More handpicked essays just for you.
The importance of the civil rights movement
Civil rights movement impact on us
Civil rights movement impact on us
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
A little over 50 years ago, black people were segregated from white people in the United States. Many people of both races were unhappy and in disgust with this treatment of the African Americans. One man stood up to write a moving, groundbreaking, powerful speech about how black men deserve everything white men do, according to the founding documents. Martin Luther King Jr. tells his audience of 250,000 that they need to take immediate action against this injustice against mankind. This speech was “I Have a Dream”. The speech leaves a meaningful imprint on its audience through the way King uses strong diction and urgent organization. He paints a picture in the reader and listener’s mind through his use of figures of speech. Even though …show more content…
Abraham Lincoln signed The Emancipation Proclamation to free the black slaves and make them equal to the white men in the United States, the black people remained segregated from the white people -- inferior, too.
In a powerful way, Martin Luther King Jr. was able to incorporate convincing figurative language in his speech to get this message imbedded into the minds of the audience.King writes an analogy. In it, he explains, giving the audience a picture in their minds, what it is like to be guaranteed rights, but only being given them partially. “In a sense, we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check.” This check is a metaphor for freedom and equality. This check “...was a promise that all men, yes black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the ‘unalienable rights’....” At the time of King’s speech, the black people, although free, were segregated from the white people; they were inferior and unequal. This is not what the “check” has promised. “...America had given the Negro people a bad check, a check which had been marked ‘insufficient funds’.” This analogy really makes you understand his fight, doesn’t it? With the audience at the same level of understanding as King, himself, they can more easily become convinced to join his side. This insightful way of presenting racial inequality makes the speech more memorable and keeps the attention of the audience to give it a stronger point; it makes the audience want to be able to …show more content…
“cash the check”, for most of them know how a check marked “insufficient funds” feels (not good). Martin Luther King (very effectively) uses figures of speech to support his argument. They help the audience understand the extremes of segregation and discrimination due to race. The audience was able to understand how it felt and what it was like to be unequal, using something they may be more familiar with. When the audience clearly understands the information, they can form an opinion, most likely agreeing with Martin Luther King’s due to the interesting and powerful way he explains each piece of information. The language keeps the audience engaged and wanting to hear more, making King’s point stronger and more effective overall. Martin Luther King plays on his strengths of influential diction to give the audience a sense of urgency.
He shows that they need to take action immediately against the horrendous act of racial segregation and discrimination. King capitalizes on making the audience feel as if not taking immediate action against racial injustice is forbidden. He explains in a powerful way that “This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.” It was not the time to sit limp instead of fighting for MLK’s cause. The words tranquilizing and gradualism kind of hit you like a bus. They caused King’s audience to be powerfully affected in a way that caused them to take action, rather than to be “tranquilized”. King uses the word “now” quite frequently in a particular paragraph of the speech, where he strongly pushes the fact that action against segregation needs to be taken immediately. “Now is the time to rise from the dark...Now is the time to lift our nation...Now is the time to make justice a reality.” The repetition of this particular word makes his point all the more compelling for this is an assertive word that makes us feel the need to complete a task -- particularly take a stand against segregation, in the case of King’s audience. MLK continues to say that “It would be fatal to overlook the urgency of the moment.” Fatal is a strong word because it has such a serious undertone and causes the audience to feel obligated to help as if the
word itself were a command. Using strong, urgent diction in this speech was nearly paramount to give it the compelling effect it had put on the audience. The power in each word made the audience feel the urgency of the moment and how action against racial discrimination had to be immediately taken. The words, simply put, dug under the listener’s skin and caused them to want to help. In a few places throughout the speech, Martin Luther King mentions that he has faith that racial inequality will come to an end. He causes his audience to believe this as well, due to the confidence in his voice. A great deal of this confidence is established in the way he organizes the speech. Towards the beginning of the speech, he uses longer sections with deeper content in order to get the audience informed, before all else. At the beginning, when the information, symbols, metaphors, and such are more detailed, MLK uses the (aforementioned) “check” analogy. “...we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.” Here, he uses longer sections of text to express assurance that the African Americans will get the rights they deserve. Later on in the speech, MLK begins to shorten his paragraphs. He gives little amounts of information in short bursts, repeating phrases, and making the speech sound more rhythmic and poetic. The title of the speech arises from a particular section of the text. “I have a dream...I have a dream...I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” He uses staccatos of words to get the audience fired up and hopeful that his dream will come true. At the very end of the speech, he uses paragraphs with just a few words, all beginning with the words, “Let freedom ring….” This quick repetitive organization puts the hope in the audience member's mind and compels him or her to want to take action against racial discrimination. When Martin Luther King organizes his speech to begin with a lot of information and then become short, repetitive and rhythmic, he causes his speech to become all the more powerful and compelling. At the beginning, he informed his audience of his concerns in detail and gave them reason to join the cause. He then went on and and made his paragraphs and points short and quick to put get the audience excited about fighting for equality. The poetic nature leaves an imprint in one’s mind, leaving them with the desire to help take action against racism.
