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Rhetorical Analysis Of I Have A Dream Speech

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The “I Have a Dream” speech was written by Martin Luther King Jr. It was written in a period of severe racism and segregation (1963). The speech was given at the Lincon Memorial which holds significance. The section that showcases rhetorical devices and DIDLS the best is paragraph 2 to 5. As mentioned beforehand the speech was given at the Lincon Memorial which evokes his memory. These passages bring up his speech the Gettysburg Address and the Declaration of Independence. Referencing these texts drives Dr. King's point that it’s been too long and too little change. In the speech, I have a Dream Martin Luther King Jr repeatedly uses allusion, analogy, and repetition to support his idea that there hasn’t been enough progress. The first example …show more content…

King references the Gettysburg Address and Emancipation Proclamation is to show how much time it’s been since it’s been signed. This document states how all men should be equal. The documents held the promise of equality, yet 100 years later and there's still racism. Dr. King cleverly reminds his audience of this to highlight how long it’s been without much change. One example of an analogy in this speech is when Dr. King talks about checks and banks. He compares two things to exhibit the injustice people of color have received from America. “America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the Bank of Justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice” (King 5). The reason why Dr. King mentions checks and banks is that he compares The United States to a bank and the idea of equality to a check from the bank. The bank doesn't allow the check to be cashed but MLK believes the check “will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.” The last rhetorical device is

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He doesn’t want the African Americans to stop their fight for freedom, even if it might not happen a hundred years from now, hopefully it will happen in the future. King uses different rhetorical devices throughout the speech, he uses analogy the most as a logical approach. At one point in the speech he talks about how the African Americans are overdue for their check from the bank of justice, check meaning a promise for their freedom and justice. Dr. King used more of an emotional approach during the speech rather than a logical

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In this piece, he wants to show people how unfair blacks are being treated and tries to prove to the world that they should be treated equally. In comparison, Dr. King’s letter was more logos, logical towards the reader. In his letter, Dr. King wants to prove how badly blacks are treated and talks about how everyone should agree that people of color should have rights. He also makes a

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This is another famous line that was repetitively used throughout his speech. He used this line to cover all of the land in the United States that he anticipated to become free to his people. Dr. King named places from the Lookout Mountains of Tennessee all the way to the “curvaceous slopes of California.” He had a dream that freedom would ring! Referring back to when President Lincoln signed the “Emancipation Proclamation,” Dr. King also used logos to appeal to his audience by saying, “Five score years ago a great American in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation.”

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Woody Guthrie is perhaps, one of the most well-known American Folk singers. What many consider his most well-known song is “This Land is your Land”. He inspired and influenced many famous musicians and singers like Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan. Today, we are going to talk a little about his early life, his service in WWII, and his later life. Born July 14, 1912, Woodrow Wilson Guthrie was raised in Okemah, Oklahoma until age 18, when his father moved Woody to Texas with him.

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These beginning lines help connect King to the audience and lays the foundation for the rest of the speech. Following these introductory lines, King alters his center of attention and starts to focus on America's history and the beginning of our nation. He states "five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice........". In this section of the speech, King alludes to Abraham Lincoln and the history of America to gain credibility with his audience.

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“I Have A Dream” “I Have A Dream”, a quote that many Americans hold dear to their hearts and a quote that is remembered and is associated with an unforgettable movement in history of the Untied States of America. From 1954-1968 one of the most memorable movements in history took place and will not be forgotten is the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the many greats remembered and recognized in the movement for being an influential leader of his time. Having given over 2000 speeches, MLK(Martin Luther King) has one particular speech that stands out from the many and it is his “I Have A Dream” speech. MLK’s message being about peace, unity, fairness and freedom for and to all people shines through in this speech.

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However what exactly makes this speech so notable and referred to as rhetoric? Rhetoric is defined as “the ability, in each case, to see all of the available means of persuasion.” It is also used to resolve disputes, and was used in Ancient Greece when there was a disagreement among people was to high to help make the best decision. Which is exactly what Martin Luther King uses to I have a dream for. He is trying to unite the people using his words as his power to resolve the conflict that exists in society.

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This explains the struggles that African Americans faced at the time, and how they were treated unfairly. King wanted to start a movement for equality by giving this speech, he thought that even though slavery ended, equality was not given. One part says, “But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.”

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King’s dialect showed the audience civil right issues, involving many rhetorical strategies using ethos, logos, and pathos, to a racially tempered crowd whom he viewed as different, but not equal. From the very beginning of it , King brings his crowd back to the origin of America when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, that freed all slaves and gave hope to the former slaves. But immediately after Dr. King speaks out on how after 100 years Blacks still do not have the free will that is deserved. He points out the irony of America because Black Americans were still not truly free.

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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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Luther King's I Have a Dream Speech). King described his dreams of freedom and equality arising from a land of slavery and hatred. King was able to. join Jefferson and Lincoln ranks of men who've shaped modern America with a single phrase. 50 years after the March on Washington we recognized that King was able to reshape the economic landscape for Black Americans.

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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:

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Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech is one of the most well-known and critically acclaimed speeches of all time. Every child, every teenager, every adult has at some point in their lives heard King’s speech. They have heard the words “I have a dream” ring through the air. The success of King’s speech is not accidental by any means. King’s speech bears many of the hallmarks of a strong persuasive speech.

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King’s mention of Lincoln appeals to his audience because Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation

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He incorporated a lot of biblical allusions to insist the audience that his speech is in accordance to the Bible, as King writes that he has a dream that one day, “every valley shall be exalted,” every hill and mountain “made low,” all rough places will be “plain” and crooked places “straight” and that the “glory of the Lord shall be revealed.” (Isaiah 40:4-5). On another occasion he paraphrased one of biblical statement “weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” (Psalms 30:5 ) in his words as “It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity “cite .King’s allusions to past events help to create unite both races and inspire them to tackle this problem collectively as both colors experienced American history in some form or another. King not only references the Biblical allusions which emotionally appeal to people but also mentions legal statements like declaration of independence and Emancipation proclamation by mentioning “Five score years …” to refer to Abraham Lincoln’s address and “promissory note” to direct their attention towards their legal rights as mentioned in the constitution.

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