ipl-logo

Martin Luther King I Have A Dream Rhetorical Analysis

849 Words4 Pages

We all know Martin Luther King Jr. ,right? We know him as the man who gave the “I Have a Dream” speech. Which was a step in the civil rights movement to fight for African American rights. Well, besides that monumental speech, he also wrote “Letter From Birmingham Jail”. The letter was a response to a newspaper article that he read while in jail, where eight white clergymen were criticizing his recent actions that sent him to jail. Now we are going to look more in depth at M.L.K’s speech and the letter. One item that I realized is that Martin Luther King Jr. uses a ton of logical and emotional appeal. Throughout both the speech and the letter, Martin Luther King Jr. does a better job strengthening his logical appeal over emotional appeal.
First off, we will start with examples from the “I Have a Dream” speech. While analyzing I discovered that M.L.K brings up many different types of historical evidence that many people know to support his arguments. “In a sense we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men,yes,black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the “unalienable Rights” of “Life,Liberty,and the pursuit of Happiness (King,262).” In this quote he is bringing up the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

Show More
Related

  • Martin Luther King Jr Use Segregation In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    570 Words  | 3 Pages

    Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.) was a native to Atlanta Georgia, was a minister in the Baptist church and was one of the lead men and women in the civil rights movement in the United States, from the mid-1950s to the late 1960s. He is popular for the “I Have A Dream” speech, the “Letter from the Birmingham Jail” and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In “Letter from the Birmingham Jail,” King is appealing to his fellow clergymen to call injustice for what it is, to stop facilitating segregation and tend to their brothers’ needs and to stop playing hypocrite about the matter at hand: racial prejudice and segregation. The letter brings into view man’s fickleness and his need to be protected to avoid vulnerability. King pens this letter sitting in an Alabama jail in 1963, in response to the remarks his fellow clergymen have made about his recent activities being “unwise and untimely” (254).

    Read More

  • Similarities Between I Have A Dream And Letter From Birmingham Jail

    482 Words  | 2 Pages

    King primarily appeals to logic in the letter to present the facts concerning injustice in Birmingham and the rational, moral, and religious justifications for the need for freedom and justice, he also makes some emotional appeals in his speech to persuade and emotionally excite the audience. In his address, he criticizes the country for failing to uphold its promise made in the Emancipation Proclamation and its duty to its inhabitants of African descent by using an analogy. But in the letter, he contrasts the religious actions of the Apostle Paul when he strove to share the message of Christ with his rallies to win freedom for the black community. He explains his thinking behind each point in the letter, but in the speech, he uses a lot more metaphors and figurative language to emphasize each

    Read More

  • Identity In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    251 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King defends the protestors’ thirst for justice by demonstrating the unjust society they live in. Over fifty years after the letter was written, it is still read today. Often times it gives people a sense of identity. However this letter gives me more than an identity. This letter gives me reason and motivation to always fight for a just society.

    Read More

  • How Does Martin Luther King Use Pathos In I Have A Dream

    886 Words  | 4 Pages

    He wrote “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” and wrote his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. He was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the biggest visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement. This man was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In both of his writings, he used pathos and logos to appeal to the audience and fit the occasion.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King Jr Criticize In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    351 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” he is addressing the Clergymen, more specifically the white church and its leadership who criticized his efforts in the civil rights movement, by calling his demonstrations unwise and untimely. He is also simultaneously addressing the national audience as well in letting them know of the injustices of the time. It was 1963, and Martin Luther King Jr. wrote this letter from inside a jail cell. He had been arrested during an anti-segregation march for not having a valid parading permit in Birmingham, Alabama. In this letter he addresses the criticisms that were brought forth to him.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

    1306 Words  | 6 Pages

    Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the letter from jail, after he got arrested during a peaceful protest. At the time segregation was still a part of the culture in the United States and Martin Luther King Jr. and his followers were working diligently and peacefully to try and make a change in people’s hearts about segregation. In this letter MLK Jr. is writing to defend his strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism, which he does effectively by using rhetoric. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference focused on Birmingham, Alabama to start a nonviolent direct action campaign with the goal to get the city to get rid of segregation laws.

