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We Can Never Be Satisfied Martin Luther King Rhetorical Analysis

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The text of focus is the public speech delivered by American civil rights activist, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the 28th of August, 1963 called “I Have a Dream”. The purpose of his speech is to urge the people of America to work towards a future without economic and employment inequalities. His target audience was every American citizen, but more specifically African Americans and others who attended the march on Washington for jobs and freedom. This essay will focus on how Martin Luther King Jr. used different rhetorical devices and propaganda techniques to communicate his message for equality in America to Americans and to persuade his target audience to demand racial justice for the mistreatment of African Americans in the United States. …show more content…

King says, “We can not/never be satisfied as long as …”, where King uses an anaphora when he repeats the words, “We can never/not be satisfied," at the start of four consecutive sentences. This use of anaphora adds emphasis and emotion to his message as the repetition of the phrase, “We can not/never be satisfied” causes his audience to realize that they are not satisfied and it will compel them to make a postive change and take action. As for the use of direct address, King creates a sense of togetherness with other African Americans when he says “We” at the beginning of four consecutive sentences. King implies that he and other African Americans are in this struggle together and that they should fight back together, considering he shows they are not satisfied with their unjust treatment in America by providing different examples of this unjust treatment. To summarize, King wants to show to his audience of African Americans that they are treated unjustly in America, whilst implying that change is needed by using the rhetorical devices, direct address, and anaphora in his …show more content…

The use of these elements is highlighted in the sentence, “Now it is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice.” The use of emotive language is observed with the incorporation of the words “dark” and “desolate” when describing segregation. This reminds his audience of the present time where African Americans and White Americans are divided and this causes his target audience to remember the times when they are treated unfairly because of their skin color and they will be urged to look for a positive change. As for the use of glittering generalities, this is observed when King uses the words “sunlit” and "justice” when describing the future he desires for African Americans. This use of positive words causes his audience to yearn for it more as they will want a positive change from their wretched present filled with racial inequalities. Ultimately, King’s use of emotive language and glittering generalities presents King's vision of a positive future clearly to his target audience in a way that they will be motivated to work towards

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In the “Letter From Birmingham Jail” (1963) Martin Luther King Jr.,revered leader of the Civil Rights Movement, argues for the urgency of changing segregation laws. He supports his argument through the uses of fluent anaphora, weighty allusion, and urging imagery. His purpose is to make known the reality of a day in the life of Negro in order to compel the recipient’s to think “What if?” Dr. King addresses the white clergymen with a respectful and dignified tone although his circumstances. ‘Wait’ another word for never to the Negro.

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King wants the audience to remember that segregation is not okay and that in order for things to be different something “ can and will be changed.” King uses repetition to make his audience comprehend and listen to what he has to say. King instructs the audience to “go back” to the states and “go back” to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, as an example to spark their memory of our history and encourage them to take action. King also uses phrases such as “we can never be satisfied” and “we refuse to believe '' to show how America has wronged its people and must keep its promises in order for trust to be established. King repeated the phrase “now is the time” to show what he thinks America should be built on.

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Throughout King’s letter, he incorporated different rhetorical appeals, such as pathos, to make the audience understand the harsh treatment African Americans were subjected to each day. In his letter King emphasized, “But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate filled policemen curse, kick, and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society... (King 3).” This piece of evidence describes the brutality that was

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For dozens of years, black people were treated like animals, even decades after they were “freed” from the shackles of slavery. It wasn’t until the mid-1950’s that one man took it into his own hands to make a change, and his name was Martin Luther King, Jr., a name with which virtually the entirety of America is familiar. King did a lot of monumental things, and almost all of his influence lay within his mastery of word manipulation and rhetoric. Perhaps one of the greatest examples of his use of rhetoric happens to be in his “Letter From a Birmingham Jail”, written to a group of white clergymen in 1963 after they criticized his campaign.

