Martin Luther King's Usage of Ethos Pathos Mythos and Logos

750 Words2 Pages

Martin Luther King's Usage of Ethos Pathos Mythos and Logos On August 28, 1963 more than 250,000 civil-rights supporters attended the March on Washington. Addressing the protesters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Profoundly, he proclaimed for a free nation of equality where all race would join together in the effort to achieve common ground. King stated his yearning for all colors to unite and be judged by character, not by race. African Americans would not be satisfied until their desire for freedom from persecution, bitterness, and hatred prevailed. Not only were the points in his speech powerful, but also the delivery he gave was so persuading and real that it changed the hearts of many people across America. By using four artificial proofs, mythos, logos, ethos, and pathos, Martin Luther King was able to open the eyes of people who were blinded by the color of skin. Including cultural legends such as the nations history of justice in his oration, Martin Luther King portrayed a style of mythos. King stated the fact that when our ancestors wrote the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they signed a promissory note that would guarantee the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to all men. At the beginning of his speech he also gave a symbolic example that they, in search for equality, have come to the nations capital to cash a check. "One that would provide riches of freedom and the security of justice." Martin Luther King established a common bond with so many protesters and citizens when he went on to say, "But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt…that there are insuffic... ... middle of paper ... ...her King's fervor towards justice because of the stand he chose to make. He didn't just give a speech. King was the leader of many marches in several different states, and his passion and emotion for ending racial discrimination will not be forgotten. Martin Luther King is widely known as one of the greatest speakers to ever approach our nation. The impact he made on America was so much more than effective; it was incredible. The speech Martin Luther King gave took place 48 years ago, and even today people remember and quote the words he spoke. Being a man of Christ, he allowed the Lord to use him in furthering the kingdom of God. He is a man that has gone into history, and every child who goes through school is made known of works. Martin Luther King's passion for the civil-rights movement was so strongly effective and evident that it changed our nation.

Show More
Related

  • Martin Luther King's Distinctive Voice

    863 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Dr. Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream Speech

    931 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Complexities of Dr. Martin Luther King

    1256 Words  | 3 Pages

    Perhaps one of his most sustained acts was his ability to represent the plight of African American rights while simultaneously portraying a palatable character to White America. In addition to leading various civil disobedience campaigns, he served as the movement’s main “strategist, theorist, and symbol maker” while also becoming the “movement’s chief interpreter to white Americans.” Stewart Burns actually goes so far as to suggest King, early on, realized his destiny was to be both a black Moses, delivering his brothers from the injustice of Jim Crow, as well as a Christ-like figure, offering equal measures of love, compassion, and forgiveness. This of course caused him to be disliked and criticized amongst some of the more nationalist and militant black leaders of the time, but inversely, allowed many Americans to sympathize with the movement’s main goals.

    Read More

  • Non-Violent Non-Cooperation Peaceful Protests: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

    690 Words  | 2 Pages

    First and for most, King devoted himself to the idea of “non-violent non-cooperation,” peaceful protest and no violence toward law enforcement or any one. The most influential act that one single civil rights activist preformed was the famous march on Washington for jobs. The march took place on August 28, 1963. It claimed the title of the largest civil rights convention/rally in history. It attracted upwards of 200,000 people, and needed nearly 300,000 police to control the passionate crowed. It was here that King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech upon the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Among other things, the speech promoted peace and love between all races and religions, as well as economic rights for minorities, African Americans in particular. The positivity and the extreme desire for equal treatment is an appeal to logos for most of the population. This initial act serves as the first major advancement of civil rights simply due to the sheer size of participants it attracted, as well as the mass amounts of media attention it received. With these peaceful interactions taking place, Kings ideologies become more and more universally accepted by the general public. It was estimated that nearly 80 percent of the attendees were of African American decent. This is was crucial because this was the first time the Black community had been united since the end of the civil war. This unionization of the Black community continued to snow ball as King took his campaign for peace to the south.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King James Mlk Speech: The MLK Speech

    1516 Words  | 4 Pages

    Just under 17 minutes, King influenced the generations and generations of people about his dream for America’s future and planted seeds of anti-racism and racial equality in them. King has employed three rhetorical elements of ethos, pathos and logos which are reinforced with metaphors in his ground-breaking speech.

