ipl-logo

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

647 Words3 Pages

In the speech “I Have a Dream” (1963), Martin Luther King Jr. announces the ongoing problem of African Americans not being able to live freely without facing inequality. King defines his argument by asserting the credibility of the rights from the Constitution and
Declaration of Independence, by continuing to use rhetorical devices - repetition, and by connecting the community through his strong use of diction. King points out the issue in order to open the peoples’ eyes of the horrible treatment of African Americans. The author writes in a guiding and convincing tone for the emotional audience who wants to see a change in the rights of all Americans.
Martin Luther King Jr. takes off his speech by using ethos to establish credibility for the …show more content…

He indicates the “magnificent words” (4), of them “signing [this so called]
Martin 2 promissory note…every American was to fall heir” (4). King verbalizes the lies America has written and has not followed.
King connects to the audience by using diction throughout the speech. He brings the audience together by continuously using “us”, “we”, and “our”. MLK shows the needed unity between whites and blacks with “community…their destiny is tied up with our destiny” (9). He believes that this “situation can and will be changed” (14), and that we will all be one with the same rights of freedom, we will have a “brotherhood” (18), and most importantly that the upcoming generations “will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” (20). King pushes at the point of equality and unity that is needed in the world.
MLK continues to make his speech flow by the use of meaningful rhetorical devices - repetition. When King talks about how the African American community has been lied to …show more content…

This reverts back to Abrahm Lincoln and how he freed the slaves. MLK starts to get the crowd cheering “Now is the time” (6), they clap. He keeps them going “we must” (8), they scream. Martin Luther King Jr. broadcasts “we can never be satisfied as long as” (13), the horrors of police brutality and the horrors of the wounded bodies. King demands us to think about and “go back to” (15), the hotspots of police brutality. Now, the famous “I Have a Dream” (16), is brought to the realization of the nation. In the future King “…dreams…the sins of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood” (18). “With this faith, we will be able to” (26), be equal, be free, be together, be ONE. King finishes the speech with “Let[ing] freedom ring” (39), through the places where the inequality is unbearable to live in. MLK gives these problems a remembering title that keeps the speech moving.
Martin 3
Throughout the speech King provides a productive choice of rhetorical devices and a strong collection of language, Martin Luther King Jr. ignites the crowds want for African
Americans equal rights and freedom. He had a fluent use of diction, the strong and

Show More
Related

How Did King Use Ethos Pathos And Logos In The Gettysburg Address

579 Words | 3 Pages

The Emancipation Proclamation signed by the same great American serves as a fundament for the freedom of all colored citizens of the United States. That is why Mr. King intentionally refers to the significance of this document. He also references the Declaration of Independence to evoke authority into his speech. King also quotes the “unalienable rights” for “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. He is stating that the American government has neglected

Read More

MLK Rhetorical Analysis Essay

536 Words | 3 Pages

Firstly, the King of the. Jr. utilizes the repetition throughout his speech to gain the attention of the audience; he utilizes the words “freedom,” “justice,” and “equality.” King utilizes these to emphasize that his speech is about his dream to have freedom and equality amongst all races, religions, backgrounds, etc, and how he dreams of having a free and equal

Read More

March On Washington Speech Rhetorical Analysis

1236 Words | 5 Pages

Deluged with remarkable linguistics, King’s rhetoric wholly epiphanized and unified a country that had been stricken with unrest by war and hate and thus became the epitome of the March on Washington and the summation of the Civil Rights Movement Summarized Speech The speech encapsulates the desire to remain equal among the exalted American people, those of White color. At the outset King utilizes a policy signed 100 years ago as reference to a declaration of freedom that has only been contorted to produce new boundaries on freedom;

Read More

Rhetorical Analysis Of Mlk's Speech

779 Words | 4 Pages

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

Read More

Parallelism In Speech From Birmingham Jail

1348 Words | 6 Pages

Throughout the speech, another scheme King uses frequently is parallelism, the strategy of repeating similar clauses, several times. Parallelism is useful to emphasize things and ideas to the audience, which, like all the other tropes and schemes. Early in his speech, King writes “riches of freedom” and “security of justice” and then “justice rolls down like waters” and “righteousness like a mighty stream.” In these two examples, King is using parallelism to express that the African American wants justice and freedom by repeating them next to each other and mentally connecting them in the reader’s mind, which is also connected with pathos as the terms King uses subtly emphasize those words and create good feelings in the reader. As campaigning

Read More

Allusions In Letter From Birmingham Jail

1070 Words | 5 Pages

In his famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Martin Luther King addresses the issues of racism and inequality in America during the Civil Rights Movement. Throughout the letter, King references a variety of historical events and figures to support his arguments and convey his message. In this essay, we will examine the effectiveness of King's references in terms of how effectively they convey his message of the need for civil rights and racial equality. By analyzing King's use of historical figures, events and religious allusions, we will explore three different ways King expresses his message and to what extent these different things change many individuals' lives and the way they look at things differently now due to King's statements in his essay. Through this analysis, we will gain a deeper understanding of King's message and the powerful rhetorical strategies he used to convey it.

