Black History Month Rhetorical Analysis

MLK’s use of pathos and repetition is an effective way to persuade his audience about his position on civil disobedience. In King’s speech he says, “Its ugly record of police brutality is known in every section of this country” (King Page 6). This evidence, revealing MLK’s use of pathos, was used to reach out to the emotional citizens who have either experienced or watched police brutality. The use of pathos is effective because it appeals to emotions and the issue of civil rights and civil disobedience. Civil rights is an emotional subject for those who were affected by it, and MLK is proving his argument on civil disobedience. Besides the use of pathos, King uses repetition to enhance the effectiveness of his argument. In King’s speech he

Reparations for slavery is the idea that some form of compensatory payment should be made to the descendants of Africans who had been enslaved as part of the Atlantic Slave Trade. With that being said, I don’t believe this essay is a case for reparations. Coates never gives the breakdown of what the United States reparation would look like. He never tells us, his readers, how the system would work, or how anyone would actually make the political case for it. This argument is not about reparations for slavery, either. Coates leaves little space to talk about slavery but instead talks about black reparations. He doesn’t really demonstrate this throughout the essay. He gives us a long list of slavery victims and their stories, but no overall

The Civil Rights Movement was a mass popular movement to secure African Americans equal access to opportunities for basic privileges and rights of U.S. citizenship.1 In 1963, a crisis occurred at the University of Alabama as two African American students were turned down from admissions although they were formally certified. The Civil Rights Address,2 presented by former president John F. Kennedy, was given in the Oval Office on June 11, 1963, shortly after this crisis was dragged out. Kennedy delivered this speech on both radio and television, so his message would extend to not only the citizens of America, but also other nations around the world. Kennedy addresses the reoccurring issues regarding race equality in the United States, and hopes to change the mindset of the American community in respect to these issues. In his Civil Rights Address, John F. Kennedy uses rhetorical appeals to convey that there must be a change regarding equality in America.

Pick up a history book, flip through its pages, and find a section(s) dedicated to African Americans. There will be a supercut of slavery and a few inventors, enough to count on one’s hand. Ultimately, only the historical characters that are considered salient are provided, which are white educators, Presidents, legislators, advocates, inventors, etc. This issue engenders the remaining reason to advocate Black History Month. “Carter G. Woodson was the sole individual responsible for creating Negro History Week in Washington, D.C., in February 1926” (Edmondson). Years later, President Ford extended the week into an entire month. It began as an infrastructure to help eradicate the neglection of African American history; nonetheless, over the years, there has been much debate concerning the annual celebration. Although Black History Month has received backlash from both African Americans and Caucasians, it is still a necessity in today’s life because it provides historical information that the youth cannot find in textbooks and recognizes neglected people who have fulfilled great actions.

Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most influential African-American activists in American History and was a key participant in the Civil Rights movement, the goal of which was to provide full civil rights to all rights in America. MLK has written many, many speeches and letters in favor of the Civil Rights movement in America, the most famous of them being his legendary “I Have a Dream” Speech and the monumental “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. To attempt to gain support for his cause, MLK employs the use of emotional appeals, also known as pathos, and logical appeals, also known as logos, which aid to stir emotion and reasoning in the listener. It is more than obvious that MLK tends to tug at the heartstrings of his listeners with his emotionally charged language essential to his success. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. uses more powerful and plentiful examples of pathos in his literature, examples of which being his “I Have a Dream” speech and his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, than logos due to the more powerful emotional connection they carry which can convince his listeners to sympathize with his civil rights movement.

Americans have lost their lives for centuries in exchange for our nation’s freedom, but is every citizen really free? President Lyndon B. Johnson addressed congress following a police beat down during a peaceful protest in Selma, Alabama. The protest led by Martin Luther King became a turning point in American history; attacks on African American’s at Selma sparked reason in the eyes of many. Johnson used his address to Congress as a call to action, his goal was to ensure freedom and equality for all citizens; they shall not face persecution for the color of their skin. “We Shall Overcome” suggests that the text focuses on the constitutionality of the police beat down in Selma, Alabama and the concern of how our nation will overcome the issues of racism. However,

Martin Luther King has changed America tremendously, wouldn’t you agree? King has made very powerful writings but the two main speeches are “I Have a Dream” and “Letter From Birmingham Jail”. There is many of the three rhetorical appeals which are Pathos, Logos, and Ethos. There was one simple thing in both species, King wanted freedom but unfortunately he did not get that. He tried really hard because segregation got way out of control. King witnessed it all the time, his kids not being able to go to the same school or right in front of his eyes signs that read “Blacks Only” or “Whites Only”. Nobody could understand why this was happening and King wanted to end it. King never got freedom, he was a very respectful man that wanted segregation and racism to end. King was a non-violence guy he just wanted his children to go to the same school, or his children to not see the signs and not understand why this is happening to them because it 's not fair. Segregation needs to end! We all want freedom at last!

