Martin Luther King's Speech: The Power Of Language

In his 1963 speech, “I Have A Dream”, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. asserts that now is the time to conquer racial inequality and it can be done neither alone nor through hate.

Words can change the world in many ways. Many of those ways can really make an impact on a person’s life or mind set. In the speech “I Have A Dream” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it proved to solidify the peace and fairness that he aimed to gain in this country by ending segregation between black and white people. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. vividly painted his vision of a better future for people of all colors in America. His words of power and rhetoric had made Dr. King create the emotion of empowerment for his huge audience. The one technique that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. uses is repetition.

The play Man of La Mancha was written by the American playwright Dale Wasserman in the 1960s. At the time, the United States was going through the Civil Rights movement. In 1963, two years before the play was written, Martin Luther King Jr. recited his famous “I Have A Dream” speech. The themes of the musical connect with this well-known speech in many ways.

Many writers and speakers have been influenced by the speeches of Martin Luther King Jr. "I have a Dream" and Frederick Douglass "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July". These speeches have helped evolve the history so drastically that black American’s now have freedom and to never be segregated like they were in the past. Martin Luther King Jr and Frederick Douglass are strong spokesmen that pointed out the differences between the blacks and whites. This paper will over their history’s, the video of Martin Luther King Jr's speech, similarities of the speeches and the differences In the speech, how they relate to logos, ethos, and pathos.

Select significant sections of King’s letter to analyze - areas you consider to be the most persuasive and emphatic. Then write an essay in which you analyze the rhetorical strategies of the selected text. Support your analysis with specific references to the text. Be sure to utilize the rubric in order to meet the essential criteria.

Martin Luther King Jr., a minister and social activist, led the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the mid-1950s until his death by assassination in 1968. He was an advocate for equality between all races and a civil and economic rights Activist. Because of his leadership, bravery and sacrifice to make the world a better place, Martin Luther King was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize. His incredible public speaking skills and ability to properly get his message across can clearly be scene throughout the speech.

On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr gave us one of one of the most rhetorically moving speeches ever given. Titled as the “I Have a Dream Speech,” he read this speech to the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom”. As a civil right mover he gave this great speech to all Americans (black and white) so that he could give off the idea of equality on the same level. Because of his crowd of mix races King made sure to make his speech imploring to all no matter what the race that they may be. He uses metaphorical imagery, powerful diction,and symbolism to create an impact on the audience. King’s dialect showed the audience civil right issues, involving many rhetorical strategies using ethos, logos, and pathos, to a racially tempered crowd whom he viewed as different, but not equal.

In 1963, Birmingham Alabama was a place where African Americans struggled for equal rights. From segregation to discrimination, Birmingham consisted of all many injustice activities which involved civil rights. In 1963, Martin Luther King was arrested from protesting the treatment of African Americans. Shortly afterwards he was both criticized and applauded for his actions in the protest. During this time, King decided to write a letter to address those who questioned his actions. In his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King effectively used the rhetorical strategy of describing to achieve his purpose of defending his reason for protesting, a model that can be applied to the upcoming portfolio project.

Additionally, Dr. King describes the problem that is still present at his time. He mentions back to the documents when the country starts a new government. In the Declaration of Independence it states that all men are created equal. That would include African Americans, but according to Dr. King’s speech it says, “One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacle of segregation and the chains of discrimination” (Dream 3). The blacks were promised freedom, yet they are not as equal as the whites. Once Dr. King mentions this, the audience can easily see that he is right. Now that the audience understands, they can escape from the blind side and develop solutions to the problem. Some might say that Lincoln

Dr. Martin Luther King Junior, a well-known civil rights leader, took many actions and went through many dangerous procedures to get his views on segregation and equality amongst all people across when presenting his famous, “I Have a Dream” speech. Numerous facts were stated to help in proving his beliefs to be true. These facts sat well with his already exquisite credibility earned from being such a well-mannered, genuine, and respected man. As factual as the speech was, Dr. King did not fail to speak with incredible passion in his voice and emotions so strong, connecting with them was inevitable. These components were essential to making Dr. Kings’ main message crystal clear; it was time for the government to make a drastic change in society’s effort towards putting an end to racial discrimination. Although both ethos and logos were evident in his speech, it is clear that the rhetorical appeal, pathos, was displayed most effectively.

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.

Inspiration and exuberance were the emotions that people felt as they listened to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s., “I Have a Dream” speech. The momentous speech was delivered on August 26th, 1968, shocking the world with its influential expression of emotion and implication of social injustice. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. proclaims courage to the civil rights activists as he speaks passionately about the need to end racism. In his words he suggests,“This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (King) . Dr. King is insisting that there should be equality between one another.

.Explanation that Includes Analysis of a Rhetorical Strategy or Strategies (must be 100 or more words of explanation)

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King is the G.O.A.T. He is the Greatest Of All Time when it comes to writing and delivering speeches. King has earned this title of G.O.A.T. because of how he can take a social group and mold them into a certain image to maximize the reaction of his words. In his speeches, King is very wise because he knew the best way to have his message remembered and push forward the civil rights movement was to get an emotional response. An emotional connection to a movement would result in more support and effort for the movement. As a result, in his speech “The Eulogy for the Martyred Children”, King took the social group of the 4 young girls who were murdered in the Birmingham church bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in 1963, and portrayed them as perfect and very young people so he could use them as a catalyst to expand the civil rights movement.