I Have a Dream Motivational Speech

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Martin Luther King Jr’s speech “I Have a Dream” is a commonly known speech that has had a great influence on its audience. The speech was presented by Martin Luther King (MLK) on August 28, 1963, as a way for him to reach out to those who grief and feel the same way he did about the segregation that was going on at that time period. Martin Luther King Jr. was an American civil rights activist who was fighting the Jim Crow laws. The Jim Crow laws were a series of anti-black laws which caused considerable amount of segregation in the South. Martin Luther King Jr. presented his speech to be heard by American’s in power to consider getting rid of the segregation. MLK used rhetorical strategies such as symbolism, diction, and metaphorical imagery to influence his audience. In order to influence his audience, MLK proved these rhetorical strategies by indicating ethos, pathos, and logos to aid his spectators to fully understand his speech and the message of it and what his purpose for it was. Starting at the beginning of his speech MLK used diction that produced an emotional and logical appeal on his spectators. MLK introduces his speech by stating that he is grateful for everyone who appeared at what he called the utmost protest of freedom. MLK goes on creating logical appeal by stating that the Emancipation Proclamation was one of the reasons for why hope was given to the Negro slaves who were victims of the injustices of the United States. The Emancipation was the first reason for why African Americans were becoming the most talked about at that time. Dr. King uses a rhetoric device called anaphora to generate an appeal of emotion and logic. Anaphora is the repetition of the first part of the sentence in order to achieve an artist... ... middle of paper ... ...de. He wanted to prove that injustices can be rid of and that every man has the right to be treated equal and have the same rights as any other. He concluded his message by using rhetorical strategies such as diction, symbolism, metaphors, anaphora’s, and imagery, with appeals of ethos, pathos and logos. This speech will forever be remarkable for the drive it gave our follow Americans in ending segregation and that freedom can be found within ourselves. “...and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” (Martin)

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