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I Have A Dream Speech Ethos Pathos Logos

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On August 28th, 1963, by delivering one of the most inspiring and memorable speeches, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. went down in history as a courageous man who changed the United States forever. Known for its title, “I Have a Dream Speech;” Dr. King presented this speech to the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom” (About Dr. King) organization. The purpose of Dr. King’s speech was to promote equality for all Americans, not just black Americans. It was so well written because he was trying to appeal to all Americans. Martin Luther King’s speech successfully conveyed civil rights issues, involving many rhetorical strategies such as ethos, logos, and pathos, to a racially mixed audience whom he viewed as equal. Martin Luther King Jr. knew …show more content…

Dr. King acknowledged that after 100 years, Blacks Americans still did not have the freedom that they deserved. Through this he pointed out the irony of America because Black Americans were still not truly free. Immediately after, he refers to another American document, the Declaration of Independence. He pointed out how it stated that all men were created equal, meaning Black Americans should be equal to White Americans. Once again this shows the irony of the beliefs during Dr. Kings time and the ideals on which the country was founded upon. Dr. King is appealing to logos by mentioning both documents. He brought the examples up to show how it would be logical for Blacks to have the same rights as Whites. Dr. King also expresses importance of everyone to protest peacefully and not violently. He expressed how being evil would never lead to justice, which is why they needed to continue with nonviolent protests. Through his uses of logos, Dr. King was able to open the eyes of his audience to allow them to fight for their rights …show more content…

King utilized pathos by relating his speech to his dreams and to his beloved family. Martin Luther King says, “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 by the content of their character.” This famous quote was so emotionally inspiring that it brought tears to many members of his audience. Dr. King got very personal within his speech so that he could relate to every American with a family. He knew this would most likely make his ideas more credible. This is emotionally appealing because he made his own audience think about their own children. The parents in the audience did not want their children to go through the experience of segregation in America like they did. The only possibility to fix this problem would be to follow Dr. King’s advice. Through becoming personal with his audience, Dr. King was able to convince and inspire

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