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Martin luther king speech analysis essay
Analysis of Martin Luther kings speech
Martin luther king speech analysis essay
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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a very influential speaker and a leader of the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He gave his now famous speech, “I Have A Dream” on August 28, 1963 in the Nation’s Capital, Washington, D.C. MLK strived for racial equality in America and his speech was used to motivate his followers across the nation to continue fighting until they were granted full equality rights and privileges like any white citizen in the United States. Martin Luther King’s speech identified many rhetorical devices that defended the message he was displaying. One rhetorical device that was shown in his, “I Have A Dream” speech was ethical appeal. Ethical appeal is when the speaker gives the audience a sense of right, justice or virtue. In MLK’s speech he stated, “This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” He then continued to say, “It is obvious that America has defaulted on the this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. With that being said, MLK was declaring that colored people in America were not gained the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness due to segregation & the right of equality. He was using ethical appeal to remind those listening that even though it is …show more content…
A synecdoche is when a part of phrase is used to represent something as a whole. Martin Luther King demonstrated this device when he stated, “There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the negro is granted his citizen.” He’s insisting that there will be no peace until the negro has citizenship rights in America. The “negro” MLK is referring to in this statement isn’t just one person, it is for the whole “negro” community as a whole. He was using an example of synecdoche to express his thoughts/feelings for all the colored
Martin Luther King Jr. “I Have a Dream” speech was delivered as motivation to fight for their rights and help paint the picture of what America could look like in the future. He does this by in the beginning saying that even though the Emancipation Proclamation was signed African Americans are not treated as normal citizens. By saying this Martin Luther King Jr. was saying we should not just be content with being free from slavery. That now it is time to fight for our rights and to end discrimination because of the color on one’s skin.
On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave the historical I Have a Dream speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. With an audience of about 250,00 people from all racial backgrounds, Dr. King addressed discrimination, prejudice and police brutality against African Americans, and his hopes and dreams of freedom for all people in the United States. Dr. King needed to have a dream because of the mistreatment African
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most important voices of America, who used non-violent methods to fight for freedom and equality for all in his nation. On August 28th, 1969, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., King delivered his most iconic speech “I Have a Dream.” In this speech, repetition, ethos, pathos, and logos are used to persuade the audience about the importance of the Civil Rights Movement. To create the greatest demonstration for freedom, he used these literary devices to “dramatize a shameful condition” (“I Have a Dream”). Although his life was taken away, his legacy continues to live on today.
During the 1950s, racism against African-Americans was a prevalent issue in the United States. Although all blacks were supposed to be free, under a corrupt law system, blacks were victimized mercilessly. Therefore, many civil rights activists emerged in order to fight for equal rights for the black community. The most notable activist was Dr Martin Luther King Jr. King engaged in various civil rights boycotts and protests. Out of all of his civil rights efforts, the most prominent was the “I Have a Dream” speech, given on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the “March on Washington” in 1963. The speech illustrated the issue of racism and provoke the audience to sympathise with the blacks while providing hope to the depressed African-American community.
“I have a dream.” One of history’s most famous and well-known lines of the Civil Rights movement spoken by King himself. Martin Luther King Jr. was a baptist minister and social activist, born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. A man who sought for equality in everyone and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He is remembered every year on January 18 as he was given his own day of remembrance after his death. This man was the driving force behind the watershed events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Washington. Inspired by advocates of nonviolence, such as Gandhi which in turn led him to his amazing people skills and peaceful acts.
Martin Luther King did not know that his “I Have a Dream” speech would still be iconic 50 years later. In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington. He was facing the problem of racial injustice for himself and everyone like him. He needed to create a speech that everyone could and would understand, could learn from, and could draw inspiration from. He had to address blacks and whites, he had to say things that everyone could relate to and he had speak in a way that he get the
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)
Dr. King’s speech “I Have a Dream” is one of the most famous and important speeches ever given. On August 28, 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C Dr. King gave his speech to bring freedom to African Americans across the United States. The audience who Dr. King is talking to is the American People. To get the message out Dr. King uses logos, pathos, and ethos, by doing this he captivates an entire nation using just words.
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.
The famous speech, “ I Have a Dream”, was held in 1963 by a powerful leader of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s. He was born January 15,1929 the son of an Atlanta Pastor. Martin Luther King Jr. always insisted on nonviolent resistance and always tried to persuade others with his nonviolent beliefs. In 1963, King spoke from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and almost 200,000 people attended his speech. All his listeners were Civil Rights supporters who rallied behind him and the people who watched his appearance on television. King traveled the country making speeches and inspiring people to become involved in the Civil Rights Movement. He organized non violent student sit-ins and fought for the rights of the black population.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech on August 28, 1963. It was late in the day and hot, and after a long march and an afternoon of speeches about federal legislation, unemployment and racial and social justice. Martin Luther King Jr. finally stepped to the lectern, in front of the Lincoln Memorial, to address the crowd of 250,000 gathered on the National Mall. The speech became synonymous with the aims of the march and the entire civil rights movement. His dream represented the dream of millions of Americans demanding a free, equal, and just nation.