More handpicked essays just for you.
Analysis of Martin Luther King's dream speech
Analysis of Martin Luther King's dream speech
Analysis of Martin Luther King's dream speech
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
In the speech given by Martin Luther King Jr., “I Have a Dream”, he was addressing the white population who were undecided whether or not they agree or disagree with the racism and discrimination that was running rapid within the US. This speech is full of fire, emotion, and persuasion, that it left the crowd cheering and on their feet in agreement and inspiration. His objective was to convince this group against discrimination and to start making a change for a better America where all men are not only created equal but treated equal as well. Martin Luther King Jr. uses countless techniques to enhance and strengthen his speech. The most commonly used methods are repetition and three point lists. Each line he opened up with the phrase …show more content…
used three point lists in various places through out his speech, to add strengthen and enhance his message. He added many vivid descriptions, which greatly contributed to the drama and imagery of his words. The first time Martin Luther King Jr. used a three point list is when he described how one day there will be “ little black boys and black girls… Join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.” Martin Luther King Jr. created a picture in the minds of his audience of this dream that he has. He makes the image even stronger with the usage of a three point …show more content…
Martin Luther King Jr. used countless contrasts through out his dialogue to increase the affects on his listeners. The first time we see a contrast used is when he was describing how “… The sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners…sit down together at the table of brotherhood. ” This is contrasting the sons of both groups and joining them together as one unit meshed together. Another place where Martin Luther King Jr. used contrasting was when he was speaking about Mississippi transforming into a free state. He said “sweltering with the heat of oppression will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.” Martin Luther King Jr. was using the weather of Mississippi as a metaphor to draw a sharp contrast. His point was that his dream is that the suffocating injustice will be transformed and become a fountain of Liberty! It's a contrast full of imagery and emotion. He equates the suffering to unbearable heat while he contrast that to freedom which he equates to
To begin with, Dr Martin Luther King influenced his audience through the use of written techniques. A written technique applied in the speech is repetition, which is the restatement of words or phrases.
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.
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.
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 .
Martin Luther King Jr. uses the emotional appeal most often than any other appeal and using it to his advantage, he makes it extremely effective in persuading the reader. He uses emotional appeal in many ways throughout his “letter from Birmingham Jail.” In one of the ways, he uses strong words as one of the most effective ways to relate to the reader and make them feel connected to him. He mentions in his letter that “When you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters.” Words such as vicious lynch, drown, hate-filled, curse, kick, and kill are all strong words that persuade a negative picture in the readers mind. Such examples he uses to define the evil acts of segregation appeals to the reader as unjust and unfair. King uses most of his emotional appeals from midway through the letter and keeps using it until the end. King relates himself to the audience, the clergymen, and shows the similarities ...
This is in connection with solidarity, because solidarity means that we are all one family, and no one is better than anyone else. When Martin Luther King was fighting for equal rights amongst all people, he said that everyone, no matter color, or social status should be treated equally. The second way he lived out solidarity was, he went out and did what had to be done. He did not, just say that things needed to change, and then wait for someone else to do it, no. He was the person who lead the bus boycott of 1955. He showed how people could change things that were unjust, and wrong, by just doing small things that would eventually build up into many great things. For example after the bus boycott, he then proceeded to helped to form, and lead, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, which was an organization that worked towards equal rights for all. After that, Martin Luther King was the
In his letter, Martin Luther King is trying to persuade his readers to understand his action and point of view of an African-American living in this era. He did so all while replying to the public published statement and criticisms written to him by the eight Alabama clergymen. This illuminating work of art that King had created was filled with heightened terminology which was gratified by his precise framework. By King writing this response letter with such high dialect, it reflects off of his determined and highly educated mentality immensely. In this letter King directly tries to build a connection
Martin Luther King uses a lot of repetition in his speech. They are scattered throughout but very close. One of the repetitions in his speech is “I have a dream.” He uses this phrase to show what he sees in the future of America. One of the phrases he uses with it is: “I have a dream that one day this nation will and live out the true meaning of its creed: we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” Another is “I have a dream that my four 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 nature. I have a dream today.” (King, M. L. Jr. (1963, Aug.28) Para 12) Two other repetitions he uses is “Let freedom ring” and “Free at last.” (King, M. L. Jr. (1963, Aug.28) Para 16&17)
In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King Jr, responds to various criticisms directed against him by the white Clergymen. King responds to the criticisms in a professional manner but with a twist. He uses a respectable tone since they are men of good will. The white Clergymen publish an open letter about the racial problems in Alabama. The letter was direct to the outsider of their community, which was King. King agrees with some of the main points that the Clergymen said, but he turns what they say around on them. He uses important people and symbols to make his point across. Two criticisms that King uses are “unwise and untimely” and “tension”. For example, the Clergymen show how the police are doing their job as good law enforcers.
Martin Luther King Jr., sparks emotion amongst the readers, through the use of pathos in attempt to create an emotional feel. His diction and vivid language makes this appeal successful. He writes on his scratch paper given to him in jail “I guess it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say "wait" (Longager & Walker, 2011, p. 270). The phrase “I guess” conveys the irony and absurdity of his claim. “Stinging darts” is also powerful, and truly makes the audience feel sorrow for those facing racial segregation. 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. The logos appeal is also in effect here. He utilizes the logos appeal to argue a non-violent protest is a wise decision. He details the daily life of an African American man, using words such as
Martin Luther King Jr. once stated, “In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” He inspired Americans to stand up for our country and fight for equal rights. He believed in fighting for what he thought was right and for standing up for our country. He presented his true thoughts and stood proud on those thoughts through everything, and he always believed in having equal rights for the people of our nation. Martin Luther King Jr utilized figurative language through metaphor and analogy in "Letter from Birmingham Jail" to passionately engage the crowd to stand up with him and to raise the public attention to end segregation in our country.
Throughout King’s speech, he uses the rhetorical mode, pathos, to give the audience an ambience of strong emotions such as sympathy. For example, whites had sympathy for African Americans and parents had sympathy for their children. The way that King tells his speech takes the focus off of race and reestablishes it on the aspiration of a world without racism. “…by making his audience no longer hate Negroes and instead hate racism and wish for a new, better world…” (L., Anson). Dr. King made the audience sympathize with African Americans, helping the audience realize that racist people and bias ideas caused the true dilemma of discrimination. Through making the audience realize this, he also gave them hope for a world reborn without racism, without segregation, without discrimination, and without hate. King wanted his children to live in a world without judgment of race, but with the consideration of personality, for nobody should not endure judgment because of the way that they look. He spoke of his own children, which introduced a reinforced emotional attachment to the audience; this gave many parents a scenario to relate to because no parent wants ...
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.