In his iconic speech entitled “I Have a Dream”, Martin Luther King spoke of the suffering of the African-American community and his dreams and hopes of change to come. He eloquently and passionately spoke of the "manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination", (King) that had so horribly affected African-Americans. His speech achieved the gravitas that it had due to Dr. King’s very effective use of various literary devices, strengthening and bringing more emotional resonance to his subject matter. Dr. King’s peaceful and powerful message, strongly marked by a common denominator based on inclusion and national identity, was a critical factor to start producing the change he envisioned for the oppressed masses, and as a result, he became an iconic figure of the civil rights movement of the 1960’s. In his speech, Dr. King made several allusions to former President Lincoln, paying homage to the structure of the Gettysburg Address. He made note of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation that had promised to give freedom to the several millions of slaves, it was celebrated "as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity." (King) In this way he manages to resurrect that same spirit that the Gettysburg Address had once evoked. Despite this, as he makes evident, at that point, more than halfway into the 20th century, the life of a colored man was a tribulation brought on only by the color of one’s skin, placing colored men and women into a position where they, as Dr. King puts it, "languished in the corners of American society," (King) most definitely not reaping any benefits from the ideals of "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" (US 1776) that the constitution had promised to all Americans. This “promissory ... ... middle of paper ... ...fering for numerous generations and it seemed as though their existence was marked by despair, he did not let those circumstances discourage him. He shined a glimmering light of hope with his speech; a hope that one day all men could coexist in a just world, were all men could unify in a mutual sense of brotherhood and equality, under a strong national identity driven by these aspirations of freedom. Works Cited King, Martin L., Jr. "I Have a Dream." I Have a Dream. Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. 28 Aug. 1963. American Rhetoric. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. . Jefferson, Thomas, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. "The Declaration of Independence." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, 4 July 1995. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. .
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.
I Have a Dream; a speech given by King in front of the Washington Memorial
King, Martin Luther. I Have A Dream. I Have A Dream. The McGraw-Hill Reader: Issues Across the Disciplines. 8th edition, Ed.
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.
Dr. King is an emotional, inspiring, and strong speaker. His " I Have A Dream" speech tugs a deep root war of emotions in every American’s heart; therefore, this speech is the perfect display of pathos. Even though pathos overwhelm logo and ethos, they are also very much present in his speech. On August 28, 1963 Dr. King made his way to Washington Mall from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial to deliver his speech to his fellow Americans. Dr. King commands his speech during an ironic time in American history.
Whenever Martin Luther King Junior, began to speak, he held everybody’s attention. This was the case in 1963 during the pinnacle of the Civil Rights Movement when Martin gave his career defining speech “I Have a Dream”. Over a quarter million people attended the protest, and the crowd varied in color as well as cause. A crowd of this size would certainly frighten most people; but Martin was not the type of man to be phased easily. Martin grew up on the racist streets of Atlanta, Georgia and faced much adversity in his life. Not even thirty-five Martin would give a speech that would shake an embroiled nation to its core. Martin Luther King Junior gave a speech to beautifully wove together the three appeals of ethos, logos, and pathos into one
The “I Have a Dream” speech given and written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was and still is one of the most powerful speeches given. Because of the literary elements used in the speech is gives the audience something to think about and relate to and mixes with their feelings to possibly change their stance on the subject. Because of the serious issues that went on during the civil rights movement, such as separation of public services and unfair treatment to African Americans, something had to be done to end the racial injustice. People did try to prevent the discrimination by gathering marches and leading protests. But one of the largest impacts on this time period was the “I Have a Dream” speech and Dr. King’s use of literary
Martin Luther King Junior’s famous speech “I have a Dream” has many amazing memorable references. For example one reference is “let freedom ring” which is in the last sentence before the last paragraph of his speech. Another reference according to Standord.edu is borrowed from a speech given by a minister by the name of Archibald Carey which was a politician and family friend of Mr. Kings. That speech was delivered on 8 July 8, 1952 at the Republican National Convention. One of the best references that Mr. King mentions in his speech is from the United States Constitution itself, he said “This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the “unalienable Rights” of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” I believe King was inspired by all the men he referenced in his speech therefore he decided to honor them by using their words to prove a point to his entire beloved country and all of it’s people.
Dr. King utilized personal experiences that helped the audience relate to the message that the speech conveyed. Dr. King referred to the different acts and instances that proved that Negros were not equal to the white man. In these quotes: "The Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.”, “our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: "For Whites Only."” and, “a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote.” In which, at least one person in the audience had experienced firsthand and this is how Dr. King drew their attention and jeering. Dr. King brought this to the attention of the audience by explaining how America is not equal and Negros should acknowledge and demand to be treated fairly. The Lincoln Memorial and the first line of the
King, Martin L., Jr. "I Have a Dream." Archives.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2013.
On August 28, 1963 Martin Luther King made his famous “I Have a dream” speech on the Lincoln Memorial after the March on Washington. He delivered this speech to millions of people blacks and whites. This is one of the greatest speeches because it has many elements like pathos, logos, ethos, repetition, assonance, and consonance.
The famous speech of Martin Luther King 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.
On the day of his “I Have a Dream” speech, King stood upon the steps of the Lincoln Memorial located in the heart of our nation’s capital. This location was essential to King’s success because it was a symbol of our nation’s historic efforts to abolish the enslavement of African-Americans; an act which was made possible due to the valiant efforts of Abraham Lincoln. As the preponderance of the speech began, King made reference to the former president in what Peter Paris said was a “Declaration proclaimed to America on behalf of all African people”. King stated, “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice” (I Have a Dream 2). Through these words, he was able to mimic the tone and style of Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address while also evoking remembrance of the nation’s harsh past. The signing of one such bill, the Emancipation Proclamation, was the first time in history that African-Americans were able to progress in the social order. King tied this into his argument by introducing the concept that other laws could be enacted in order to allow the African-American population to continue
King, Martin L. "I Have a Dream." archives. The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration , Web. 21 Nov. 2013. .
I Have a Dream was a speech given by Martin Luther King Jr. This speech was delivered on the afternoon of Wednesday, August 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The speech was intended for the 250,000 civil rights supporters that attended. The speech addressed the topic of equality for the African Americans and the White people.