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Analysis of martin luther kings speech
Analysis of martin luther kings speech
Analyzing dr martin luther king speech
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“I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” Dr. Martin Luther King lead to make society in America change in its course of history for freedom of all people. In the speech “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” Dr. Martin Luther King uses several unique ways to explain his reasoning. In this speech he uses many different kind of rhetorical devices to apply the meaning of the speech as many ways possible. Dr. King kept his speech well organized and retrieving to the audience by using the various rhetorical devices. He used persuasion while using these rhetorical devices so he could draw the sanitation strikers attention. In this speech, Dr. King applies catching sayings that create pictures in the audience’s heads for the future. These pictures help the audience see the future in Dr. King’s aspiring eyes. The pictures the audience receives are expressions designed to mention something on mind without directly stating that which are called allusions. Dr. King used, “I would watch God’s children in their magnificent trek from the dark dungeons of Egypt through, or rather, across the Red Sea, through the wilderness, on toward the …show more content…
King used another rhetorical device in his speech which brings back or compares something similar to what point or what Dr. King is wanting to do. The comparison of two similar things, ideas, or sayings is a rhetorical device called an analogy. In his speech, it states an analogy that is used JFK’s speech, “we have nothing to fear but fear itself” (paragraph 8). This is a famous saying that is used in Dr. King’s and JFK’s speech to refer back to a memory that people have heard and experienced already, so the allusion helps the audience trust and believe in the movement. By using this specific device he could use sayings that are similar to famous sayings that have been used before in the past. Dr. King uses an analogy with Lincoln’s speech also to draw people’s attention and to make it sound persuading by using this
The first reason is exigence, or a problem that arises that a speaker needs to address persuasively. In the case of Dr. King, this particular situation was the enduring Civil Rights Movement and the rampant racism causing it in the United States. His need to reveal his vision of equality was his way of combating this problem. The next reason pertains to the audience, and Dr. King’s audience was massive. The audience ranged from those who were directly affected by the struggle – the sanitation workers of Memphis, to those who co-labored – other African Americans, and to those who could affect change – people with the right to vote and change laws within the country . The final reason involves the constraints, or the simultaneous events and other exigencies that affect the rhetorical situation. In this situation, the constraints could be the reality of the death threats against Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his fellow activists. The death of these leaders could potentially stifle the movement. For these reasons, I believe that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is successful in his intended purpose. Although he did not personally witness the triumph of Civil Rights Movement due to his ironic assassination (ironic considering he talks about the longevity of life on the eve of this assassination) =, Dr. Martin Luther King’s use of rhetoric in his I Have a Dream and I’ve Been to the Mountaintop speeches
In contrast, Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man who moved to the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and ‘60s because he had an undying devotion to truth and "justice for all". Through life experiences, educated observances and deeply rooted spiritual beliefs King utilized three major argument techniques to persuade his audience: appeal to reason, appeal to character, and appeal to emotion. King proves to have a deep rooted passion to see blacks achieve freedom throughout this letter. This letter was not only a profound rebuttal to "Letter from Eight White Clergymen", but also a brief statement of King's life and fight. This letter was nothing but a letter which created a change social and morally.
Martin Luther King, Jr was an exceptional orator who knew how to persuade an audience into adopting his own beliefs and changing their perspectives through the way he weaved language techniques into his speeches. To add further impact, he delivered his message in a dominant, strong, emotional way in order to show that the African-American society were not afraid to fight against the unjustly treatment they endured for so long and that they weren’t taking no for an answer in regards to civil rights.
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.