    Read More

  • Letter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Devices

    466 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” and “I Have a Dream” speech he uses many different rhetorical devices. He uses rhetorical devices such as repetition, analogy, and rhetorical questions. In each writing, he uses the devices for many different purposes. These purposes can be similar, or different. In short, Martin Luther King Jr. includes rhetorical devices in his writing.

    Read More

  • Response To Letter From Birmingham Jail By Martin Luther King Jr.

    649 Words  | 3 Pages

    Response to “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. In Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, he responded to statements written in a Birmingham newspaper that criticized his actions in the city. He undermined these disapprovals by explaining his belief in nonviolent direct action. King also went on to give opinions on other topics, such as, the lack of support from white moderates and white churches. He used technique and structure to develop his ideas and justify his methods.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Figurative Language In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    783 Words  | 4 Pages

    Martin Luther King was an African American civil rights activist who embraced the belief that all people, regardless their race, are equal. He spent the majority of his life working to improve the life of many black Americans. He also showed up wherever there was discrimination, protest, and injustice. The "Letter from Birmingham Jail" and the "I Have a Dream" speech are two of Dr. King's most well-known writings. Both writings have a lot of figurative language and make logical and emotional appeals.

    Read More

  • Essay On Martin Luther King Letter From Birmingham Jail

    959 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. was sent to jail because of a peaceful protest, protesting treatments of blacks in Birmingham. Before the protest a court ordered that protests couldn’t be held in Birmingham. While being held in Birmingham, King wrote what came to be known as the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Not even King himself could predict how much of an impact this letter would have on the Civil Rights Movement. In the letter kind defended Kings beliefs on Nonviolent Protests, King also counters the accusations of him breaking laws by categorizing segregation laws into just and unjust laws. King uses this principle to help persuade others to join him in his acts of civil disobedience.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of I Have A Dream Speech

    914 Words  | 4 Pages

    Martin Luther King, Jr. was an extremely impactful activist during the Civil Rights Movement that gave over 2,500 speeches in his lifetime. Of these speeches, his most popular is his famous I Have a Dream speech that he gave on August 28, 1963 in Washington, D.C. during the March on Washington. Even famous speakers like Martin Luther King, Jr. use persuasive techniques to appeal to the different sides of their audiences. In order to appeal to his predominately African American audience, Martin Luther King, Jr. makes reference to Abraham Lincoln and his granting freedom to slaves by signing the Emancipation Proclamation.

    Read More

  • Letter From Birmingham Jail By Martin Luther King Jr.

    957 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Letter from Jail” On April 16, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter to the eight clergymen while he was incarcerated. Dr. King wrote this letter to address one of the biggest issues in Birmingham, Alabama and other areas within the United States. The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” discussed the great injustices that were happening during that time towards the black community. Dr. King wanted everyone to have the same equal rights as the white community, he also went into further details about the struggles that African Americans were going through for so many years, which he felt like it could change. Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, expressed his beliefs and his actions about the Human Rights Movement.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Essay Letter From Birmingham Jail

    1135 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Letter from Birmingham Jail was written by Martin Luther King Jr. He was born in 1929 and did his

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Martin Luther King Letter From Birmingham Jail

    1522 Words  | 7 Pages

    King believed that if he could just go to Birmingham, and protest non-violently, that he could make a difference. On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was imprisoned, in Birmingham, for protesting the civil rights of Black Americans. While in jail, he began writing a letter addressing the clergymen. His main audience in writing this letter was to the eight clergymen who criticized his actions and also the majority of the population as well. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, argues that injustice

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

    907 Words  | 4 Pages

    In terms of legacies, Martin Luther King Jr. is an example of someone whose legacy has left an impact on a great many fields. The first to come to mind for most would be civil rights activism, as he was an instrumental figure in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. However, Martin Luther King Jr is an extremely influential figure in the field of oration and rhetoric. His Letter from Birmingham Jail is a work that he wrote while incarcerated in the Birmingham City Jail in response to criticism from Alabama clergymen. This letter is a prime example of King’s expertise in constructing persuasive rhetoric that appealed to the masses at large.

    Read More

More about Martin Luther King I Have A Dream Rhetorical Analysis

Open Document