After 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln gave African American slaves their freedom in society they were still not treated as equals. In August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C Martin Luther King Jr. gave the speech “I Have a Dream” that impacted the nation. The twenty-six-year-old pastor of the city's Dexter Avenue Baptist Church had to show the grievances of his people, justify their refusal to ride on Montgomery's city busses, and encourage them in peaceful way. In the “I have a dream” speech given by Dr. King he uses persuasive appeals to fight for the civil right movements in the most civilized way. To do this he had to convince African Americans that his way of going with things was in their best interests, and he had to convince white Americans that his vision was not going to change their heritage and in their best interests as well.
In a period of time where few were willing to listen, Martin Luther King, Jr. stood proudly, gathered and held the attention of over 200,000 people. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech was very effective and motivational for African Americans in 1963. Many factors affected Kings’ speech in a very positive manner; the great emotion behind the words, delivering the speech on the steps of the memorial of the President who defeated slavery. And not only was this message beautifully written for the hope of African Americans, but the underlying message for white people, revolution and peace. To stimulate emotion from both parties of his listeners, King used a selection of rhetorical devices such as allusions to historical documents, metaphors, similes, anaphoras and others.
Martin Luther King’s speech was made after the March on Washington on August 28, 1963. He delivered the “I Have a dream” speech on the Lincoln Memorial steps. He verbalized this speech to millions of people blacks and whites. This is one of the greatest speeches because it has many elements like repetition, assonance and consonance, pathos, logos, and ethos.
Dr. King is an emotional, inspiring and strong speaker. His " I Have A Dream" speech tugs a deep root war of emotions in every American’s heart; therefore, this speech is the perfect display of pathos. Even though pathos overwhelm logo and ethos, they also very much present in his speech.
Whenever Martin Luther King Junior, began to speak, he held everybody’s attention. This was the case in 1963 during the pinnacle of the Civil Rights Movement when Martin gave his career defining speech “I Have a Dream”. Over a quarter million people attended the protest, and the crowd varied in color as well as cause. A crowd of this size would certainly frighten most people; but Martin was not the type of man to be phased easily. Martin grew up on the racist streets of Atlanta, Georgia and faced much adversity in his life. Not even thirty-five Martin would give a speech that would shake an embroiled nation to its core. Martin Luther King Junior gave a speech to beautifully wove together the three appeals of ethos, logos, and pathos into one
The author of the “I Have A Dream” speech is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. King, known for his work in Civil Rights during the 1960s. In this informative speech, Dr. King inspires individuals to have a change in both white and black citizens during the Civil RIghts era in the United States. Moreover, the premise of the speech is that both sides of the discussion must accept change in a non-violent yet effective way. He spoke about the injustices of segregation and discrimination of black citizens that was occurring in our nation. As he opened, “I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation,” he explained what he was there to do for all citizens. He is
One of the most influential speeches ever given on the earth was given on a potiumat the Lincoln Momorial in Washington D.C on August 28th 1963. The great speech was given by Martin Luther King Jr. who deciatied his time on earth to prove that all people are equal. Martin Luther used different parts of the English language to enhance the meaning of his speech and bring out the details. The different rhetorical devices, allusions to historic documents, and metaphors seemed to have brought about the emotions that King was trying to arouse in his listeners. This helped him influence his listeners towards wanting equality for all and changing what was happening in the present so they didn't repeat things in the past .