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)
King used a plethora of literary devices throughout this speech. The one that stood out the most was the use of symbolism, especially the symbolic meaning of “the mountaintop.” The mountaintop was symbolic of the vision that Dr. King saw, it was the light at the end of the tunnel. Throughout his entire mission, he has been working toward a world where everyone was treated equally and everyone can be seen as the individuals they were. King was a pastor, so the mountaintop could also be interpreted as the biblical mountaintop, which is used in the bible as a platform to spread important messages. King concludes his speech with a powerful statement that summed up the entirety of his speech, he states “Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!” Dr. King made it to the mountaintop, used his platform to spread an important message. The mountaintop encompassed all of King’s life, when he saw the mountaintop he was able to dwell on the horrors and successes of his life, he was also able to look forward and see the future he had longed
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. uses the appeal of ethos from the beginning until the end of his speech. Because he was talking about African-American people, his own race that were dealing with racism and discrimination. However, Dr. King uses all the rhetorical devices in many ways to the best of his ability to gain the favor of his audience, and he made an unforgettable and effectively speech that made an impact on America. His main purpose was to fight for the equal rights of African-American people and in order for him to do that, he aided the civil rights to help his own race to improve their
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.”
Martin Luther King had a fluentual speech in 1968, "I've Been on the Mountain Top". He mostly points out that everyone here, not just citizens of America, but from all countires were created equal and are God's children. Even though I am not black, this speech applied to my life, and also applies to democracy and respect we need to show to eachother. Reading Mr. King's speech, the one thing that stood out to me that applies to my life and growing up, is when King mentions that we are all God's Children and how some are suffering. "There are thirteen hundred of God's Children here suffering"(King).
He felt that all Americans should be equal and that they should forget about injustice and segregation. He wanted America to know what the problems were and wanted to point out the way to resolve these problems. In his speech, King uses different types of rhetorical guidelines. He uses them to show his points in a better and easier way to understand. At the beginning he successfully uses mythos. A myth has a deep explanatory or symbolic resonance for the audience.
On the day of his “I Have a Dream” speech, King stood upon the steps of the Lincoln Memorial located in the heart of our nation’s capital. This location was essential to King’s success because it was a symbol of our nation’s historic efforts to abolish the enslavement of African-Americans; an act which was made possible due to the valiant efforts of Abraham Lincoln. As the preponderance of the speech began, King made reference to the former president in what Peter Paris said was a “Declaration proclaimed to America on behalf of all African people”. King stated, “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice” (I Have a Dream 2). Through these words, he was able to mimic the tone and style of Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address while also evoking remembrance of the nation’s harsh past. The signing of one such bill, the Emancipation Proclamation, was the first time in history that African-Americans were able to progress in the social order. King tied this into his argument by introducing the concept that other laws could be enacted in order to allow the African-American population to continue
In memphis in 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King gave his last speech. “I’ve Been To the Mountaintop” was a speech that spoke of unity, nonviolent protest, injustice, and the possibility of America’s future. Dr. King uses rhetoric and biblical language to sway his audience to view and rally the way that King wants people to protest. Something that was prodigious occurred during the event of this speech. Dr. King foreshadowed the world if he were to perish for some unknown reason.
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.
From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial more than two score years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King electrified America with his momentous "I Have a Dream" speech. Aimed at the entire nation, King’s main purpose in this speech was to convince his audience to demand racial justice towards the mistreated African Americans and to stand up together for the rights afforded to all under the Constitution. To further convey this purpose more effectively, King cleverly makes use of the rhetorical devices — ethos, pathos and logos — using figurative language such as metaphors and repetition as well as various other techniques e.g. organization, parallel construction and choice of title.
King used many rhetorical devices. Some rhetorical devices Lincoln used included repetition, parallelism, and contrast. Lincoln used parallelism to create a rhythm; “of the people, by the people, for the people…”. Lincoln uses this line to convey the image that the U.S. is a democracy. In a democracy all people have rights that they are born with. Lincoln is encouraging the North to keep fighting for their rights, and remember of the people who died; they were driven by the people of the South; for the people who deserve their rights. Dr. King used repetition, alliteration, parallelism, and irony. With parallelism he created what he wanted to happen “...every valley shall be exalted, every hill shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight..”. Dr. King uses his lines as an analogy. He compares natural landscapes and how they can be made perfect to people who saw the glory of God and will also be made perfect. Dr. King's dream was for people to be together as