Rhetorical Logos In I Have A Dream Speech

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In August of 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr, delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech to the city of Washington, D.C, before the renowned March on Washington took place. Thousands of supporters listened to the speech that would become one of the most important events of the Civil Rights Movement. His speech contains a heavy amount of rhetoric and passion. King believed that all Americans deserved equality, no matter the color of their skin. King’s practical and effective uses of ethos, pathos, and logos allowed him to persuade a widely diverse audience to work towards providing equal rights for African Americans. Photographs from the historic event reveal that King was speaking to Americans of all colors, ages, and ethnicities. Viewing photos of His speech becomes very pathos-centric towards the end when he reveals what his dreams are. He offers vivid scenarios of an unsegregated American for the audience to imagine. One of King’s most touching ideas is one where even in Alabama, one of the most racist states in the south, black and white children can attend the same school together (King 5). By creating a scenario with children, he is able to tap into a very emotional state because many see children as innocent but also the future of the country. To some, keeping children segregated rather than adults can seem more unethical. This is not to say that only children should be kept from racial injustice, but all African Americans. King also describes a situation that is almost unimaginable for the time where the sons of slaves and the sons of former slave owners become friends (King 4). If the descendants of two groups that had been previously pitted against each other could shake hands and speak civilly, it would be considered a big push in the direction of equality. King does not only speak of equality, he also wants whites and blacks to come together as friends. He dreams of a world without discrimination and shares these dreams with his audience in hopes that they will dream about the same

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