Rhetorical Analysis Of I Have A Dream Speech

Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech is one of the most important speeches in the history of America. It was a public speech that he delivered during the march in Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963, in which he had called for an end to racism in the United States and called for civil and economic rights. Martin Luther King’s purpose of his speech was to: free slaves, end segregation, and push citizenship rights to Negros. His purpose was to also make sure that all people be treated equally, and not let America take away the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. When presenting his speech, Martin starts off by using ethos to make himself sound credible and to connect with his audience. He also uses pathos to engage the emotions of his audience. Furthermore, the main target of his speech was meant towards the African Americans who were at the time living in the United States. His thesis was, simply, that he was dreaming of a world in

He indicates his emotion at the beginning of his speech and while doing so, sets up the tone of his speech with those particular lines. He utilizes pathos and logos in the underlying lines to interface with his audience. After those lines he jumps into the history of America and the establishment of the country. “Five score years ago a great American in whose symbolic shadow we stand today signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree is a great beacon light of hope to millions of negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice.” This is where he mentions ethos. He refers to the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and to the Declaration of Independence and as well as the founding fathers of America to try to establish his credibility by speaking of important documents and