Rhetorical Devices Used In Mlk's Speech

“I Have A Dream” “I Have A Dream”, a quote that many Americans hold dear to their hearts and a quote that is remembered and is associated with an unforgettable movement in history of the Untied States of America. From 1954-1968 one of the most memorable movements in history took place and will not be forgotten is the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the many greats remembered and recognized in the movement for being an influential leader of his time. Having given over 2000 speeches, MLK(Martin Luther King) has one particular speech that stands out from the many and it is his “I Have A Dream” speech. MLK’s message being about peace, unity, fairness and freedom for and to all people shines through in this speech.

Additionally, Dr. King describes the problem that is still present at his time. He mentions back to the documents when the country starts a new government. In the Declaration of Independence it states that all men are created equal. That would include African Americans, but according to Dr. King’s speech it says, “One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacle of segregation and the chains of discrimination” (Dream 3). The blacks were promised freedom, yet they are not as equal as the whites. Once Dr. King mentions this, the audience can easily see that he is right. Now that the audience understands, they can escape from the blind side and develop solutions to the problem. Some might say that Lincoln

When I first listened to Martin Luther King’s “I Had a Dream” speech, I was surprised by the fact how slow he spoke. The audience would’ve been able to catch every word. Then during the times the audience were being loud, I also noticed that King patiently waited. I appreciated how he included everyone into his speech. He was very fair throughout his presentation. He repeated phrases like “Let freedom ring” and “I have a dream”, and made the speech compelling. In fact, at the end of the speech, the audience from the audio and I got excited from it.

For decades many civil rights leaders and activists fought for rights and equality. None of this was even taken into consideration until King came into play in the 1950s (Fighting For Equal Rights in America par. 2.) As the central figure of civil rights for African Americans, Martin Luther, forced action and change in our nation, and changed opinions of not only African Americans, but whites too. Through his powerful and emphatic speeches, white people began to believe that King was right and that segregation was not right.

Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential leaders of his time and played a crucial role in the African-American Civil Rights movement. Luther was a charismatic leader who took a firm stand against the oppressive and racist regime of the United States (US), devoting much of his life towards uniting the segregated African-American community of the US. His efforts to consolidate and harmonise the US into one country for all is reflected in many of his writings and speeches spanning his career. As a leader of his people, King took the stand to take radical measures to overcome the false promises of the sovereign government that had been addressing the issues of racial segregation through unimplemented transparent laws that did nothing to change the grim realities of the society. Hence, King’s works always had the recurring theme of the unity and strength of combined willpower. In a similar light, King addressed the speech ‘I have a dream’ to a peaceful mass gathering in Washington asking for change. The speech deemed racial segregation to be an inhumane practice that subdivides society into groups that essentially alienate them from the true sense of humanity; which is brotherhood. King argues that all people are created equal and directly challenged the outdated and abhorrent views that upheld the false flag of racial superiority among White Americans. Luther’s speech was a passionate rhetoric that preached his views about the future. Furthermore his speech did not

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929. At the age of 25, King earned a sociology degree and completed his Ph.D (A&E Networks Television). King’s charismatic and strong attitude helped him become a successful minister and the most famous civil-rights activists. On the day of August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his inspirational speech, I Have a Dream. Approximately 200,000 people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. to watch King personally. An additional million listened on the radio and watched on television (Phibbs). In his speech, King spoke about the injustices of segregation and discrimination taking place in the nation toward African Americans. Speaking out for freedom,

In “I Have A Dream”, Martin Luther King Jr. persuades people to treat black with the equal rights as whites have. Not to make blacks superior, but to their be peace among blacks and whites.

Martin Luther King Jr. inexplicably opened the eyes of Americans across the nation with his role in the movement and his use of resonating imagery, excellent emotional appeal, powerful voice, and evocation of logic in his “I Have a Dream” speech. With such an enthralling rhetoric he gained a vast amount of support and exponentially increased the pride in standing up for what’s righteous and just. Exemplifying the throes of being a colored person, King evoked sympathy whilst simultaneously applying the valid logic that no human should be subjected to lesser standards. His rhetoric wholly changed American history that day and thus conveyed his ability to maintain equanimity throughout all of the

On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr gave us one of one of the most rhetorically moving speeches ever given. Titled as the “I Have a Dream Speech,” he read this speech to the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom”. As a civil right mover he gave this great speech to all Americans (black and white) so that he could give off the idea of equality on the same level. Because of his crowd of mix races King made sure to make his speech imploring to all no matter what the race that they may be. He uses metaphorical imagery, powerful diction,and symbolism to create an impact on the audience.

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.

Dr. Martin Luther King Junior, a well-known civil rights leader, took many actions and went through many dangerous procedures to get his views on segregation and equality amongst all people across when presenting his famous, “I Have a Dream” speech. Numerous facts were stated to help in proving his beliefs to be true. These facts sat well with his already exquisite credibility earned from being such a well-mannered, genuine, and respected man. As factual as the speech was, Dr. King did not fail to speak with incredible passion in his voice and emotions so strong, connecting with them was inevitable. These components were essential to making Dr. Kings’ main message crystal clear; it was time for the government to make a drastic change in society’s effort towards putting an end to racial discrimination. Although both ethos and logos were evident in his speech, it is clear that the rhetorical appeal, pathos, was displayed most effectively.

MLK’s overall purpose of his speech was to stress the need of equality in America, and how African Americans deserve that equality. First, once describing his vision of future America, he repeatedly uses the phrase “I have a dream” (King). MLK is expressing his intense longing and desire for such a change. Through this repetition, the audience is able to grasp how meaningful equality is to MLK. It is not just a need, or want, it is a dream.

This reasoning is due to the fact that Martin Luther King Jr. was a confident educated man, who had a particularly versatile comprehension on how to achieve equal rights for African

Most people have heard about Martin Luther King Jr. His powerful speeches and even more powerful testimonies. He wasn’t even talking about color in his speeches. There was one person before him that was also a powerful speaker.

Martin Luther King Jr realised the discrimination against Black people of America and he wanted to make an alteration to the way that Blacks were mistreated. Up to now people had been campaigning for Black Americans rights, to secure equality for all Americans. Although these civil rights activists had been successful in their intention to some degree, however racism still pursued through America. Seeing how activists had