“When he died, I think something died in all of us. Something died in America. Each day I think we must find a way, to dream the dream that he dreamed. And build on what he left all of us” (John Lewis). Dr king, a man with a dream that the heat of oppression will transform into an oasis of freedom and justice. A goal to eliminate segregation and make African Americans equal. Dr king could not have rallied people to his cause if it was not for his expert persuasion. With his masterful execution of Pathos, ethos and logos, he connected to people, allowing them to see the bigger picture, seeing the path to humanity and pulling people away from the harsh status quo. Pathos refers to the emotional appeal of the speaker, and King uses it effectively …show more content…
King uses logos effectively throughout the letter to make a compelling case for civil rights. For example, he writes, "The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jetlike speed toward gaining political independence, but we still creep at horse-and-buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter. Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say, 'Wait.' But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your brothers and sisters at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick, and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothered in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see the depressing clouds of inferiority begin to form in her little mental sky, then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait." Here, King uses a comparison to other nations and a rhetorical question to demonstrate the unfairness and urgency of the situation
During the days of segregation Martin Luther King was trying to make changes in society. He would use different things such as pathos, logos, and ethos to persuade the people of America to stop violence and start non-violent resistance. King also shows the difference of being the oppressed and the oppressor by explaining how not doing anything to make a change is being the oppressor and is still wrong in every way. Martin Luther King explains himself through ethos, logos, and pathos to show right from wrong and oppressed and the oppressor to make a difference in America during the Civil RIghts Movement. He used ethos the most in his speeches such as relating to bible verses or explaining the struggle that the black american has to go through every single day.
At different times in Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech he uses logos, as well as in “The Letter from Birmingham Jail.” A part from his speech was how Dr. King explained the community which he wants to change or make a difference. “The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community
Martin Luther King Jr. used many powerful strategies and tactics such as imagery of the future, descriptive details of the present, historical figures and the use of logos, pathos and ethos. Throughout the entire piece, King used logos, or logic. He uses this tactic with the knowledge of explanations being more effective than emotions. When compared to an extremist, he took the idea as logical and used choices of words to show his passion, which also appealed as pathos.
In Martin Luther Kings “I Have a Dream” speech he primarily uses pathos. He uses pathos because he needs to send people home with a sense of hope. In the quote “But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still
King uses Pathos in his " I Have a Dream '' speech to make people believe there is hope for Racial Equality. He uses pathos when he states, “The negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination ” (King 261). In this quote, Dr.king explains that black people are still suffering from racial inequality. This is an example of pathos because after the five score years passed black people were still getting persecuted. Dr.king’s use of pathos in the example proves that he can make people believe that there is hope for racial equality.
Martin Luther King Jr. inexplicably opened the eyes of Americans across the nation with his role in the movement and his use of resonating imagery, excellent emotional appeal, powerful voice, and evocation of logic in his “I Have a Dream” speech. With such an enthralling rhetoric he gained a vast amount of support and exponentially increased the pride in standing up for what’s righteous and just. Exemplifying the throes of being a colored person, King evoked sympathy whilst simultaneously applying the valid logic that no human should be subjected to lesser standards. His rhetoric wholly changed American history that day and thus conveyed his ability to maintain equanimity throughout all of the
He is not just any man protesting for the rights of colored people, but he was the leader and organizer of the protest. He is a clergyman reaching out to the others. King also uses Logos to show readers his voice of reason behind everything that is going on,” I began thinking about the fact that I stand in the middle of two opposing forces in the Negro community.. Nourished by the Negro’s frustration over the continued existence of racial discrimination, this movement is made up of people who have lost faith in America, who have absolutely repudiated Christianity, and who have concluded that the white man is an incorrigible devil.” ( page 540)
Martin Luther King Jr. was an important figure in gaining civil rights throughout the 1960’s and he’s very deserving of that title as seen in both his “I Have a Dream” speech and his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” letter. In both of these writings Dr. King uses logos - logical persuasion - and pathos - emotional appeal - to change the opinions of people who were for segregation and against civil rights. Although King was arrested for a nonviolent protest, he still found a way to justify his actions with the use of logos and pathos. MLK uses both ways to gain the attention and agreement of the audience but, he uses pathos not just more, but in a more relatable way in order to appeal to his audience.
used both logos and pathos in his speech and in his letter. He used pathos to appeal to the people 's emotions and logos to appeal to logic,to evidence and to support reasoning. He used pathos to show how unfair and unjust it was and how cruel they are treated. King used logos to show how long it has been that they have silently took this unjust treatment and how it is ruining society and tarnishing the people. In conclusion, King showed how using both pathos and logos can inspire change and shows that sometimes the pen is mightier than the
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy” (King, Jr.). Martin Luther King Jr. exceeded this “measure of a man” during his civil rights acts as a strong soldier in a very volatile time. During this time of “challenge and controversy” King made himself heard in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. In some of his civil rights acts that occurred in Birmingham, resulted in him ending up in jail. During his time in jail, he wrote his also famous “Letter From Birmingham Jail.”
In Martin Luther King’s Jr, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” the letter was a persuasive attempt to get Americans to finally see the inequality in the United States of America. Throughout King’s letter, he used various ways of persuasive strategies: pathos, logos, and ethos. But the strongest influential device King used was pathos. Now the word “strongest” has various meanings, but in this instance, it means the most successful.
Dr. King thought to himself that maybe one day this nation will come together as one, with love in the heart and hatred in the
During the era of the civil rights movements in the 60s, among the segregation, racism, and injustice against the blacks, Martin Luther King Jr. stood at the Lincoln Memorial to deliver one of the greatest public speeches for freedom in that decade. In Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech he effectively uses ethos, diction and powerful metaphors to express the brutality endured by African American people. Yet his most important method of reaching his audience, and conveying his enduring message of equality and freedom for the whole nation was his appeal to pathos. With these devices, King was able to move thousands of hearts and inspire the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Opening his speech Martin Luther King Jr. sets up his credibility with his use of ethos, referring to the Declaration of Independence saying, “This note was a promise that all men… would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life.”
They were there to listen to people give them hope that someday everything would be equal for everyone. These people came to see the famous “I Have a Dream” Speech. Through figures of speech, syntax, and imagery Martin Luther King evokes pathos in his “I Have a Dream” speech. Through figures of speech, King appeals to Pathos.
Martin Luther uses logos effectively throughout his speech. Dr. King says,“ But one hundred years later, the Negro is not free” ( Luther). The fact is that one hundred year has past still no improvement on the situation. Another example is the analogy “ America has given the Negro people a bad check a check which has not come back marked insufficient funds”( King).He reasons that most people are understanding lack of money. King’s speech was effectively because of how he formatted his speech.