader of his people, King took the stand to take radical measures to overcome the false promises of the sovereign government that had been addressing the issues of racial segregation through unimplemented transparent laws that did nothing to change the grim realities of the society. Hence, King’s works always had the recurring theme of the unity and strength of combined willpower.

Read More
852 Words | 4 Pages

He used this literary element to give people a reference to what happened in the past. He sometimes even used it to refer to the bible. Martin Luther King Jr. used many different allusions in his speech. One of the biggest ones is not in his speech but in his placement of where he did his speech. He did this right in front of Abraham Lincoln’s statue in Washington.

Read More
914 Words | 4 Pages

Martin Luther King, Jr. was an extremely impactful activist during the Civil Rights Movement that gave over 2,500 speeches in his lifetime. Of these speeches, his most popular is his famous I Have a Dream speech that he gave on August 28, 1963 in Washington, D.C. during the March on Washington. Even famous speakers like Martin Luther King, Jr. use persuasive techniques to appeal to the different sides of their audiences. In order to appeal to his predominately African American audience, Martin Luther King, Jr. makes reference to Abraham Lincoln and his granting freedom to slaves by signing the Emancipation Proclamation.

Read More
1111 Words | 5 Pages

At the 1963 March on Washington, American Baptist minister and activist Martin Luther King Jr. delivered one of his most famous speeches in history on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial at the height of the African American civil rights movement. King maintains an overall passionate tone throughout the speech, but in the beginning, he projected a more urgent, cautionary, earnest, and reverent tone to set the audience up for his message. Towards the end, his tone becomes more hopeful, optimistic, and uplifting to inspire his audience to listen to his message: take action against racial segregation and discrimination in a peaceful manner. Targeting black and white Americans with Christian beliefs, King exposes the American public to the injustice

Read More

More about Martin Luther King's I Ve Been To The Mountaintop

Related Topics

Open Document