Martin Luther King's Persuasion Tactics
M.L. King uses a number of techniques to persuade his audience to join
his campaign. Most of the techniques that he uses in his speech stem
from his religious background, his father being a clergy man, as was
he. He also uses America's pride and freedom against them making them
believe that they are contradicting their right for freedom which they
had to fight so hard for. Another technique that he uses is the tone,
volume pitch and emphasis on the words and sentences that are
important in his speech.
The first technique that King uses is that of using the Emancipation
Proclamation, which is that every man should have equalled rights,
against the white American people. He starts by saying how the
proclamation was a 'beacon light' to millions of Negro's across
America. But later on in the speech he goes on to say that 'America
has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of
colour are concerned' in these statements he is saying how white
America has gone back on its promise that each man is born equal. The
proclamation is a symbol of hope and pride for America, and King is
using the fact that all white Americans feel strongly about this,
against them. He uses part of one of America's national anthems in his
speech 'my country 'tis of thee sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every
mountainside let freedom ring!' Again he uses what the Americans has
promised against them as he says that this will have to be sung with
new meaning for it to become true. King uses the American National
anthem because if the audience see that King understands the words to
the National anthem then he must be an American citizen meaning that
he belongs in that country just as much as all of the other races and
religions.
He then puts things into simpler terms for people to understand by
comparing Americas' promise with a cheque.
Conflict theory details that specific groups of society benefit disproportionately from established social, economic and political arrangements, prompting the advantage to employ necessary means in maintaining said inequality. In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s statement, “We know through painful experiences that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed,” it is the societal imbalance between the white majority and individuals of color that Dr. King Jr. seeks to address and transform. Conflict theory is rooted in the principle that conflict is the energy of change, supporting Dr. King Jr.’s message that access to education, economical advances and freedom can only occur through the effort of the
King utilizes the rhetorical strategy of ethos to justify his presence in Birmingham to the white clergymen. He was in Birmingham to help the civil rights movement, using peaceful protests. While he resided in jail for parading without a permit he received a letter from a group of clergymen. These clergymen told King that he should not be using such drastic means to achieve his goal of equality. King peacefully replies with his Letter From Birmingham Jail proving to these men that he had every right to be in their city.
"You may well ask, Why direct action? Why sit-ins, marches, etc.? Isn't negotiation a better path?' You are exactly right in your call for negotiation. Indeed, this is the purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. I just referred to the creation of tension as a part of the work of the nonviolent resister. This may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word tension. I have earnestly worked and preached against violent tension, but there is a type of constructive nonviolent tension that is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, we must see the need of having nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men to rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood. So the purpose of the direct action is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation. We, therefore, concur with you in your call for negotiation. Too long has our beloved Southland been bogged down in the tragic attempt to live in a monologue rather than a dialogue" (King 474-475)
Martin Luther King Jr. is considered to be one of the most prominent human rights’ defenders of the XX century and the speaker for non-violent social change. He believed that building power is the most important task facing movements for human progress because the human progress comes through the tireless efforts of people, who should use powerful and true weapon – non-violence – in order to achieve positive effects. King managed to achieve brilliant success in the battle for the liberty of blacks and not pour the way to freedom by rivers of blood.
In the 1960s, the nation was faced tumultuous times. There was racial tension between the white citizens and black citizens of America. Whites could not understand why the African Americans were so upset; they had their freedom from slavery and job opportunities. However, the African American was dissatisfied with the small crumbs of God given rights that all American citizens were entitled to. Two men propelled to the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement as leaders; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. Their agenda was to seek equal rights for all Americans. But both men differ on the approaches needed to reach these goals; one believed using nonviolence was the answer while the other advocated violence Many people argue that the
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s impact on the civil rights movement was nothing short of monumental. To say anything less may be considered sacrilege in the history of the United States. King’s liberal and Christian upbringing, comfortable and educated childhood, and his theological education all played a large part in his contributions to civil rights in America.
