Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream Speech

In his extremely powerful “I have a dream” speech given at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. Martin Luther King Jr. effectively expresses and visually persuades his audience towards his dream of racial equality. He does this through his use of descriptive words, repeating phrases, and by appealing to others’ emotions. He speaks to create equality among all people and promotes the better treatment of colored people. A powerful method King used in his demand for change is the use of imagery. During his demand for change King points out, “the life of a Negro is still sadly crippled by the mancles of segregation and the chains of discrimination,”(King 1). This quote expresses to the audience that the colored man is still treated poorly

King writes, “I have a dream,”(2) repeatedly throughout his speech. He used this quote to remind his audience of his goals for society. He has a goal to end racial discrimination of all kinds, to make society a better place to live in not just for himself but for future generations, and to give freedom to all, all over the country. He used the phrase, “We can never be satisfied,”(King 2) multiple times. This phrase signifies that this world is constantly changing and has always something to fix. It means that colored men and women will always continue to fight for the rights that they deserve to have. They will never be satisfied as long as they are being discriminated against. King reminds his audience of his goals for society and he reminds them that the world can always be improved through his use of

King relates to the audience by stating, “The Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land,” (1). Many people in his audience would most likely relate to this quote. They also could feel sympathy or anger towards the horrible situations and examples that King used. In this quote specifically, he said that colored people often find themselves to be alone or separated from the world that they were born to live in. Even after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, society still can’t seem to accept that colored people are a part of this world too. King supports this by stating the hardships of the colored children in society. The children are being stripped from their childhood and their own lives. They do not get to just live and be a kid, they have to worry about issues that they should not be worrying about at their age. He hopes for not his own children but for everyone that they may live in a world one day where they aren’t judged by their skin color but for their character. By appealing to others emotions, King used the hardships of colored people and children in his fight for