A Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King Speech

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.

Jaanavi Selvaraj Moomau Pd 8 Robert F. Kennedy Speech Essay (better title pls) On April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, the life of courageous and determined man was taken. Martin Luther King Jr. fought with every fiber of his being for equality within the country and more specifically toward the end of segregation of blacks and whites. Robert F. Kennedy, running for president at the time, was to give a campaign speech that day in Indiana. Through the use of various rhetorical devices in his speech, Kennedy guides the people of Indianapolis toward continuing Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of peace through MLK’s impact, the idea of unity, and moving forward from the past.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a strong leader in the Civil Rights movement, the son and grandson of a minister, and one heck of a letter writer. As he sits in a cell of Birmingham Jail in 1963, he responds to criticism from eight white clergymen. Though this letter was intended for the judgemental and condescending men of high faith, his response touched the hearts and minds of the entire U.S. population, then, and for years to come. In his tear-jerking, mind-opening letter, King manages to completely discredit every claim made by the clergymen while keeping a polite and formal tone. Metaphors, allusions, and rhetorical questions are used in the most skillful way to support his argument and ultimately convince his audience of the credibility behind his emotional, yet factual, claims.

Robert F Kennedy, in Remarks on the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. (April 4th, 1968), argues that through tough times, no matter the color of one 's skin the nation needs to come together and support each other. He supports his claim by using repetition, allusion, and presentation skills. Kennedy’s purpose is to inform the audience of Martin Luther King Junior’s assassination and to convey the importance of coming together as a nation in order to get through the tragedy. Kennedy was advised not to attend the speech due to concerns of safety in the neighborhood, yet proceeded even when his security team did not. The speech was, other than a few notes, improvised.

Additionally, Dr. King describes the problem that is still present at his time. He mentions back to the documents when the country starts a new government. In the Declaration of Independence it states that all men are created equal. That would include African Americans, but according to Dr. King’s speech it says, “One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacle of segregation and the chains of discrimination” (Dream 3). The blacks were promised freedom, yet they are not as equal as the whites. Once Dr. King mentions this, the audience can easily see that he is right. Now that the audience understands, they can escape from the blind side and develop solutions to the problem. Some might say that Lincoln

RFK takes an optimistic stance, he states: “What we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness; but love and wisdom, and compassion to others” (32-33). This quote recognizes the impact of MLK’s death, and advocates for the audience to act peacefully because RFK still believes in the civil rights movement. The tone throughout the speech is honest, instead of cowering away from the idea of revenge he confronts it. For example, he says “For those of you who are black ­­considering the evidence evidently is that there were white people who were responsible ­­ you can be filled with bitterness… and a desire for

Dr. Martin Luther King Junior, a well-known civil rights leader, took many actions and went through many dangerous procedures to get his views on segregation and equality amongst all people across when presenting his famous, “I Have a Dream” speech. Numerous facts were stated to help in proving his beliefs to be true. These facts sat well with his already exquisite credibility earned from being such a well-mannered, genuine, and respected man. As factual as the speech was, Dr. King did not fail to speak with incredible passion in his voice and emotions so strong, connecting with them was inevitable. These components were essential to making Dr. Kings’ main message crystal clear; it was time for the government to make a drastic change in society’s effort towards putting an end to racial discrimination. Although both ethos and logos were evident in his speech, it is clear that the rhetorical appeal, pathos, was displayed most effectively.

