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Rhetorical Analysis Of Indignantly Critical Speech By Martin Luther King Jr.

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In his indignantly critical speech (1963) given to a group of civil right marchers in Washington D.C. for racial injustice, Martin Luther King clearly articulates and emotionally persuades his audience through the use of allusions, imagery, and anaphora to advocate that discrimination based on race is an injustice. He writes this speech to persuade his people suffering from segregation that they need to peacefully stand up for their freedom and equality in order to promote that racial injustice is present and needs to be rectified. King spoke to inspire his followers and the people of America who needed to come together and peacefully unite. One of King’s most effective methods of promoting that discrimination based on race is injustice is his use of allusions. In his speech King presents an opening phrase “Five years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation” (1). This shows the reader that he has credibility by connecting himself to Lincoln’s part in equality and freedom. …show more content…

King presents an “I have a dream” phrase throughout the entirety of his speech (1-3). This is an example of a King putting faith in the people that freedom will soon come by repeating his phrases consistently. He uses this phrase repeatedly to show what he envisions in an America that does not experience racial discrimination. Besides his famous dream phrase, he uses phrases such as “now is the time” and “with this faith” (King 1,2). Phrases such as these give the audience motivation to take action in gaining freedom. They give the people hearing the speech a sense of community in each other and trust that they will stand up together even with their struggles. By using anaphoras King manages to deliver his speech in an inspiring and effective way to encourage the people of his time that they should step up for their

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