Rhetorical Analysis Of I Have A Dream Speech

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The speech ‘I have a dream’ by Martin Luther King presents the theme of undying hope and racial equality. King represents a segregated social groups by referencing them to the rich and the poor, the assailant and the victim, the debtor and creditor to emphasize the importance of freedom and justice which powerfully encourages the audience to create changes in their lives for the prosperity of America. Through the use of extended metaphors, inclusive pronoun and languages which evoke a sense of ethos, King unequivocally and effectively gets his argument across that the citizens of America have the power to generate “great” nation. In introducing an exclusive group with power and privilege, King proclaims the governor of Alabama had “dripping with the words of interposition and nullification”. By referring him metaphorically as “dripping” animal, King disparages the rich to express that the racial prejudice is inhumane and filthy act. By such figure of example, the audience understands that the exclusive group has an unearned entitlement and unearned advantage, which naturally places them at the lead of the racial hierarchy in society. King’s such explicit condemnation served to suggest that the poor and helpless people should fight for their rights and should not conform to the societal norms and expectations. By involving the neglected individuals of the society, that claims to share the same experience and pursue the idea of equality as the speaker does, the initiated

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