Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King's Speech

In the middle of the 1990’s, the United Sates was dealing with internal problems of citizens’ rights to political and social freedom and equality. Mainly these rights of African-Americans citizens. Although all men and women at this time were legally considered free and equal, these rights were still unjustly denied to the African-American people throughout society. In order to stand for equality, civil rights activists and supporting groups started to emerge. One well known leader during this time was Martin Luther King Jr., a black American Baptist minister. In 1963, King cited what became to be his most famous speech, “I Have a Dream”, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. With this speech King powerfully argues for the equality of all

The introduction of Abraham Lincoln in the beginning acknowledges a successful past president who put in great work throughout the civil war. King does this to gain the attention of his audience and establish a strong connection to a credible source. Trust was now built between King and his audience through the appeal of ethos. Another way King creates credibility is when he quotes the Declaration of Independence, a legendary piece of American history that provides authority to King. He then compares the historical work to a promissory note that has failed to hold any value. King calls out the American government for falling short of the promises within the Declaration of Independence. Through the quoting of the Declaration of Independence, King now establishes credibility and authority within his self and demands for the words of the United States founders to finally come to fruition. In addition to the strong use of the ethos, King also use logos to further instill his message of ending racism and segregation to his audience. Previously mentioned, the analogy of a promissory note and the Declaration of Independence is a good example of King’s use of logos. He

King possibly uses pathos more so than the others by appealing to his audiences’ emotions. King quotes the Bible, another historical and legendary piece of writing, in his speech to create an emotional bond. King delivers a sense of faith, belief and hope in his words by using scripture from the Bible. Another emotional appeal he supplies is mentioning his job of being a father to four kids. As a father, King joins his audience in a relatable and emotional way. Fatherhood, moreover parenthood, is a particular condition that any person can appeal to. This human appeal deepens King’s relationship with his audience and further conveys his overall