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

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Martin Luther King Jr, the creator of the “I have a dream” speech (1963), argues that everyone should be treated equally by persuading his audience through the use of repetition, knowledge, and descriptive phrases of racial discriminatio. King develops his argument through his diction with descriptive phrases, repetition, and logic. He speaks to influence equality to all and encourages us to have a country of freedom. MLK gives his speech to the 250,000 people in Washington D.C. and the millions across the United States. Martin Luther King Jr. relates to his audience by using logic to show racial discrimination amongst the community against black people. King supports his message with the quote “But one hundred years later, the negro is not …show more content…

utilizes his knowledge and experience in the diction he chooses to include descriptive sentences for his audience to articulate. According to MLK, “It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality” (1). King’s quote demonstrates his deeply detailed description to persuade the audience. His clever choice of words gave the audience something to imagine because of the persuasive message that lays behind it. This adds to his diction for creating this speech the way he did. King summarizes that people should refuse to believe that the bank is corrupt or that there are insufficient funds in the vaults of opportunity, for people should cash this check and in return it will give them freedom and justice (1). MLK’s statement shows his diction and creativity. Within the quote “cash this check” is figurative language of how African-Americans were vowed freedom and with them cashing their check will grant justice. His creativity in wording demonstrates his knowledge about the effects of his plan to end racial discrimination. King shows his knowledge within his descriptive phrases and this adds to his overall diction throughout his

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In MLK’s famous letter from Birmingham Jail and “I Have a Dream”, he uses different types of persuasive arguments such as appealing logic as well as charging his language to affect people’s emotions. Although Dr. King uses mostly pathos in the letter from Birmingham Jail, he still uses facts and evidence to support his claims. By appealing to both the logical and emotional side of people Dr. King provides good reasons to join the fight for African American rights and the end to segregation. Despite using mostly charged language aimed at people who play more the moral side of life than the people who play more to the logical side of life, Dr. King still states strong evidence about the injustices African Americans face daily.

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Additionally, Dr. King describes the problem that is still present at his time. He mentions back to the documents when the country starts a new government. In the Declaration of Independence it states that all men are created equal. That would include African Americans, but according to Dr. King’s speech it says, “One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacle of segregation and the chains of discrimination” (Dream 3). The blacks were promised freedom, yet they are not as equal as the whites.

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King doesn’t want to wait another hundred years for the change to happen, he wants change to happen now because he doesn’t want his kids to suffer the same mistreatment he and other black citizens had to experience. Thirdly, King uses allusion to the Bible and the founding fathers of America and the goals of the founding

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Martin Luther King Jr. inexplicably opened the eyes of Americans across the nation with his role in the movement and his use of resonating imagery, excellent emotional appeal, powerful voice, and evocation of logic in his “I Have a Dream” speech. With such an enthralling rhetoric he gained a vast amount of support and exponentially increased the pride in standing up for what’s righteous and just. Exemplifying the throes of being a colored person, King evoked sympathy whilst simultaneously applying the valid logic that no human should be subjected to lesser standards. His rhetoric wholly changed American history that day and thus conveyed his ability to maintain equanimity throughout all of the

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In the speech "I Have a Dream'' and “The Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr utilized accomplishing influential figurative language to persuade his peers to ensure justice for unacceptable civil rights, of injustice meant of this period. Martin Luther King Jr was a civil rights activist for segregation. Martin Luther King Jr was exceeded in his movements with the use of rhetorical devices made a huge impact on his movement, because his use of powerful language made a comforting and strong message, provided a safe environment to freely express how they felt, and a dynamic voice for the period. Doctor King. compares“...quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.”

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In his revolutionary speech given to the people in Washington D.C in 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. powerfully voices and effectively persuades his audience through the inclusion of repetition, influential imagery, and allusions to express the need for an end to segregation and the dream that everyone will one day be equal. MLK develops his argument through the use of various examples, told through facts but also pathos and other, more dramatic ways of storytelling. He speaks to express the need for an end to segregation and the dream that everyone will one day be equal in order to restore peace and fairness to all. MLK speaks to all, there isn’t anyone he doesn’t want to hear his message, young and old alike. Repetition was used by MLK successfully

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Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech had a great deal of logos and pathos appeals to persuade his audience to speak out against segregation and to give all men the rights they deserve. He often gave a clear line of reasoning supported by evidence in his speech, like when he says: “This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the “unalienable Rights” of “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”... America has defaulted on this promissory note, ... given the Negro people a bad check… which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” (King para. 4)

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Martin Luther King Jr.’s overall tone in his speech is determination; determination to gain equality for all races and colors and for the nation to unite in fighting the injustices of inequality in America in the 1950’s. I Have A Dream, is all about his dream that one day all the injustices in the world will one day disappear. The use of diction brings the reader towards his tone of determination , contributing to his overall feelings towards his mission of wanting freedom and equality, which he portrays throughout the entire speech. King uses bold words repetitively such as "freedom" "dream" and “justice” to open his argument that equality will bring freedom to the black community.

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On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr gave us one of one of the most rhetorically moving speeches ever given. Titled as the “I Have a Dream Speech,” he read this speech to the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom”. As a civil right mover he gave this great speech to all Americans (black and white) so that he could give off the idea of equality on the same level. Because of his crowd of mix races King made sure to make his speech imploring to all no matter what the race that they may be. He uses metaphorical imagery, powerful diction,and symbolism to create an impact on the audience.

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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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Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech had a great deal of logos and pathos appeals to persuade his audience to speak out against segregation and to give all men the rights they deserve. He gave many reasons in his speech to make the audience excited and want to take action, like when he says: “This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the “unalienable Rights” of “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”... America has defaulted on this promissory note, ... given the Negro people a bad check… which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” (King para. 4)

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1088 Words | 5 Pages

Next, MLK uses a great amount of wisdom to show that his people are in need of aid from the powers of our country. Finally, he demonstrates emphasis to strengthen his point even further. No speech can be complete without an emotional tie to a historical event, and that is exactly what Martin Luther King Jr. did best. The leader of equality himself alludes to our nation’s prosperity and power, arguing that we must be altogether in this effort.

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In 1963, Martin Luther King delivered one of the most influential and impactful speeches in history. King's I Have a Dream speech was consistently powerful assertions of emotional appeals, repetition and paradox. In King’s speech, he utilizes pathos to build a relationship between his black and white audience. This is evident through his references to both  black and white children and the history of slavery which appealed to the audience members of the older generation.

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I have a dream speech Analysis Martin Luther king Jr once said,“ I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration of freedom in the history of our nation.” He addressed these words on August of 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial after marching through the streets of Washington. He addressed segregation injustice and racial discrimination against African Americans that took place during his era, in his “I have a dream speech.” He recognized that american was founded on freedom, democracy where each individual has a voice and matters. Only few weeks back protesters were getting arrested for fighting for equality.

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Throughout his speech he implies a lot of metaphors to make his speech effective and influencing. For example, King constantly describes the Negroes as being “crippled” by the “manacles of segregation”, “Storms of Persecution,” and “chains of discrimination.” Through these metaphors King indicates the crises the Negroes face. A few of King’s strongest metaphors are his references to prejudice: “the quick sands of racial injustice”, the “heat of oppression”, “the dark and desolate valleys of segregation”, and the “chains of discrimination.” King also indicates the unbearable inequality by creating an image: “the sweltering summer of the negro’s discontent.”

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