Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King's Speech

In his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr. intends to inform the audience of a matter of great import. King asserts that African Americans have been unable to receive equal treatment in the United States and are long overdue for justice. He believes that the time to make this step against racism is near, and campaigns a nonviolent approach to the issue. With great urgence, King emphasizes the need for equality for African Americans and declares that change in civil rights is essential during that era. King begins his speech by alluding to an important historical event. By starting off with “Five score years ago” (King 625), he references Abraham Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address Speech, which commenced

King begins the trend of repetition in his speech by first stating: “One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination” (625-625). Subsequent to this statement, King repeats “One hundred years later” (625-626) in the beginning of his sentences. He utilizes this anaphora to make highlight his statement about how African Americans, after so many years, still are burdened with the “manacles of segregation” (626) and are subject to heartbreaking discrimination due to their race. At one point in the text, King affirms: “Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice” (626). In this statement and the sentences juxtaposed to this one, the word “Now” is repeated. The italicized and repeated “Now” (626) highlights King’s arguments for a change in the United States that would promote equality and unite the races. The continual use of the word “we” (626-627) in the speech stresses unity, and this repetition is pertinent in establishing the unity that King desires to see. King addresses and reaches out to the audience and makes the arguments personal with the addition of “we,” and this allows his message to be more forceful. In addition, this personal component captures a larger audience, therefore spreading King’s message out

When King begins to state his dreams and hopes for the future, he uses relatively small paragraphs, each commencing with the phrase: “I have a dream that one day…” (627). These short paragraphs are intended to explain his dream about the demolition of segregation and the acceptance of unity in the United States, and the significance of his dreams are seen through the emphasis through repetition. When King implements the song, “My Country, Tis of Thee”, into the speech, he introduces, once again, anaphora into the text. The one sentence paragraphs beginning with “Let freedom ring from…” (628) give examples of places in the United States where freedom would “ring” and have the purpose of emphasizing the grandeur of freedom and how it would be of great significance to everyone no matter where they lived in the United States. The song is a source of inspirations and strengthens King’s