Rhetorical Analysis Of MLK Jr.'s Speech

MLK Jr. in this speech tells his audience of the grave injustice that is happening all around him. Instead of involving himself in a violent movement to stir up large amounts of hate, he instead leads a nonviolent movement where he and his followers protest nonviolently in the streets and local shops. They were bombarded by water hoses and attack dogs because of their protest, but continued to press on regardless of the peril that they put themselves in. They were fighting, in MLK Jr.’s mind, an “illegal unconstitutional junction” that the government had set up to persecute the black community in America (MLK Jr. 216). He compares their situation to Jesus’ parable of the good Samaritan, where the Samaritan was not expected to help the dying man out, but did so anyways out of the compassion in his heart, spending his own money to put the man into a good inn. He makes a great argument here for civil disobedience, showing the need for change in the country, even when it goes against what is commonly practiced.

While the segregation laws were clearly out of line with the constitution, why did they choose to peacefully protest in the streets rather than violently fight back against the policemen who often hurt and even killed some of them? I find it noble that MLK Jr. would fight for this cause, but I also wonder how much his religious faith played into his civil right stance. Considering that all men are created equal under God is a strong reason that one might consider equal rights for all, but legally blacks had the right to be equal to whites, giving them every right to protest, from a civil or religious