ipl-logo

The Rhetorical Devices Used In Martin Luther King Jr's Speech

816 Words4 Pages

In 1967 civil right activist and Baptist minister, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his speech, Beyond Vietnam at the Riverside church in New York City. Dr. King not only spoke to America, but the nation and their adversary for which they fought, Vietnam. Martin Luther King Jr discussed the relationship between America and Vietnam and the scars of horrific acts of violence for which America left them. Dr. King also discusses the important meaning of living a non-violent lifestyle. Martin Luther King gave a powerful message to many people and this may have been so by the use of certain Devices. In Dr. Kings speech he uses allusion, ethos, parallel structure, alliteration, rhetorical questions, and metaphors to grab his audience's attention, reflect …show more content…

Dr King states: "We have destroyed their two most cherished institutions: the family and the village. We have destroyed their land and their crops. We have cooperated" (191-192).This shows, Dr. King uses parallel structure to give emphasize to what he is saying to his audience about Vietnam. The use of parallel structure makes the audience remember the importantance of what Dr.King is telling. Dr.King also uses alliteration to bring focus to what he is saying. Dr.King tells: "It is curious that the Americans, who calculate so carefully on the possibilities of military victory, do not realize that in the process they are incurring deep psychological and political defeat" (277-278).In other words, Dr.King uses alliteration to create and certain tone and rhythm for his speech. The use of alliteration brings out the important words and main ideas that Dr.King is …show more content…

Kings speech he also uses many rhetorical questions to emphasize the Vietnam war. Dr. King asks: "Shall we say the odds are too great? Shall we tell them the struggle is too hard? Will our message be that the forces of American life militate against their arrival as full men, and we send our deepest regrets? Or will there be another message-or longing, or hope, of solidarity with their yearnings, of commitment to their cause, whatever the cost?" (448-452). Therefore, Dr. King uses rhetorical questions to emphasize the message he is telling about Vietnam. The device is used to get his audience thinking about the Vietnam war and the questions they should ask themselves. Dr. King also uses metaphors to bring a meaning out of the Vietnam war. Dr.Kings tells: "The oceans of history are made turbulent by the ever-rising tides of hate. History is cluttered with the wreckage of nations and individuals that pursued this self-defeating path of hate" (425-427). Furthermore, Dr. King uses metaphors to let the audience look at a new idea by relating it to something in their everyday lives. The use of metaphors helps Dr.King show people his beliefs on a deeper

Show More
Related

Logical Appeal In Letter From Birmingham Jail

755 Words | 4 Pages

Dr. King was a brilliant man who, when describing his passions, used both detail, and precision. Two of his most famous pieces are his speech, “I Have A Dream,” and his “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” Dr. King continuously uses emotional appeal (pathos) and logical appeal (logos) in his work to persuade readers and excite their opinions. Although King expresses both greatly in each writing, the way he asserts pathos is farther more effective due to his extensive ability to relate to his audience through personal, heartfelt emotion.

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 Devices In Beyond Vietnam Speech

736 Words | 3 Pages

All they wanted was “to save the soul of America” (King, Beyond, 42). Martin Luther King Jr is an African American preacher and civil rights activist that along with every other African American male and female in 1976 was waging a war in America for their not-so-natural born rights. Not only were they fighting for their own rights in 1976, but they were sending away the son, husbands, brothers of other Americans thousands of miles away to the country of Vietnam to fight an unjust war for the rights of the people in Southeast Asia. Martin Luther King Jr proves to all throughout his speech “Beyond Vietnam --- A Time to Break Silence” that the Vietnam war was unjust by his use of emotional diction, the allusion of Jim crow, and repetition.

Read More

Rhetorical Analysis Of Dr. Martin Luther King's Final Speech

756 Words | 4 Pages

Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil right activist who fought for the right and equality of African American citizens. In his speech, he stressed that nonviolence was a more effective way to success. One of the rhetorical devices that was key was his persona. His persona showed his followers that with patience and persistence change will come. In his speech, King spoke about the march in Birmingham, Alabama, where he and his friend Bull Connor lead.