    Read More

  • How Did Martin Luther King Changed America

    488 Words  | 1 Pages

    Martin Luther King Jr. left his mark on society. He went through so much to prove himself no matter the circumstance. His impact was so influential it changed the world. Even though through his efforts came tragedy, his dream eventually came

    Read More

  • Letter From Birmingham Jail

    695 Words  | 2 Pages

    Martin Luther King Jr. was a man who believed in fighting for the rights of African Americans in the United States. He made many sacrifices for the people he was fighting for and never stopped until he was shot after a protest. MLK changed many people’s lives by standing up in front of thousands of people to share his “Dream” for America. No one can change the impression he made on not just the African Americans, but as well as the whites. He will forever be remembered for the changes he fought for when he never got the chance to actually see the change happen.

    Read More

  • Essay On Martin Luther King

    1600 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...mined man, Martin Luther King was by far the most influential person in American history. He was fearless and fought for equal rights through speeches, marches and protests. He knew that his strong attitude and opinion on civil rights would cause many people to dislike him, but he didn’t care and continued to fight for African American rights. He has affected my life as well as the life my future children will live. I don’t live in a world of segregation and I’m not treated any differently than a white person because of his braveness to speak out. I am allowed to eat in the same restaurants, use the same public water fountains and bathrooms, ride the same buses and go to the same schools as a white person. If it wasn’t for him, that might not have been possible. His actions showed that one person can impact the country with a lot of effort and a humble attitude.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King Speech Rhetorical Analysis Essay

    453 Words  | 1 Pages

    Dr. Martin Luther King persuades the american public to do something, rather than nothing with loaded language, appeal to emotion and cause and effect. King is amazing at public speaking and speech writing and this speech exemplifies

    Read More

  • Pathos In I Have A Dream Speech

    746 Words  | 2 Pages

    On August 28th, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous and powerful speech I Have a Dream, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. The purpose of his speech was to fight for the civil rights, equality, and to stop the discrimination against African-American people. His use of imagery, repetition, and metaphor in his speech had created an impact with his audience. King used the three rhetorical devices, ethos, pathos and logos to help the audience understand the message of his speech.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King

    1020 Words  | 3 Pages

    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 a mythos. A mythos has a deep explanatory or symbolic resonance for the audience. In mentioning the Emancipation Proclamation he shows that our ancestors signed a contract, in which all human beings are created equal, and therefore should be treated in the same way as others. He also visualizes his ideas with visual examples, which everybody can understand. “America has given the black population a bad check, which has come back marked insufficient funds”( I Have a Dream)

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King: Motivating the Audience Through a Diversity of Appeals

    1017 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • An Essay About Martin Luther King

    962 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...power of persuasion to prove to people no longer have to deal with the injustice in this environment. Martin Luther King, Jr. has the combination of bravery, motivator, and selflessness to make him an inspiring person. King fought for equal rights for his people and did not do it alone. With the help, he not only succeeded in receiving the rights for his people, but created a little more peace in the world. He made it possible so that people did not judge others just because of the color of their skin. With Gandhi in his mind to use nonviolence as a strategy throughout his marches and speeches, he did something that inspired people to follow. Violence does not answer problems but cause even more problems. I value what King did as a person and should be remembered for what he impacted our lives. He made history and will be with us for many generations ahead.

    Read More

  • March On Washington For Jobs And Freedom

    340 Words  | 1 Pages

    The day is August 28, 1963, the occasion is “The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom” the speech, given by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is titled “I Have a Dream,” and is widely seen as one of the most successful examples of American rhetoric; due to the dynamism and relevance with which King is able to convey both an engaged passion and a sympathetic compassion it is understandable why this speech has been upheld as an important contribution to the discourse of equality and justice within society. King eloquently places himself directly at the moment of action within the Civil Rights Movement, rejecting normative social constructs which had led to the perpetual disenfranchisement of African American’s and people of color and embracing the

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King's Speech

    1304 Words  | 3 Pages

    Through emotion, Martin Luther King Jr. was able give connect with his audience during his speech when he declared the Constitution is “a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed…life, liberty and pursuit of happiness”. Therefore, he referred to this promise as a “bad check” and so he announced to the people that it was time for the African American to cash the check that would give them “upon demand the riches of freedom and security of justice”. Throughout his speech, he stated the struggles of injustice by declaring “the Negro…still finds himself an exile in his own land”. With a keen voice, he declared to the African American that it was time to “go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed”. Overall, with the use of hope and faith, he was able to apply emotion to his speech and assure his audience that together one day African Americans would be truly

    Read More

More about Martin Luther King's Usage of Ethos Pathos Mythos and Logos

Open Document