Dr. King brilliantly weaves so many subtleties into such a relatively short speech that almost 50 years later it still must be analyzed to no end. Dr. King was a southern Baptist preacher before he was sucked into the leading role of the civil rights movement, I’m sure that had a great effect on his ability to give a speech. Dr. King knew just what to say, when to say it, and how to say it. From this we can see Dr. King’s lasting effect, and the fact that although we have come far in the area of civil rights, we still have a long way to go and it will be Dr. King’s timeless words that usher us into a new era of prosperity and brotherhood.
Dr. King was speaking as if he was Moses on Mount Sinai, bringing down the Ten Commandments. As if he was seated with Christ speaking to his apostles at the last supper. He felt this moment in time, on those steps before the Lincoln Memorial was his time to make his spirit, dedication and fervor for justice for the entire negro race be known from the hilltops of New Hampshire to the slopes of California and back to every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
Overall, Martin Luther King’s purpose of this speech was to unite African Americans and Caucasians to fight together for the same cause, equal rights for all people no matter the color of their skin. To successfully convey this purpose, King employed several tools of persuasion in his speech. He did indeed present an example of what could qualify as the "greatest demonstration" of arguments for true freedom for all Americans. He employed the techniques of ethos, pathos and logos with such skill that his audience likely was only aware of a single steering man towards a national unity.
On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a speech to more than 200,000 people during the March on Washington. King's speech was one of the most influential during the era of the Civil Rights Movement and is to this day recognized as a masterpiece due to its effect on the audience as well as for its eloquence and language. Many components went into this passionate speech that portrayed King's hopes for racial equality and a brighter future made the speech as moving as it was. It is doubtful that any person can guess that this speech was written without forethought regarding what goals King wished to accomplish in this speech. Martin Luther King Jr.'s eloquent language was perfectly suited to his audience, both his immediate and secondary audience, and his carefully chosen diction helped to shape arguable one of the most touching works ever spoken.
In his speech, “I Have a Dream,” delivered on August 28, 1963 at Abraham Lincoln’s memorial in Washington, D.C., Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. explores the rights that African American’s are granted by the U.S. Constitution. King believes that those rights are not equal to the rights that white men and women have. King describes a world that is different than the world where he lives. A world that he desires his family to grow up in and the vision that he sees America becoming. Though all Americans were ostensibly granted unalienable rights, King uses rich figurative language to argue that African Americans are still waiting to enjoy the same privileges afforded to others.
On the summer day of August 28th,1963 at the Washington memorial, Martin Luther delivered his speech “I have a dream” to America. Martin called for ending racism and for civil and economic rights. : "I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream." Martin tell us that his dream of racial equality is the same dream that the founding fathers had in the early days of the country and uses documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the U.S Constitution. Martins purpose of this speech a drive to get more equal treatment for all Americans. This paper will analyze some of the rhetorical appeals such as ethos,logos, and pathos that Dr.King used to persuade the audience.
In his speech, King uses pathos, which is one of the rhetorical modes that employs human feelings. He tries to make the listeners loath racism instead of hating Negros. He used several powerful adjectives and metaphors such as; “crippled” and “chained”. By using these words, King is trying to make the audience sympathize with black people and understand the disastrous conditions they are living with. He uses this method several times in his speech such as mentioning that children of color are “stripped of their selfhood” by “signs stating ‘For Whites Only’”. This all helps make the listeners feel ashamed and disgraced by these actions.
The purpose of the speech was to address the issues of segregation and racism as a whole. King speaks about the issues of racism and segregation in America during the 1960’s. He encourages the use of non-violent protests and to fight for equality to help America solve the issue. King begins his speech by referencing important historical documents such as the Constitution of the United States and the Emancipation Proclamation. This is emphasized when he states, ”Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation.