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Analysis the speech i have a dream
What literary devices did martin luther king jr use in his speech
What literary devices did martin luther king jr use in his speech
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Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist and a very influential person. He is known for his speeches and marches. He would never lead a violent march and never fight back if people were hurting him because it would make things worse. Martin Luther King Jr. led the boycott of Montgomery, which risked his life, but the result of it was that supreme court outlawed segregation on public transportation. His “I Have A Dream” speech is one of the most famous and persuasive speeches of all time. He had many literary elements in his speech to grab the audience's attention and keep it. The two most important literary elements are metaphors and anaphoras. To begin, an anaphora is when a word or phrase is repeated to grab the audience's attention. …show more content…
Many authors use metaphors in their stories, so readers can really imagine and see the picture they are trying to paint. Martin Luther King Jr. also used metaphors in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. One example would be “whirlwinds of revolt”. It’s not literally a whirlwind with revolt, it is saying that revolt will continue to be around until justice comes. King used this in his speech to help people realize and imagine what was going on. He really wanted to show the people what was happening and what needs to happen in order to change it. People know that a whirlwind can damage things and know that revolt means disgusted, so if someone says whirlwind of revolt it’s practically saying that revolt is going to damage our country unless we fix it. “Drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred” is another metaphor King used in his speech. This says that blacks are hated and looked down upon by whites, and it just keeps going on. Before “drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred” it says “our thirst for freedom”. This states that they want freedom so badly they are just going to have to deal with the cruelness until they are free. He uses this to emphasize the point that people are mean to them over and over again , but they don’t care because they will keep fighting until they get equality. King used the metaphor, “lonely island of poverty” in his speech which means that there is a group of people in poverty that are isolated from everyone. If you think about it, an island is all by itself, so a lonely island of poverty would mean that the poor is separated from everyone else. It is important that he used this metaphor so people really get the visual of how life was for African-Americans. Martin Luther King Jr. used these metaphors in his speech, so his audience can really understand and realize how African-Americans
In Martin Luther King Junior's Letter from Birmingham Jail, King responds to a public statement made by eight Alabama clergymen about African Americans being too extreme and their actions untimely. In this public statement, made on the twelfth of April, 1963, the clergymen also commended the police on their control of the situation. Four days later, King writes a letter showing his opinion on the statements while he sits in the Birmingham jail for parading without a permit. King carefully uses rhetorical devices to force the clergymen to realize that they are the ones responsible for teaching morals. King uses figurative language to create pathos in his audience of Alabama Clergymen
Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail", was written to answer a critical "Call For Unity" by a group of clergymen in Birmingham. The clergymen were critical of King for "interloping" in the activities of their city. Dr. King said that he had every right to fight unfairness in the country that he lived in. The letter he wrote, in response to the "Call for Unity", and a statement that he would battle racial inequality wherever it was. The "Letter from Birmingham Jail" was the main point in his life. In this letter, he perfectly described his reasons why he felt this way, appealing to logic, emotion, and ethics.
In “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King, Jr. uses a catalogue of personal experiences in order to appeal to the emotions of the reader, also called pathos, by utilizing concrete language, semicolons, and lengthy sentences. He not only entices the emotions of the fellow clergymen he is addressing, but also society in general, attempting to reveal the true situation of the oppressed Negroes during this time in the Civil Rights Movement.
In the "Letter from a Birmingham Jail", Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. responds to an article by eight clergymen, in which he explains the racial injustice in Birmingham, and reasons why King's organization is protesting for Civil Rights. He introduces himself and his actions at the beginning of his letter. He states that the purpose of his direct action protest is to open the door for negotiation on the Civil Rights. He tries to convince his audience by providing evidence in order to gain his audience to be involved in his movement and support him. He also highlights police actions against nonviolent Negros and crimes against humanity in Birmingham city jail.
Martin Luther King, Jr., born on January 15, 1929, was well known for his nonviolent movement to bring justice and to an end to the segregation of the people in the United States back in the 1950s. With King being the leader of a peaceful protest, it failed to bring equally to the colored people. Martin Luther King, Jr. was labeled as an “outsider” who was “hatred and violence” and that his actions were “unwise and untimely” from the Public Statement by Eight Alabama Clergymen (clergymen). In response, on the day of April 16, 1963, he wrote the Letter from Birmingham Jail to declare and defense his movement was not “unwise and untimely” at all. To analyze his points, King used the powerful literary devices of pathos- use of an emotional appeal.ethos-
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American Baptist minister and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He wrote the article “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, which was published May 12, 1963 in the New York Post Sunday Magazine. King uses metaphors in the letter to question the audience from a passionate and unpassionate view. Also puts figurative language and a demanding tone to make the audience join his anti-racist movement.
Imagine being beaten, thrown in jail, and denied your basic human rights. This is the exact pain and suffering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. went through during his fight for African American rights. Dr. King was an educated African American preacher and civil rights leader. By writing this letter, he is able to show what life was like for an African American at this point in history. King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” is effective at convincing the audience that segregation is wrong and that colored people should have the same rights as all others.
On August 28th, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C, Martin Luther King Jr., spoke to roughly twenty-five thousands people attending the March on Washington for jobs and freedom. In Dr. King’s speech, “I Had a Dream”, he uses rhetorical devices to convey that all people are created equal and to educate the importance of the Civil Rights Movement.
Martin Luther King Jr’s most compelling point was that every person has the same rights
From time immemorial, the promoters of social justice utilize rhetorical strategies to persuade theirs opponents of theirs claims. The proponents of the movement for civil rights for African Americans have made an intensive use of those strategies to advocate their cause. On April 16, 1963, from the jail of Birmingham, Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote an extensive missive to eight clergymen who had attacked his work for civil rights in a public statement released on April 12, 1963. Martin Luther King, Jr. primarily aimed this letter at those eight leaders of the white Church of the South. However, the eight clergymen's letter and the response from Martin Luther King, Jr. were publicly published. Martin Luther King, Jr. wanted to convince of the utility of his commitment in this particular area at this specific moment. To persuade his readers, Martin Luther King, Jr. predominantly employs Aristotle's three types of persuasion that are appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos. First, he appeals to his own reputation and wisdom. Second, he tries to arouse emotions or sympathy in the readers. Finally, he appeals to logic, supported with evidence and citations from influential thinkers.
Anaphora is the repetition of a certain word or phrase at the beginning of a successive line of writing or speech. It can be used in novels and short stories, but its most commonly seen in poetry, essays, and formal speeches. As a rhetorical device, or a technique that an author uses to persuade, anaphora is used for the purpose of generating a particular effect in your audience. Anaphora appeals to the feelings, or pathos, of your audience. By repeating a word or phrase, the readers or listeners start to anticipate the next line.
His strong diction is also depicted through anaphora. The repetition of phrases and words such as “when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mother,” “when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse” and “see tears welling up in her eyes” provide the reader with a sense of sadness. By emphasizing “you,” he forces the reader to put themselves in the position that he is in, and experience it with him. Using anaphora creates a sense of memorability and urgency, all while remaining in the pathos category (Longager & Walker, 2011, p.256). Strategically used repetition not only forces the reader to focus on an idea, but also assists in conveying his intended message.
Dr. King uses ethos, logos, and pathos effectively throughout his letter to address a large audience. He intertwines the three rhetorical strategies seamlessly to support his argument. Although Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has his critics in the clergy who argue against his civil rights demonstrations in Birmingham, he effectively uses all three types of rhetorical strategies to effective persuade his critics by explaining why his actions are just and timely in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
In Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech, King makes use of an innumerable amount of rhetorical devices that augment the overall understanding and flow of the speech. King makes the audience feel an immense amount of emotion due to the outstanding use of pathos in his speech. King also generates a vast use of rhetorical devices including allusion, anaphora, and antithesis. The way that King conducted his speech adds to the comprehension and gives the effect that he wants to rise above the injustices of racism and segregation that so many people are subjected to on a daily basis.
Martin Luther King Jr. was the most influential leader of the American Civil Rights Movement as he fought for the freedom of African Americans. King’s most influential speech is his “I Have a Dream” given on August 28, 1963.1 King himself was a man whom thousands of people admired. Martin Luther King Jr. uses an expressive tone in his speeches by using verbal powerful imagery toward his audience, reminding them of the challenges facing them and defeating racism. Martin Luther King Jr. inspired others to take action, lead by example, as shown in his speeches and promoted non-violence as a method for change.