Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Speech

During this time period, racism plagued society and divided a “united” nation. Malcolm X used examples of the grievances placed upon the African American population as a whole, while MLK used more specific examples. For instance, Malcolm X continually mentioned the “22 million Afro-Americans” that are denied their basic human rights. He did this to convey the message that

Civil Rights Leader, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., in his speech, “Give Us the Ballot”, emphasizes the importance of African American suffrage and urges many groups of people to do what they can to help this cause. King’s purpose is to inspire the black community to fight for their right to vote through nonviolent protest. He adopts a tone of urgency in order to encourage action from the African American audience, as well as from politicians, white northern liberals, and moderate southerners. Martin Luther King Jr. begins his speech by vilifying the institutions which disobey the Supreme Court’s decision to allow black people to vote and by expounding how the newly enfranchised African American community will vote to make changes in the

Martin Luther king Jr. was one of the most influential people during the Civil Rights era and was responsible for changing the lives of all African Americans in America. He was a leader of his time; on a mission to gain freedom from segregation and derivation of rights for all minorities in the south. As a Political Leader, Martin Luther King Jr. had many followers, but just the same, he also had criticizers. In his letter addressed to the Clergymen titled “Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963)”, Martin Luther King Jr. speaks as the President of the Southern Christian Leadership Council and answers to questions and concerns of his participation and demonstration of nonviolent actions against political wrong doings that resulted in the imprisonment of Martin Luther King Jr. and several other protestors. Martin Luther King Jr. felt the need to address the concerns of his criticizers who thought that his actions were misguided and impetuous.

Despite the growing anger from the African American people and their rising call for violence against white men, a closer observation of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech, “I Have a Dream,” reveals a calm, assertive message to invoke people of all races to join together in a state of peace and

Unification in Society Martin Luther King Jr. is a popular figure who is known for his speech “I Have A Dream”, which is based on racial equality in the mid-20th century. Martin Luther King Jr. uses his words to persuade the end of discrimination without using the use of violence. This speech had a substantial effect on the world, because many people were inspired by his use of figurative language relating to everything. He used poetic devices to connect with his audience’s emotion, they were already unified to perceive his opinions on discrimination. There weren’t just blacks, but whites came to hear his speech too.

Dawn McNeil-Bruce English 2100 Professor Andrews- Parker 10/21/15 The Rhetorical Techniques in “Letter from Birmingham Jail” The unjust treatment of African Americans have cause a significant amount of African American leaders to use different ways to advocate for racial equality. One very famous advocate was Martin Luther King Jr. On April 16, 1963, Dr. King had written a letter from Birmingham jail to eight clergymen towards racial equality. Martin Luther King Jr. had used this letter to convince the clergymen of the racial injustice towards African Americans. In order to persuade his audience Dr. King had used rhetorical devices to appeal to them. Martin Luther King Jr. uses an urgent tone to his

In the excerpt from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Dream” speech (Option B), he uses strong connotative diction to educate those in the audience who are not undergoing the hardships that African Americans are. King’s strongest use of connotative diction can be found in paragraphs 5 and 6. In paragraph 5, King refers to a “dark desolate valley of segregation” which is directly mirroring psalms 23; the quote is significant because King is widely known for being a preacher, and through this quote, he has specifically chosen those words to bring his persuasion to the next level. The Christians in the audience, will better understand the feeling of isolation in a world of happiness known by whites. King also suggests in paragraph 6, the feeling of

Martin Luther King’s style included nonviolent marches and protests against violence, and peacefully fighting for integrating the blacks and whites. The leadership style of Martin Luther King Jr. earned him to be recognized as the face of the Civil Rights movement. Therefore, Malcolm X should have changed his leadership style to work with Martin Luther King Jr. because his way of fighting for civil rights was strategically thought out and ultimately effective. Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the Civil Rights movement. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia to Reverend Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Williams King.

Through the war, Green which to set the precedent for an improvement in the social status of African American people. This appeal to the past persuades his audience to not buckle under the previous and present social injustices, but rather to strive to right as many social wrongdoings as

Throughout his speech he implies a lot of metaphors to make his speech effective and influencing. For example, King constantly describes the Negroes as being “crippled” by the “manacles of segregation”, “Storms of Persecution,” and “chains of discrimination.” Through these metaphors King indicates the crises the Negroes face. A few of King’s strongest metaphors are his references to prejudice: “the quick sands of racial injustice”, the “heat of oppression”, “the dark and desolate valleys of segregation”, and the “chains of discrimination.” King also indicates the unbearable inequality by creating an image: “the sweltering summer of the negro’s discontent.” Another practice MLK uses throughout his speech is the wide use of anaphors. To influence his audience efficaciously he mentions “I have a dream”, “One hundred years later”, “let the freedom ring” due which the audience gain a preserving feeling. The intense use of anaphora elevates his speech and make his speech more powerful, memorable and quotable.