Read More

Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'Letter from Birmingham Jail'

879 Words | 4 Pages

Most of his sentences are long, colorful, descriptive sentences, but every once in awhile, he adds a short, powerful sentence. ”That would lead to anarchy,” writes King Jr. to add a powerful punch. Martin Luther King, Junior, combines rhetorical devices, rhetorical appeals, diction, syntax, support for his intended audience and speaker, and a strong purpose to make a convincing argument against

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

The Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King's Speech

946 Words | 4 Pages

Martin Luther King Jr., a minister and social activist, led the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the mid-1950s until his death by assassination in 1968. He was an advocate for equality between all races and a civil and economic rights Activist. Because of his leadership, bravery and sacrifice to make the world a better place, Martin Luther King was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize. His incredible public speaking skills and ability to properly get his message across can clearly be scene throughout the speech. Tone: Dr. King delivered his speech at the university of Oslo in Oslo Norway in front of a large group of people.

Read More

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

624 Words | 3 Pages

Martin Luther King Jr. was a leader in the African American Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, he was known for his nonviolent movements and methods of protesting. This involved many African American citizens to take verbal and physical abuse from the police and not being able to do anything about it. He used his words to inspire the nation into taking action, instead of promoting violence. Dr. King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech in front of thousands of United States citizen from all different backgrounds at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. Kings uses ethos to point out why segregation was unjust and to justify why African Americans deserves the same rights as the white citizens of the United States.

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

The Power Of Words In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Speech

471 Words | 2 Pages

Words can change the world in many ways. Many of those ways can really make an impact on a person’s life or mind set. In the speech “I Have A Dream” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it proved to solidify the peace and fairness that he aimed to gain in this country by ending segregation between black and white people. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. vividly painted his vision of a better future for people of all colors in America.

Read More

Compare And Contrast I Have A Dream And Martin Luther King Jr.

719 Words | 3 Pages

Martin Luther King’s speech, “I Have a Dream” is vastly recognized as one of the best speeches ever given. His passionate demand for racial justice and an integrated society became popular throughout the Black community. His words proved to give the nation a new vocabulary to express what was happening to them. Martin was famously a pacifist, so in his speech, he advocated peaceful protesting and passively fighting against racial segregation.

Read More

Letter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Devices

466 Words | 2 Pages

In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” and “I Have a Dream” speech he uses many different rhetorical devices. He uses rhetorical devices such as repetition, analogy, and rhetorical questions. In each writing, he uses the devices for many different purposes. These purposes can be similar, or different. In short, Martin Luther King Jr. includes rhetorical devices in his writing.

Read More

Martin Luther King's Speech Tone

1111 Words | 5 Pages

To achieve this, he used rhetorical strategies such as appeal to pathos and repetition. His passionate tone flowed through these strategies, increasing their persuasive power on the people and encouraging them to follow/listen to his message on racial injustice. While pathos elicits an emotional response from the audience to make them more accepting of King’s ideas, repetition structures the speech and emphasizes key ideas for the audience to take away from listening. These two techniques played a crucial role in furthering his purpose and in provoking a powerful response from the audience that made this speech memorable and awe-inspiring. To this day, King’s speech remains one of the most famous and influential speeches in

Read More

Purpose Of Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream Speech

995 Words | 4 Pages

Martin Luther King 's uses various literary devices such as metaphors, personification, similes, and imagery in his speech so that his audience would be able to better understand and visual what he is saying. An example of a metaphor in King 's speech is when he compares the deprivation of African American rights with "a bad check that has come back from the bank of injustice marked with insufficient funds". He states that we must cash a check that will give us the riches of freedom and security of justice. This metaphor is referring to the freedom and rights that African American 's deserve and are promised but are not given. An example of personification in his speech is "Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

Read More

Martin Luther King's Speech: Critique

1229 Words | 5 Pages

King also used a number of figures of speech which includes allegory and parallelism. He applies allegory in the beginning of the speech, comparing banking to the rights of black U.S. citizens, “America has given the Negro people a bad

Read More

More about The Rhetorical Devices Used In Martin Luther King Jr's Speech

Related Topics

Open Document