Martin Luther King I Have A Dream Speech Analysis

Martin Luther King Junior was one of the main pulling forces of the civil rights movement during the 1960’s. His eloquent writings and provocative speeches are what set him apart from the rest. He had a way with words that no one up to that point could compare to. This is because of his exceptional use of persuasive techniques. All of the writings and speeches in his immense collection include a logical and emotional appeal to help persuade anyone reading or listening. Although King always seemed to appeal to the public’s emotions the most.

One of Dr. King’s most well known public speeches is his “I Have a Dream” speech. This is known as one of the most influential and gripping speeches that was spoke during the civil rights movement. One of the reasons it reached so many people is in the speech it has an appeal to reason, and no one can refuse reason. “Five score and seven years ago, a great American, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice… But one hundred years later, the Negro is still not free.”(King 261). This selection from the speech shows how he uses a real source, the Emancipation Proclamation, to prove his point, and this works to persuade people that always rationalize the situation. Another acclaimed work of Martin Luther King Jr. is his “Letter from Birmingham Jail’. In this letter he addresses claims made about