Rhetorical Analysis Of Speech By Martin Luther King

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Introduction
Throughout time there has been a multitude of speeches performed for a progressive purpose, a majority of them correlate to Aristotle's use of ethos, logos, and pathos. The use of these modes of persuasion Rhetoric. In order for the speeches to be momentous, these should be applied effectively to extenuate the ethical, logical, and emotional appeal. The inclusion of the "I have a dream" speech will add further weight to Aristotle's account and further clarify his claims on the basis of public speaking. Within this paper, the history behind Martin Luther King Jr., the rhetorical relevance of the speech, and the relation to Aristotle will be discussed.
History of Martin Luther King Jr.
Growing up. On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther …show more content…

There is a large amount of allusion and repetition, for example. The speech includes other methods, such as analogies, restatement, similes, and parallelism; although, allusion and repetition are more prevalent in this specific case. In order to grasp the audience's attention and get them thinking on the presented topic, Martin Luther King Jr. needed to implement a broad range of methods to create and deliver the speech effectively.
Allusion. In order to grasp the attention of Martin Luther King Jr's listeners, he spoke words that hold a sense familiarity and meaning. To begin the speech, King included, "Five score years ago, which holds historical significance to his audience and commands their attention. Towards the end of the speech, he added, "This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning, 'my country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.'" In allowing this words to ring free, King looks to spark emotion, thought, and …show more content…

Among these aspects, Aristotle's theories of rhetoric are found to be quite beneficial when it comes to speeches. One speech that was found to be exemplary of Aristotle's theories is the "I Have a Dream" speech because it adds weight to Aristotle's account and further clarifies his claims. Within this paper, the history of Other than Aristotle's theories of rhetoric, the "I Have a Dream" speech can also be analyzed in regard to Cicero's five cannons of rhetoric, as well as other methods of rhetorical analysis (i.e. restatement, emotional appeal, etc.). In this paper, the history behind Martin Luther King Jr., the rhetorical relevance of the speech, and the relation to Aristotle were