Martin Luther King Jr. inexplicably opened the eyes of Americans across the nation with his role in the movement and his use of resonating imagery, excellent emotional appeal, powerful voice, and evocation of logic in his “I Have a Dream” speech. With such an enthralling rhetoric he gained a vast amount of support and exponentially increased the pride in standing up for what’s righteous and just. Exemplifying the throes of being a colored person, King evoked sympathy whilst simultaneously applying the valid logic that no human should be subjected to lesser standards. His rhetoric wholly changed American history that day and thus conveyed his ability to maintain equanimity throughout all of the

Martin Luther King Jr., one of the chief proponents for racial equality, has just been assassinated. Robert Kennedy breaks this news to the crowd while championing the Martin Luther King Jr.’s cause. Kennedy wants to focus the crowds energy into “an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand, and to comprehend, and replace that violence.”’ He wants to encourage people to unite in the United States and close racial divisions. The last example is Coach Boone’s speech at Gettysburg from the movie, Remember the Titans.

On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr gave us one of one of the most rhetorically moving speeches ever given. Titled as the “I Have a Dream Speech,” he read this speech to the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom”. As a civil right mover he gave this great speech to all Americans (black and white) so that he could give off the idea of equality on the same level. Because of his crowd of mix races King made sure to make his speech imploring to all no matter what the race that they may be. He uses metaphorical imagery, powerful diction,and symbolism to create an impact on the audience.

At the 1963 March on Washington, American Baptist minister and activist Martin Luther King Jr. delivered one of his most famous speeches in history on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial at the height of the African American civil rights movement. King maintains an overall passionate tone throughout the speech, but in the beginning, he projected a more urgent, cautionary, earnest, and reverent tone to set the audience up for his message. Towards the end, his tone becomes more hopeful, optimistic, and uplifting to inspire his audience to listen to his message: take action against racial segregation and discrimination in a peaceful manner. Targeting black and white Americans with Christian beliefs, King exposes the American public to the injustice

On April 16th, 1963, after being thrown in jail for protesting segregation in the height of the American Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr., a civil rights activist and pastor, in his letter entitled Letter from Birmingham City Jail, urges for social equality in America and justifies his use of nonviolent protest. He supports these claims by first stating his people will gain freedom because freedom is an American right as well as a God-given right, then explicates how the methods of law enforcement are unjust because any protection of segregation is immoral, and finally claims all of the people who have made sacrifices on the path to a segregation-free America will be the people to unify the country. Through King’s use of tone,

Civil rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr, in his speech, “I Have a Dream”, uses imagery, repetition, and similes to persuade the audience to support the civil rights movement and emphasize the importance of freedom to all. His purpose is to convince the audience to participate in the fight against racial discrimination. He adopts a passionate tone to initiate then strengthen his supporters’ beliefs on racial equality.

“We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights”(17). Dr.King explains why African Americans have the right to be impatient. He wants his white readers to understand why being given equal rights is such a important matter.The writer,a civil rights leader and pastor, is Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. The large occasion is segregation in the south, and the small occasion is Dr.King and others from the civil rights movement were jailed in Birmingham. The audience is the eight white religious leaders of Birmingham. Dr.King's purpose in writing the letter was to address the concerns of the white religious leaders. The subject was injustice of racism and segregation, his argument was they will no longer wait for racial

Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential leaders of his time and played a crucial role in the African-American Civil Rights movement. Luther was a charismatic leader who took a firm stand against the oppressive and racist regime of the United States (US), devoting much of his life towards uniting the segregated African-American community of the US. His efforts to consolidate and harmonise the US into one country for all is reflected in many of his writings and speeches spanning his career. As a leader of his people, King took the stand to take radical measures to overcome the false promises of the sovereign government that had been addressing the issues of racial segregation through unimplemented transparent laws that did nothing to change the grim realities of the society. Hence, King’s works always had the recurring theme of the unity and strength of combined willpower. In a similar light, King addressed the speech ‘I have a dream’ to a peaceful mass gathering in Washington asking for change. The speech deemed racial segregation to be an inhumane practice that subdivides society into groups that essentially alienate them from the true sense of humanity; which is brotherhood. King argues that all people are created equal and directly challenged the outdated and abhorrent views that upheld the false flag of racial superiority among White Americans. Luther’s speech was a passionate rhetoric that preached his views about the future. Furthermore his speech did not