In the excerpt from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Dream” speech (Option B), he uses strong connotative diction to educate those in the audience who are not undergoing the hardships that African Americans are. King’s strongest use of connotative diction can be found in paragraphs 5 and 6. In paragraph 5, King refers to a “dark desolate valley of segregation” which is directly mirroring psalms 23; the quote is significant because King is widely known for being a preacher, and through this quote, he has specifically chosen those words to bring his persuasion to the next level. The Christians in the audience, will better understand the feeling of isolation in a world of happiness known by whites. King also suggests in paragraph 6, the feeling of
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.
There is a disagreement in society. It is a disagreement and an argument that has been continuing for many generations, and will continue for many generations after this one. It is a disagreement of oppression, a disagreement of injustice, a disagreement of racial discrimination. This disagreement had been discussed, and argued as well as against it has even been written about. In Martin Luther King Junior’s ‘I have a dream speech’ this racial disagreement is discussed and spoken about in front of thousands of people and became one of the most referenced and influential speeches in history.
“I Have A Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr is one of the greatest speeches of all time. It was given on August 28, 1963 in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. Dr. King was getting across a very important point, things are not equal, and we need to do something about right now. Dr. King says, “1963 is not a end but a beginning.” This is referring to his dream of equal rights.
One of his main allusions, is alluding to the Declaration of Independence. In his speech, he states that, “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men a created equal.” In this quote, he is alluding to the statement the founding fathers made when they said that everyone would be treated as one, and no one would be treated as less. By referencing the declaration, he gains credibility, because everyone in the United States looks up to the founding fathers as heroes. By referencing them, he brings across a feeling of, “The founding fathers did, so could I.” Also, King alludes to Abraham Lincoln throughout his speech.
Dr.Martin Luther King Jr was a leader during the 1960’s who believed in peace. President Abraham Lincoln, a leader that broke the rules of society and freed the slaves. In the “I Have a Dream, Dr.Martin Luther King JR” speech and the “Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln” both leaders spoke out to talk about freedom and inequality. That was not the purpose, however, the purpose of these two speeches was to inspire the listeners to come together. This paper will analyze both speeches and express how different rhetorical devices helped achieve the purpose.
On March 28th 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech “I Have A Dream.” Martin Luther King Jr. wanted to shed light on the troubles that the African American had to go through because of how the society was in that time period. He was trying to change the people's minds of treating them horribly but having a firm and understanding tone. All through the speech King got his main point across because he told the people stories that they might not have known what was happening all around the country. He said that he had a dream that there was going to be a day that the world would be equal.
“I have a dream.” Martin Luther King Jr. spoke those words aloud in August of 1963 to hundreds of thousands of Americans. King was passionately speaking about segregation. Segregation was a staple of American society during this time. Whites saw “colored people” as the inferior race.
“In expressing [his own emotions] with such powerful eloquence, in connecting strongly with the emotions of his listeners, and in convincing them to empathize with others, Dr. King demonstrated emotional intelligence decades before the concept had a name”(“Dr. Martin”). He demanded to end racism throughout the entire United States. King utilized repetition, metaphors, diction and rhetorical devices, that provokes ethos and pathos, throughout his speech in order to connect with his audience as well as to motivate them to stand up and fight for their freedom they well-deserve. One of the most used literary elements throughout Martin Luther King’s speech are diction, which leads to rhetorical devices such as, ethos, logos, and pathos.
In his speech, “I Have a Dream” Martin Luther King Jr. uses allusion, ethos, pathos, logos, and repetition in order to persuade the audience that people should have freedom and liberty together as one nation. Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist who believed that inequality was an important issue in America, and that the goal of overcoming it needed to be accomplished. Dr. King delivered a speech that included supporting details, facts, and information of why people should not be filled with or direct hate towards people. One of the rhetorical devices Martin Luther King Jr. used was repetition, which significantly influenced many minds of citizens. Martin Luther King Jr. use of repetition was very important in the speech, “I Have
I Have a Dream - Rhetorical Analysis Inspiration and exuberance were the emotions that people felt as they listened to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s. , “I Have a Dream” speech. The momentous speech was delivered on August 26th, 1968, shocking the world with its influential expression of emotion and implication of social injustice. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. proclaims courage to the civil rights activists as he speaks passionately about the need to end racism.
There are many speeches given by many different kinds of people. From football players to right activists to presidents. For example, a right activist named, Martin Luther King, gave the “I have a dream” speech at the 1963 Washington D.C. Civil rights march, Martin Luther King gave the speech with the intentions to change the way the United States viewed African American people, he wanted to end racism, segregation, and Luther King also wanted to give the right to vote for African Americans.
“Let freedom ring.” Freedom is all something we all value in life; unfortunately, it wasn’t just handed to all of us. In “I Have a Dream,” Martin Luther King Jr. tries to convince all of America that everyone should be treated with equality. This address is very compelling because it uses tone, repetition, and allusion to convey a point using both compassion and power. The first paragraph references to the Declaration of Independence and our unalienable rights as Americans, trying to argue his point.
Martin Luther King 's uses various literary devices such as metaphors, personification, similes, and imagery in his speech so that his audience would be able to better understand and visual what he is saying. An example of a metaphor in King 's speech is when he compares the deprivation of African American rights with "a bad check that has come back from the bank of injustice marked with insufficient funds". He states that we must cash a check that will give us the riches of freedom and security of justice. This metaphor is referring to the freedom and rights that African American 's deserve and are promised but are not given. An example of personification in his speech is "Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.
More than 50 years ago, Martin Luther King held the memorable speech “I have a dream”. His impressive rhetoric demanded racial justice, which became a basis for subsequent generations of black Americans. His words have later been used to achieve a better understanding of the social and political upheaval at the time. The main point of the speech is that all people are created equal and although not the case in America at the time, Martin Luther King felt that it should be the case in the future. The audience of the speech is considered very general, however, the speech was held in Washington meaning it is possible that the speech was an attempt to engage law and policy makers who work in the nation’s capital.
