Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King's Speech

Racial inequalities have gripped the nation for centuries and haven’t seemed to have vanished as many claim they have. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech in which he addresses this issue, “I Have a Dream,” is the most compelling speech because he conveys his opinion on peacefully gaining equality clearly by using strong literary devices. He convinces that blacks would not give up on equality, they would gain it without violence, and ignoring their position would do nothing to change it. No matter what occurred during their attempts for their rightful place in society, the blacks refused to give up. Martin Luther stated that colored people would not be content until racial equality became more than just a fantasy and nothing could change that. He used figurative language to help get his point across. He used repetition, starting many sentences with, “We can never be satisfied,” (King, 2). Implementing this emphasized that the blacks would not be ignored and made the message all the more powerful. King also made the choice of

Martin Luther used two metaphors to signify the importance of the situation. He showed that the “whirlwinds of revolt” (King, 2) would blow through the nation until the “bright day of justice emerges,” (King,2). Comparing justice to a bright day showed how brilliant it would be for them to finally be treated as equals, and comparing revolt to a whirlwind was a warning of how destructive the white’s ignorance could be. King also used a hyperbole to accentuate the importance of the situation. Although it was already quite important, he claimed that “it would be fatal to the nation to overlook,” (King, 1) to make his point even more powerful. He exaggerated it to convince even more people to join the cause. This supports his idea by persuading others to join the fight for