Martin Luther King was a major activist and leader during the civil rights movement. He referred back to the scripture and God as an important component in his speeches and allowed the Bible to help lead him and the people towards equality for all races. The movement brought on grave brutality towards the African Americans people, they were publicly abused and harassed because of their skin color. Throughout his leadership Martin Luther King maintained a "nonviolence" slogan which the activists took seriously due to the trust they had in King's word. King's life revolved around his Christian faith, it gave him the courage, language and the sense of community to intensify the activists to gain justice and equality for all.
There were many people involved in the Civil Rights Movement: some had more of an impact than others. The main places, events or people that were the most important can be argued but Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Park, bus boycotts and sit-ins were definitely the main influence on the start of the Civil Rights movement.
Minority writers from the mid- and late-twentieth century focused on the struggles facing African Americans. Many writers used speeches to address these issues while others focused on their culture and heritage to bring awareness to the issue.
In the greatest demonstration for African Americans’ or Negroes’ freedom. Martin Luther King delivered his appeal on August 28th, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. which was entitled “I Have a Dream” to enormous group of civil rights marchers who demonstrated to press the United States government for equality and to reject racism. Martin Luther King was an African Americans leader of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States and political activist of the claimants to end racial discrimination against blacks.
Our world is filled with many successful leaders. The gift of being a leader can be learned; however some individuals have a natural born talent to be a leader. Each leader has his or her own unique leadership style. The gift of being a leader can be learned. Certain individuals are born with a charismatic style and can easily be a leader. A successful leader is one who can inspire and motivate people towards a goal. Martin Luther King Jr. was an individual with a born gift to lead people. The following paper will discuss how Martin Luther King Jr. was able to inspire and motivate people with his effective leadership style.
One of the world’s best known advocates of non-violent social change strategies, Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK), synthesized ideals drawn from many different cultural traditions. Recent studies of him emphasize the extent to which his ideals were rooted in African-American religious traditions which were then shaped by his education. The image of a social activist and leader was the result of extensive formal education, strong personal values and licit ethics. This excellence in leadership can be traced to his character which is shaped by his moral values and personality. We look at MLK and these traits to reveal the rationalization of his rise to transracial leadership in our society. Through studying the life and example of Martin Luther King, Jr., we learn that his moral values of integrity, love, truth, fairness, caring, non-violence, achievement and peace were what motivated him. King is not great because he is well known, he is great because he served as the cause of peace and justice for all humans. King is remembered for his humanity, leadership and his love of his fellow man regardless of skin color. This presence of strong moral values developed King’s character which enabled him to become one of the most influential leaders of our time. Integrity is a central value in a leader’s character and it is through integrity that King had vision of the truth. The truth that one day this nation would live up to the creed, "all men are created equal". No man contributed more to the great progress of blacks during the 1950’s and 1960’s than Martin Luther King, Jr. He was brought up believing "one man can make a difference", and this is just what he did. Integrity has a large effect on what we think, say and do, it is through King’s thoughts and actions that enabled so many people to have trust and faith in him. Through King’s integrity he believed that America, the most powerful and richest nation in the world will lead the way to a revolution of values. This revolution will change the way society views itself, shifting from a "thing-orientated" society to a "person-orientated" society. When this occurs, King believed that racism will be capable of being conquered and this nation will be "Free at last." King’s unconditional love for all humans was another value that strongly influenced his character and allowed him to have such excellent leadership ability.
Nearly three centuries ago, black men and women from Africa were brought to America and put into slavery. They were treated more cruelly in the United States than in any other country that had practiced slavery. African Americans didn’t gain their freedom until after the Civil War, nearly one-hundred years later. Even though African Americans were freed and the constitution was amended to guarantee racial equality, they were still not treated the same as whites and were thought of as second class citizens. One man had the right idea on how to change America, Martin Luther King Jr. had the best philosophy for advancing civil rights, he preached nonviolence to express the need for change in America and he united both African Americans and whites together to fight for economic and social equality.
On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave one of the most notable speeches in American history, at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. King started off his famous “I Have a Dream” speech by stating the impact it would have on America’s civil rights movement: “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” (King 1). With knowledge of rhetoric and persuasion, King had a substantial impact on the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr.’s use of ethos, pathos, and logos appeals enable King to persuade the audience to achieve equality.
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.