Ethos Logos In I Have A Dream Speech

On August 28, 1963 thousands of people gathered in Washington, DC during the March on Washington Lincoln Memorial where Dr. Martin Luther King gave the famous “I Have a Dream” speech, which was recognized for assembling supporters of desegregation and prompted the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Dr. King’s speech was tremendously significant during this period and today, because he spoke about the injustices of racism, segregation, and discrimination of African Americans in this nation, which still exist today. Dr. King knew his speech would resonate and serve as a purpose for change in this nation for centuries to come, as he began his speech and said “I am happy to join with you all today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration

King’s speech did not only instill change in people’s minds, but also the hearts of the American people. He stood up and inspired people of all races into action through his words of wisdom and ideology. His speech powerfully used Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in his rhetoric to show a testimony to all Americans that racism and discrimination was not what America was based on and change must arise. Dr. King was known to be one of the most influential men in history, which is partially due to his excellent oratory skills. He had a way of using ethos, pathos, and logos in his speech and was a master at using and five canons of rhetoric; invention, arrangement, style, delivery and

King also used pathos by convincing his audience that there was going to be an end to the struggle and troubled time as he mentioned “Now is the time.” The use of pathos in Dr. King’s speech helped in influencing his audience by appealing to their emotions, fears, and desires. Many times throughout the speech, King used and repeated the phrase “I Have a Dream”. The repetition of this phrase gave his audience a sense of hope and optimism. King also constantly showed sympathy to Negros who have experienced racial inequality. For example, he says “Negro finds himself in exile in his own land.” Not only did this phrase show his empathy on Negros and their unfair treatment, but it also appealed to his audience’s emotions and lead them too, black or white, to have compassion as well. Dr. King’s words also helped motivate and inspire his audience to go out and demand change in a nonviolent way to handle