The idiosyncratic style Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass depicts the discriminatory actions of postcolonial slave owners in the southern United States, which reflects their greed for unpaid labor on their plantations. He employs the metaphor of the book that their masters prohibited them from owning by law throughout the memoir to demonstrate the avarice that drives white slave owners to turn a darker-skinned, intelligent being into a machine for personal benefit for centuries after the colonization of America. Also, the irony further displays the power of greed by expressing the slaveholder’s uncivilized method of forcing another human out of civilization. Furthermore, his use of a paradox of the use of pure religious beliefs to justify a slaveholder’s inhumane treatment reveals their rapacious actions that contradict the teachings of the church.

Obama opens his speech by discussing the views of our forebears and documents and how we have followed through with those views. “We, the people, have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears and true to our founding documents” (Obama par. 3). He used this in order to explain how we will always pride our ideals of the forebears. This view of patriotism from soon-to-be President Barack Obama made his audience appeal to his

America is one the greatest experiments in freedom and liberty history has ever known. We are a nation that was built on the minds and ideals of immigrants. Our Founding Fathers created America so that everyone could have a chance at "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". Those are aspects of my country, I would never change because they are what make us unique. The glow of America casts a ripple of hope upon those who struggle. Those who live among poverty and violence look to America and see a wonderful country filled with opportunity. However, in recent months, America has become a laughingstock, a joke. Donald Trump, as well as many conservative Republicans would like to would like to build a wall separating America from Mexico, limit a woman’s choices, and deny current citizens basic psychological and physical assistance. We should work towards building human connections, not walls. Our future president will have the power to implement an immigration policy and make decisions that will effect the immigrants who currently reside within our borders. As a woman, I believe that my rights should not be determined by some man in Washington DC. Instead, everyone should be entitled to their own opinion. Abortions and contraceptives are not procedures or medications that women usually advertise and frankly, it is none of government’s business what women choose to do with their own bodies. They are not the property of men or the

Opening his speech Martin Luther King Jr. sets up his credibility with his use of ethos, referring to the Declaration of Independence saying, “This note was a promise that all men… would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life.” 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

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929. At the age of 25, King earned a sociology degree and completed his Ph.D (A&E Networks Television). King’s charismatic and strong attitude helped him become a successful minister and the most famous civil-rights activists. On the day of August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his inspirational speech, I Have a Dream. Approximately 200,000 people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. to watch King personally. An additional million listened on the radio and watched on television (Phibbs). In his speech, King spoke about the injustices of segregation and discrimination taking place in the nation toward African Americans. Speaking out for freedom,

On April 4, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy gave his remarks on the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Robert’s goal was to inform people on Martin Luther King’s journey and to strengthen people’s attitudes on the whole situation. Robert’s main points throughout the speech were how the country as a whole should move forward, why the states should not resort to violence but unity instead, and he also addressed that the country needed unity, love, and compassion.

Dr. king talk about a lot of hardships during this speech. The way that Dr. king showed the African Americans is by discrimination, racism and not getting any rights. For example Dr. king talks about a "Promissory note" which were suppose to give every person human rights but made them suffer more. Another example is "One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination" quoted by Dr. king. This shows that even after the "Promissory note" which is the declaration of independence they were stuck in this same place and being treated different because of their color. In conclusion the hardships that African Americans went through or suffered were racism, discrimination

The future of America is in the hands of this generation that is witnessing our once great nation disintegrate into chaos. The United States of America is supposed to be a place of freedom and peace, but now it is viewed as a country that is crumbling under the unhappiness of its own citizens. We should be viewed as a country with hope to lead the helpless out of misfortune. Abraham Lincoln once said, “My dream is of a place and time when America will once again be seen as the last best hope on earth.” The America that I envision will be seen as that last standing