Read More

Allusions In Letter From Birmingham Jail

1142 Words | 5 Pages

In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” he uses periodic sentences, syntax, diction, and allusions to write about his beliefs about the immense struggles African Americans experienced to gain their rights, how he views just and unjust laws, the many different influences have in their lives, and the cruel nature of the citizens, which are still prevalent today. First of all, African Americans went through immense struggles to get the rights they have today. African Americans watched their family members be innocently killed, experienced multiple cruel acts of segregation, and often felt strong resentment to the White population. For instance, Dr. King uses a periodic sentence and imagery to express the immense struggles African Americans endured to gain the

Read More

Compare And Contrast I Have A Dream And Letter From Birmingham Jail

459 Words | 2 Pages

MLK Essay Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and “Letter From Birmingham Jail” both deal with the topic of civil rights. However, the letter and the speech are different in terms of rhetorical strategies because he is targeting a different audience. The “I Have a Dream” speech was delivered to over 250,000 people during the March on Washington in 1963.While giving this speech, King spoke in an optimistic and prophetic tone. The purpose of this tone is to give the listeners a sense of hope and to allow them to think about what is being said to them.

Read More

Summary Of Martin Luther King Jr Vietnam Speech

674 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the speech he is answering the question of “Why a civil rights leader has become a anti-war protester?” He uses rhetorical strategies such as; diction, similes, and specificity to strengthen his argument. To answer those who question him Dr. King gives three claims all of which resonate with people in different

Read More

Martin Luther King Jr Ethos Pathos Logos

877 Words | 4 Pages

The activist, Martin Luther King, revolutionized the civil rights movement as he addressed the issues that racism had induced from the beginning of its existence; to counter this damage, King encouraged peaceful, relentless protests for freedom and equality. Angry hate crimes tarnished the lives of African Americans in the United States, putting a stop to these monstrosities would be a momentous task but Martin Luther King was fearlessly ready to take on the challenge. The undoubtedly great speech was crucial for the development of the civil rights movement and success because the speaker compelled his audience to stand up for what they believed in and created a sense of purpose and drive that would lead to prosperity. In the speech “I Have

Read More

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

540 Words | 3 Pages

Martin Luther King convinced his audience to stand up and fight for their rights; he used persuasion in a strategic way to up rise African Americans not only in the audience that day but across America into today. By using multiple emotive words, analogies and figurative language he created a beautiful persuasive Rhetoric speech that will be studied and referenced for years to come without disagreement there would be no conflict, and no real opportunity to gather people the way he did and influence people the way he did. This is obviously one of the best rhetoric speeches known in

Read More

Martin Luther King Jr.: Unification In Society

824 Words | 4 Pages

There weren’t just blacks, but whites came to hear his speech too. By now Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech is having an impact. In Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech “I Have A Dream” the theme that if everyone is unified to speak up for equality, the results can bring them to freedom, hope, and racial equality which is revealed in this speech through repetition, allusion, and imagery. The poetic device repetition is used to show that freedom will come, if they are unified. King uses repetition to express that freedom still hasn’t appeared in a long time, for this to happen they must act now.

Read More

Rhetorical Techniques In Martin Luther King's Speech

882 Words | 4 Pages

King appeals to the audience by using strong words and repetition. By using repetition of “let freedom ring” and with this faith it helps the audience be reminded of his purpose that change will occur and equality will reign. This rhetorical technique helps the speech come across strong and more powerful and really convinces the audience of the idea of change. Martin Luther King Jr’s speech was revolutionary and changed the view of many Americans. He helped achieve this effectiveness through his strong choice of diction and loaded words and his assertive tone that grasped the audience's attention.

Read More

I Have A Dream Speech Rhetorical Essay

804 Words | 4 Pages

King’s dialect showed the audience civil right issues, involving many rhetorical strategies using ethos, logos, and pathos, to a racially tempered crowd whom he viewed as different, but not equal. From the very beginning of it , King brings his crowd back to the origin of America when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, that freed all slaves and gave hope to the former slaves. But immediately after Dr. King speaks out on how after 100 years Blacks still do not have the free will that is deserved. He points out the irony of America because Black Americans were still not truly free.

Read More

Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King's Speech

1848 Words | 8 Pages

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.

Read More

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

Related Topics

Open Document