Persuasive Speech Ethos

Both speakers use the three modes of persuasion, namely ethos, pathos and logos. According to Shabo, ethos is used to appeal to the moral character, logos is used to appeal to reason, and pathos is used to appeal to people’s emotion (8). Both King and Douglas stress potent moral character when persuading people because they are Baptist ministers and they are involved in the political and social transformation of their respective societies, Douglas a politician and King a civil rights activists. These two responsibilities and their past experiences gives the them the authority to speak on the issues and to establish credibility. As regards to logic appeal, both speakers use reason to persuade their audience. For instance, Douglas reasons that it is

King uses repetition to signify critical points like freedom and racial equality, for instance, when he says, “Let freedom ring” and “But one hundred years later the Negro is not free”. Repetition is effective in providing a memorable and lasting effect on the audience. King uses allusion of past vintage declaration, speeches and folklore to connect all races when delivering his speech as a way of reinforcing his primary message of freedom and racial equality. He also uses personification to denote that African American are not struggling against an individual, but a segregation system. The use of personification is effective in making the system being discussed interesting and to create a need for comprehending how it functions. In a considerable list of rhetoric devices employed, King uses euphemism in is speech to show the extent of the problems and dissatisfaction suffered by African Americans. For instance, he calls the situation in America then “shameful conditions” and “unspeakable horrors” under the police. Here, euphemism has been used to criticize and to call the situation as it