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For instance, how humiliation continues because of signs reading “white” and “colored”, because men are given the name “nigger boy” no matter their age, and how women are never given the respect of having the title “Mrs.” Overall, King infers that he has no intention of disrespecting the law now cutting ties with white society, but that he only wishes to end the injustice of segregation which limits the freedom of the Negro

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King relies on his audience’s positive emotions towards his stance to gain support for his argument. For example, King reaches to the audience when he states “ When will you be satisfied?” This question was in reference to the police brutality against African Americans. King then goes on to answer his own question by stating “ No, no we are no satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.” King builds his case on emotion of the situation by signifying the importance of what independence should be and how black people should take a stand towards it.

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In his famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Martin Luther King addresses the issues of racism and inequality in America during the Civil Rights Movement. Throughout the letter, King references a variety of historical events and figures to support his arguments and convey his message. In this essay, we will examine the effectiveness of King's references in terms of how effectively they convey his message of the need for civil rights and racial equality. By analyzing King's use of historical figures, events and religious allusions, we will explore three different ways King expresses his message and to what extent these different things change many individuals' lives and the way they look at things differently now due to King's statements in his essay. Through this analysis, we will gain a deeper understanding of King's message and the powerful rhetorical strategies he used to convey it.

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“Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.” (King). King calms the African Americans who are being oppressed by using the words, “this situation can and will be changed.” and “Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.” which gives them hope that there will be a new day when a change will take place.

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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.

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He places the strong authority of the declaration on his side to show how the American people are in contradiction to their own “sacred obligation” and the Negros have gotten a “bad check.” A metaphor representing the unfulfilled promise of human rights for the African Americans. King skillfully evokes an emotional response from all races with the use of religion: “Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.” By doing this he finds a common ground that brings black and whites closer with a common belief in God they share, as well as the mention of

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Another rhetorical device is the common ground he establishes in his last sentence where he writes, "This is the story of Why We Can't Wait" (King 98-99). He uses the word 'We', connecting with the audience and ensuring them that together they will bring change to social conditions and attitudes. The third section is King's call for change. In conclusion, Martin Luther King Jr helps Black Americans realize their reality, importance and roots and convinces them of changes to social conditions and attitudes. King decides to take a stand against racism but he can not do it alone.

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“...when you are harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what to expect next, and are plagued with inner fears and outer resentments; when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of “nobodiness”- then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait. There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair. I hope, sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience.” (MLK, 276). King uses this strong sense of appeal to emotion to engross his readers and let them know how hard it is for them.

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This reference in particular evokes the strongest emotional response from black people because many African Americans revered Lincoln for his decision to sign the revolutionary Emancipation Proclamation, and how the document symbolized a free future for slaves--the ancestors of the blacks in the crowd. But the next few lines following this allusion also persuades those ignorant of how little things have changed by highlighting the “manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination” that blacks still suffer from despite the hundred year gap. Here, he uses the connotations of “manacles” and “chains” to evoke a negative emotional response from the audience, especially from those unaware of the need to change, causing their opinion to match the speaker’s: against segregation. Additionally, King weaves biblical allusions into his speech to appeal to the Christians within the crowd. He uses the “dark and desolate valley of segregation” to illustrate the injustice African Americans have endured for centuries and juxtapositions it with the “sunlit path of racial justice” to exemplify a future where true freedom exists for

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He incorporated a lot of biblical allusions to insist the audience that his speech is in accordance to the Bible, as King writes that he has a dream that one day, “every valley shall be exalted,” every hill and mountain “made low,” all rough places will be “plain” and crooked places “straight” and that the “glory of the Lord shall be revealed.” (Isaiah 40:4-5). On another occasion he paraphrased one of biblical statement “weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” (Psalms 30:5 ) in his words as “It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity “cite .King’s allusions to past events help to create unite both races and inspire them to tackle this problem collectively as both colors experienced American history in some form or another. King not only references the Biblical allusions which emotionally appeal to people but also mentions legal statements like declaration of independence and Emancipation proclamation by mentioning “Five score years …” to refer to Abraham Lincoln’s address and “promissory note” to direct their attention towards their legal rights as mentioned in the constitution.

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