Rhetorical Appeal Of Dr. Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream Speech

Martin Luther King, Jr. was an important influential person in our history. He wrote not only the historic “I Have a Dream” speech, but he also wrote a letter while in the Birmingham jail. These two pieces of writing have impacted many and have appealed to the readers emotions and used logic to persuade people. These appeals were found in both the letter and in the speech but which one was more emotional and which one was more logical? Let 's start by talking about the logical appeals in the speech.

“I Have a Dream” and “Glory & Hope” were two great speeches given by two of the most significant and exceptional speakers in the 20th century. These 2 men were Dr. Martin Luther King Junior and Nelson Mandela. These two speeches were delivered at times when great racial segregation and injustice had been found in the deep chasms of human society. At that time the Negros in North America and South Africa were racially divided. The Apartheid in South Africa and the lack of rights for the Negros in North America.

Cox examines “I had a dream” by Martin Luther king junior. Discussing the various types of rhetoric that MLK uses throughout his speech, making it one of the most moving speeches of our time. But Cox focuses on the urgency and time in which the speech as delivered, claiming that the MLK speech is redemptive to the struggles of the civil right activists. Cox identifies the significance this speech had at its specific time of delivery through the truths concept of evaluation. The importance of time is expressed when MLK states, “the word wait, its rings in the air of every negro with piercing familiarity.

Finally, King made repetition all through his speech to clearly boost his ideas as he repeat the phrase “I have a dream” (king1) he is able to plainly outline his ideas and create an effective coherence among his audience. By way of constant repetition, King aims to emphasize his point in the readers mind. King stress on specific phrases by repeating them at the beginning of sentences. For example King said “let freedom ring from the stone of Mountain of Georgia” (6). King has repeated” let freedom ring” phrases at the beginning of many sentences, which set the pattern, and further reputation of this phrase underscore the pattern and increase the rhetorical effect of his speech.

“…what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom…” in the fist sentence of the total speech what shows the believable that it’s the history of black men’s freedom. In fact, he succeeded so that he became one of the greatest speakers in the world because of this speech. “Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning” shows that King believes his dream black people’s rights and life same as white people, will achievement eventually. And not only he believe it, but also it persuasive other people. “And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.

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. The “I Have a Dream” speech is well known throughout history to be one of the most famous speeches to be on the subject of civil rights.

I Have a Dream was written in such condition to fight for their own rights. In fact, this article is still of great value since Black man are still discriminated today. I Have a Dream had used many rhetoric to make it a good speech draft and make it spread worldwide. This paper tends to analyze the Simile and Metaphor used in this article and how can

Martin Luther King Junior's famous "I Have a Dream" speech brings forth a powerful message to the general public. His speeches are inspiring and command attention. Many people listen to him and use him as a source of hope to fight against racial issues. He is a symbol to African Americans as Wapshott stated, "Africans found a particularly poignant message in King’s plea for racial tolerance and his declaration that “the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.”" His speech put forth the harsh realities African Americans face and wants to fight against them. King realizes that his people are wrongly treated and that they should not be put into separate schools and bathrooms just because of the color of one's skin.

A Response to Martin Luther King Jr's “I Have a Dream” speech. In Martin Luther King Jr’s speech “I have a dream,” King issues a statement that changes the stake for the civil rights movement into the favor of equal rights for all. According to King, many nationalities, specifically, the African American people are subjected to the injustices and shortcomings of the American system. King identifies some of the sources of the discrimination such as close mindedness, racism, hate, and prejudice. King also, brings up several solutions for these problems.

King executes the use of pathos throughout his speech. Dr. King’s purpose of using pathos was to affect the audience’s emotions and work their emotions to sympathize with the African-Americans. Dr. King worked up the emotions of both black and white people that day. “And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream” (Martin Luther King I Have a Dream Speech, paragraph 16).