Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech led to a transformation in American beliefs and culture with regard to civil rights. On August 28, 1963, King delivered his speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial in hopes that the man known as the “Great Emancipator” would remind the public that African Americans were protesting to receive rights that they should have already been granted. Martin Luther King Jr. utilized a plethora of rhetorical devices in order to project an effective speech onto an audience immersed by his plea for equal rights.
Dr. King envisioned a United States of America in which African Americans were not forced to endure unconstitutional trials and tribulations. As he stated in his speech, King dreamed of a nation where “…they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but on the content of their character.” He recognized that his country was keeping his people as prisoners in the jail of oppression because of a feature as superficial as skin color. Dr. King delivered his speech in front of thousands of his fellow Americans in hopes of appealing to them with logic, emotion, and
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King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech played a prevalent role in its effectiveness. With a voice that boomed like thunder, King utilized cadence to make his speech flow and enthrall his audience. King used a substantial amount of anaphoras, such as "let freedom ring" and "now is the time" to place emphasis on the main objectives of his speech. He gracefully channeled the head by alluding to historical documents such as the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, while also appealing to the heart with allusions to the teachings of the Bible. The structure of King's speech allowed him to begin by infusing a negative aura to racism and end with the audience filled with hope and inspiration. The effectiveness of Dr. King's speech is so immense because he understood his audience and how to communicate clearly to