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I Have A Dream Ethos Pathos Logos

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On August 28, 1963, civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Junior, stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and addressed over 250,000 people during a prominent time in history. King rallied for peace and racial harmony through his eloquently written speech most famously known as, “I Have A Dream”. Martin Luther King Junior addressed the growing issue of civil rights amongst African Americans through his “I Have A Dream” speech, otherwise known as a masterpiece of rhetoric. King speaks to the public about racial equality and freedom with the use of ethos, logos and mainly pathos. Martin Luther King Jr. uses Ethos to prove his credibility throughout his speech. King had already solidified his credibility with the public even before …show more content…

He moved hundreds of thousands of people by describing the issue at hand and appealing to the people’s fears, desires and feelings. He utilized this rhetoric numerous times throughout this speech by effectively utilizing the rhetorical device, anaphora. He repeated several phrases many times and the most popular of them all, “I have a dream”. These words alone were powerful enough to strike a chord emotionally. The effective use of anaphora engaged the emotions of the people. The phrases he repeated were compelling enough that they touched the hearts of the audience and inspired them to take action. These words sprung hope and prosperity and empowered the people to take action in fulfilling these dreams. Another strong use of rhetorical appeal can be seen in his references to children and their future. King appeals to the emotion within parents when he states, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character”. The goal of this statement is for parents to fight for a better life for their kids so that they won’t have to live in a world full of hatred. He empathizes with the parents by using his own children as an example and not just kids in

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