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Rhetorical Devices In Rfk Speech

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Jaanavi Selvaraj
Moomau Pd 8 Robert F. Kennedy Speech Essay (better title pls)
On April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, the life of courageous and determined man was taken. Martin Luther King Jr. fought with every fiber of his being for equality within the country and more specifically toward the end of segregation of blacks and whites. Robert F. Kennedy, running for president at the time, was to give a campaign speech that day in Indiana. Through the use of various rhetorical devices in his speech, Kennedy guides the people of Indianapolis toward continuing Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of peace through MLK’s impact, the idea of unity, and moving forward from the past.
RFK uses rhetorical appeals to convey MLK’s impact. By dedicating “his life to love and to justice between fellow human beings,” MLK greatly improved the life of of many people. RFK uses glittering generalities to attract the audience’s …show more content…

“To get beyond, or go beyond these rather difficult times,” RFK tells the people that they need to be united. To move forward from this time, they need to get past this. RFK again uses repetition of the word beyond to create emphasis. As a solution to this problem, the president-in-running suggest that everyone “dedicate ourselves to...make gentle the life of this world.” To make better the situation of the time, RFK advises the people to treat each other more kindly. Additionally, with a literary allusion to Greek writings, RFK increases his ethos and subsequently the likelihood of people believing him. Toward the end of his speech, RFK recommends his audience to “say a prayer for our country and for our people.” He wants the people to reflect on the day’s events. RFK’s use of repetition is effective because it stresses the importance of thinking about what happened. Through repetition for emphasis, ethos, and allusions, RFK helps guide the people forward from the

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