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Martin luther king jr birmingham speech analysis
Literary devices in the famous dr. martin luther king jr speech
Martin luther king jr birmingham speech analysis
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Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister who became well known through his involvement and leadership in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and the 1960s. On April 12, 1963, eight clergymen from Alabama issued and signed a statement that included subtle accusations of hatred and violence by civil rights supporters and activists. Criticisms such as demonstrations being “unwise and untimely”(King 1), were made and directed towards Martin Luther King Jr.’s actions although he was a pacifist and valued peace. In response to the criticisms, King composed one of the most significant documents in American history which was an extensive letter addressed to the clergymen while he was spending time in a jail cell at the Birmingham
The energy that Dr. King delivered his speech was fascinating because he successfully used anaphora in his speech. He repeatedly used the same phrases at the beginning of sentences. For example, the phases such as “One hundred years later”, “Now is the time…”, “We must…”, “We can never be satisfied…”, “Go back to… were repeated several times during his speech. This really delivered his message by making the audience interested in following his words. Even when ending his speech, he did not forget to repeat the phrase “I have a dream”.
Soledad O 'Brien once said “I 've learned that fear limits you and your vision. It serves as blinders to what may be just a few steps down the road for you. The journey is valuable, but believing in your talents, your abilities, and your self-worth can empower you to walk down an even brighter path. Transforming fear into freedom.” The civil rights movement, which lasted from 1954-1968, was a social movement seeking quality for the African American population.
He is an American Baptist minister, activist, humanitarian, and a leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He influenced the whole of world in just a few minutes in a true sense and he managed to sway not only African Americans but also people from other nations into the right direction of true justice. It was the courageous, high spirited, self assured, and decisive, Martin Luther King Jr. I personally witnessed the scene where King conveyed his message through an interminable yet effective speech which lasted for about seventeen minutes.
On April 3, 1968 King delivered his final speech “I’ve been to the mountaintop,” in Memphis Tennessee to a massive crowd at the Bishop Charles Mason Temple Church of God. His speech was to bring awareness to the unsafe working condition and wages that the African American sanitation workers received. Prior to Reverend King’s speech on Feb. 12, 1968 roughly one thousand black Memphis sanitation workers went on strike and refused to work until their demands were met. Unfortunately, their request was denied and King, as well as Reverend James T. Lawson, traveled to Memphis to lead a nonviolent march but some of the participants started to become violent breaking windows of building and looting. This was a setback for the peaceful boycott due to rowdy few one person was shot and killed.
Martin Luther King Jr. convinces churchgoers that the U.S. needs to get out of Vietnam war and support civil rights. He does this by proving himself as a reliable source and using emotion to persuade his audience. Reverend King first starts convincing his congregation by stating in the beginning of his speech"Since I am a preacher by calling, I suppose it is not surprising that I have … major reasons for bringing Vietnam into the field of my moral vision." He uses this quote to prove he is a credible figure to give moral advice and talk about the subject .
Dr. Martin Luther King was well known for his powerful words and moving speeches. Although this isn’t one of his most popular speeches, he raises the subject of how America tries to take away Vietnam’s rights. In this speech “Beyond Vietnam,” Dr. King emphasizes how America’s association with the war was completely unjustified by revealing to the audience how America engages in a war they are not part of, hurting and doing plenty of damage in the process. King achieves this by employing irony, rhetorical questions, and precedent to persuade his audience how horrible it was for America to participate in the war.
“Quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.” One of the many rhetorical devices that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. uses, is metaphors. The quote above is one example of a metaphor that he states in his speech, “I Have a Dream”. Metaphors are one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s tactics to draw his audience into his speech. One metaphor that structures his speech is “… a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.”
King appeals to the public so as to encourage them to attain non violence as an ideal weapon. King begins his argument by mentioning that he addresses the audience with a purpose of giving moral views about America's involvement about Vietnam. He appeals to his audience by mentioning that the poverty program - which developed over years - is disintegrating because the political thoughts of the society
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.
Besides, King also infused the theme of religion into his speech to create a resonate with his audience. King was a Baptist minister; therefore, his ideology and rhetorical tactics are based on the Christian thoughts. Also, in the beginning of the speech, Martin Luther King not only used good words to praise President Lincoln’s contribution on preserving African Americans’ civil rights, but also referred biblical allusions to reflect African Americans’ actual situation during the civil war era. King graphically depicts Emancipation Proclamation as that “It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.” (King, Par 2)
On April 4, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy gave his remarks on the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Robert’s goal was to inform people on Martin Luther King’s journey and to strengthen people’s attitudes on the whole situation. Robert’s main points throughout the speech were how the country as a whole should move forward, why the states should not resort to violence but unity instead, and he also addressed that the country needed unity, love, and compassion.
Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most influential African-American activists in American History and was a key participant in the Civil Rights movement, the goal of which was to provide full civil rights to all rights in America. MLK has written many, many speeches and letters in favor of the Civil Rights movement in America, the most famous of them being his legendary “I Have a Dream” Speech and the monumental “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. To attempt to gain support for his cause, MLK employs the use of emotional appeals, also known as pathos, and logical appeals, also known as logos, which aid to stir emotion and reasoning in the listener. It is more than obvious that MLK tends to tug at the heartstrings of his listeners with his emotionally charged language essential to his success. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. uses more powerful and plentiful examples of pathos in his literature, examples of which being his “I Have a Dream” speech and his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, than logos due to the more powerful emotional connection they carry which can convince his listeners to sympathize with his civil rights movement.
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.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. developed his argument through his speech. He has set an speech out to everyone, so everyone can be /or will be treated equally, fairly. Martin Luther King to contribute a great deal to the success of the civil rights movement. He wanted his idea to come true, so he did everything he could do for it to happen. As to him proving his point to make people believe or go with his idea.
