Persuasive language is a literary technique in which the speaker tries to persuade the audience to believe a certain idea. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech “I Have a Dream” is very important to our nation’s history because it addresses several of the nation’s problems, the biggest being racial segregation. In The Valiant, written by Holworthy Hall and Robert Middlemass, the biggest conflict is people questioning who the main character really is. The character, James Dyke, uses persuasive language to influence the other characters whereas the speech “I Have a Dream” by King uses multiple rhetorical devices to persuade and influence the audience. First, the speech “I Have a Dream” will be analyzed. The purpose of King’s speech “I Have a Dream” is to inform the public of the country’s problems and to convince them that they need to be fixed. His speech is persuasive due to all of the rhetorical methods it uses. One of the most prominent rhetorical devices that the speech contains is anaphora. Anaphora is the repetition of a phrase at the beginning of sentences or phrases. King emphasi...
Martin Luther King Junior’s “I have a dream speech” is an important and famous speech in history, and even still a today a wonderful speech. What makes kings speech so grate? It’s his knowledge of figurative language. By using figurative language, he made people know how bad segregation was. King’s use of figurative language makes excellent examples on the effective use of metaphors.
I Have a Dream; a speech given by King in front of the Washington Memorial
Jefferson and King both use repetition to emphasis the purpose of the document and speech. In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson states “he has” to show the many problems America is facing with the King in charge. He even repeats “for” to show the crimes that the King has made on his own people. The use of repetition makes the listener not forget the purpose of the speech. In contrast, King uses more figurative language and imagery to get his message across. For an example, when he states “… the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination” or even “… Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity” (King). King even uses metaphors. For an example when he refers to cashing a check to freedom. One of the main rhetorical devices he uses is repetition. He uses it throughout his entire speech, it is shown by these quotes “one hundred years later,” “now is the time,” “we can never,” “go back,” “I have a dream,” and “with this faith” (King). These repetition helps the listener understand that Negro equality was a big problem at that time. Jefferson’s document has to do more with political problems while King’s speech as to do with personal ones. The Declaration of Independence is more demanding and argumentative while I Have a Dream speech has and
In 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter addressed to eight clergymen in response to their letter known as “A Call for Unity”. The clergymen letter blasted the actions of King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference during their protests in Birmingham. King’s letter summarizes how upset he was about their disapproval of his actions and that he wishes to address their concerns. King’s letter has become one of the most substantial works of argument in American history. King uses all three of Aristotle’s “ingredients for persuasion”. But, the appeal that makes King’s letter so remarkable is his persuasive use of pathos. King’s letter is cluttered in certain paragraphs with all “ingredients for persuasion” but I want to talk about
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the leader of the civil rights movement in the 1960’s. His speech, entitled “I Have a Dream” was given in front of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. Dr. King used his speech as a rally for people, blacks and whites alike, who desired equality and social justice, but there is so much more to it than what appears on the surface. Dr. King employs a number of stylistic techniques, all of which serving a purpose too subtle for the naked eye to pick up. Dr. King uses the stylistic techniques of word choice, metaphors, and repetition to fuel hope and bring about change.
There are three modes of persuasion that will make a speech effective and that is the use ethos, pathos, and logos. In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” King uses these three devices to bring out a great example of persuasive writing. He starts off the letter by stating “you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set
A great deal of the power behind Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” and Patrick Henry’s “Speech to the Virginia Convention” speech lies in a sharp understanding of the power of rhetorical devices they used to persuade their audience in which enhanced their speeches to become so successful. Both rhetoricians took their audience to a whole other level and where expressing the living reality. Henry, rallying up congressmen who attended the Virginia convention was taking them the rich men literally out of their chairs, who were in shock to the unveiled truth in what was really going on between them and the British. Though King, addressed to citizens who attended his speech agonizing while tearing open his non-supporters hearts, that life can’t
These devices can be applied more effectively by verbal communication. Firstly, face-to-face communication allows speaker to show his persistence, determination, establishing trust and constitute a strong emotional bond on audiences. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech is an accurate masterpiece of rhetorical devices. In his speech, he quotes from the Constitution of the United States and builds up his own credibility, refers to the religious and patriotic documents by drawing attention on emotional values of many people. Additionally, he makes some rhythmic repetitions, which enriches the power of his words such as “Let freedom ring from”, “One hundred years later” and “Now is the time”. These strong traditions of verbal communication support political leaders in public speaking.“Anyone who has heard the speeches of Martin Luther King, such as are still available in recorded form will recognize the rhetorical features that lay behind such powerful words.” (Furniss, 2004, P. 88) Speakers who use paralinguistic features and rhetorical devices appropriately can give the message without isolating at the time of oral argument, while understanding the reactions of audiences and leading the
In former Civil Rights Activist, Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech “Beyond Vietnam-- A Time to Break Silence”, he asserts that the war in Vietnam is utterly immoral and has a far negative implication, not only for Vietnam but for the United States as well. In this speech, King uses three main rhetorical devices, in order to strengthen his position on this war. The three main rhetorical devices: ethos, pathos, and logos, are universally considered as the three necessary tools of persuasion in literature.
In King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, he uses rhetorical strategies to capture his audience and to keep their attention as well. One style that Dr. King used when he delivered his speech was Ethos, which is establishing his own credibility to
King conveys his audience by the type of context he uses. He chooses the best time frame to speak, it wasn’t too early, and it wasn’t too late. People were ready to listen and see what the future had in store. King uses many methods to connect to his audience, but he uses over 60 metaphors that were easily related to so people could relate and understand. The “I Have a Dream” made the speech more welcoming because he wasn’t trying to demand something, he was just saying what the ideal situation would be and what he wishes it would be. Throughout the speech, King deftly repeats key phrases, including "Let freedom ring" and "I have a dream." Though in some situations using the same words and phrases would be considered “redundant”, in this speech, it is used to emphasize and get the point across to the listeners.
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)
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 understanding 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. Throughout King’s speech, he uses the rhetorical mode, pathos, to give the audience an ambience of strong emotions such as sympathy.
Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech is a valuable and memorable piece of rhetoric. King’s speech includes different types of claim such as fact, value, and policy. The structure of the speech is well-planned. The speech is supported with all three persuasive appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos. For example, Dr. King describes that “...the life of the Negro is still badly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chins of discrimination...the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land” (King). This creates pathos or an emotional appeal on the audience,...
This persuasive speech was given in Rio de Janeiro, and was a plea to the individuals in attendance at the United Nations Earth Summit to recognize how they are contaminating the environment with hopes that these audience members will revise their future proposals.