Throughout the course of his speech, King makes allusions to multiple texts, such as the Bible, the song “My country tis of thee,” and Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence. From the Bible, King states that “justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.” (paragraph 13; Amos 5:24) Based on this quote, King encourages the end to inequality and the beginning of justice and righteousness. From Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence, King uses that quote “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.” (paragraph 17) Based on this quote, King emphasizes that the nation should rise up and stand up for their rights. Also from the Declaration of Independence, King states that all men have the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” (paragraph 4) Based on this quote, King stresses that all men, which consists of both black and white men possess these unalienable rights by God. King uses a few phrases “My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, From every mountainside, let freedom ring!” from the song “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” by Samuel Francis Smith.
“Hitler is a monster of wickedness, insatiable in his lust for blood and plunder” (Churchill). These are the words of Winston Churchill, who was the British Prime Minister. Churchill, in my opinion, is the most effective political leader when it comes to power of language, manipulation, and words. Despite being known as a great speaker, the speech he made after Germany invaded Russia was what really showed how powerful he is. He used the elements language, words, and manipulation to make the people understand his side.
Patrick Henry used several ways to get his point across, and get it across clearly. The understanding of Henry's rhetorical situation is extremely important in understanding everything he is trying to prove to his audience. Patrick uses several different strategies to make the audience know what he is saying is very important. One of these strategies is the way Henry uses references to God all throughout the speech. Another strategy Patrick used was showing the importance of the colonist going to war against England. Lastly, Henry proves to the audience in several ways how England has betrayed them. All of these strategies are important to making Henry’s speech successful. Henry knows that he needs to do a good job at getting his point across because there are undecided voters listening to his speech that he is trying to
On August 28th, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C, Martin Luther King Jr., spoke to roughly twenty-five thousands people attending the March on Washington for jobs and freedom. In Dr. King’s speech, “I Had a Dream”, he uses rhetorical devices to convey that all people are created equal and to educate the importance of the Civil Rights Movement.
Dr. King first starts out all pumped up on a very light note. He is very optimistic about his speech in the very first line. However he bluntly addressed the issues of hardship, which African-Americans endured while America was beginning to become a stronger symbol of hope and freedom. He acknowledged the experience of wealth which his race became accustomed to, the ghetto poverty. He recognized the right of each color and pale man who contains the right to live, liberty, and the pursuit of true happiness. As bluntly as he began his speech, he boldly pointed out the Supreme Law of The Land- the Constitution - and quoted the Declaration of Independence as all.
Dr. King brilliantly weaves so many subtleties into such a relatively short speech that almost 50 years later it still must be analyzed to no end. Dr. King was a southern Baptist preacher before he was sucked into the leading role of the civil rights movement, I’m sure that had a great effect on his ability to give a speech. Dr. King knew just what to say, when to say it, and how to say it. From this we can see Dr. King’s lasting effect, and the fact that although we have come far in the area of civil rights, we still have a long way to go and it will be Dr. King’s timeless words that usher us into a new era of prosperity and brotherhood.
Martin Luther King's use of alluding to other historic documents, which also deal with equality issues, helped his speech reach the listener. These allusions were probably geared more towards the white listeners than it was towards the black because it provided textual evidence from past documents which stated that all men were created equal and all people should have the right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. King also makes a few allusions to the Bible; "Let us not seek to satisfy thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred," is the first allusion to the Bible in his speech.
In this eloquent speech by Dr. King, analogy plays a key role in lending power to his inspirational message of unity and peace, a message which starkly contrasts with the reality of its time, an era where there is great division and anger rippling through American society. King uses to this key technique to evoke logos and pathos together as one, to reaffirm truths, and unite the divided audience behind a common value:
In the totality of Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter, he exhibits himself to his audience as a genuine authority, describes and illustrates the struggles and experiences the African American community have encountered, defends his argument, and fights for the need of instantaneous change. By adding religious examples, which appeal directly to his audience, he strives to acquire their support and condone his way of action. All in all, the need and demand for change in the letter is emphasized by his powerful appeals to pathos. His appeals to ethos and logos and his use of imagery and personal experiences throughout his letter make a powerful, persuasive argument. He efficiently displays the affect of the struggles that the African American community
Martin Luther King Jr. uses contrast, repetition, and listings to further strengthen his letter, inspire others to take action, and leave a long lasting print on his audience. One of the tools King used to create a long lasting impact on people is contrast. In the second paragraph Martin states that, “you [clergymen] warmly commended the police force for keeping “order” and “preventing violence.” I don’t believe you would have so warmly commended the police force if you had seem its angry violent dogs [biting Negros]” (2). Martin Luther King Jr. uses the clergy’s word against them. They stated they were peaceful but in all actuality were quite violent. When King backed his defense up with facts, the clergymen’s word became unreliable. His use of contrast is successful because it puts
There are many things in life that are indefinite. It is not definite whether or not one will achieve his or her dreams, find the meaning of his or her life, or even live to see tomorrow. In this context, it is much easier to see why promises are of immense significance because promises assure an individual that something definite will happen in his or her universe that is full of uncertainty. In the history of the United States, a great promise is made to African-Americans in the 13th ,14th, and 15th Amendments of the Constitution. These Amendments should have guaranteed the unalienable rights of African Americans. Unfortunately, these promises were broken like the hearts of those whose hopes were crushed. A century later, a gifted speaker
Martin Luther King uses a lot of repetition in his speech. They are scattered throughout but very close. One of the repetitions in his speech is “I have a dream.” He uses this phrase to show what he sees in the future of America. One of the phrases he uses with it is: “I have a dream that one day this nation will and live out the true meaning of its creed: we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” Another is “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their nature. I have a dream today.” (King, M. L. Jr. (1963, Aug.28) Para 12) Two other repetitions he uses is “Let freedom ring” and “Free at last.” (King, M. L. Jr. (1963, Aug.28) Para 16&17)
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)
Digging into Dr. King’s historic speech, the late reverend references the Declaration of Independence tapping into the beliefs expressed in that document. Specifically, the orator quotes the famous line “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal” (King 919). With this line, Dr. King illustrates how equality for African Americans is one element of the most basic of American belief. From his use of a phrase like, “all of God’s children” (King 919), it is clear to see that King wanted his dreams
During 1931, a second grand war begin with national powers uniting together. Many nations instantly took arms, but the US decided to stay neutral. As a result, European countries established a new flourishing fear of being overthrown by eastern communist foes(“World”). Then the dreadful event on December 6, 1941, caused the US to reconsider its own stance on the war. Allied Powers realized their opportunity to use Pearl Harbor to gain a chance to determine their own fate in war. On December 26, 1941, the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, presented a speech eventually known as “Masters of Our Fate” to the US Senate and the House of Representatives(“Winston”). Through the use of esoteric rhetorical questions, vivid metaphors,
King begins his speech by referencing important historical documents such as the Constitution of the United States and the Emancipation Proclamation. This is emphasized when he states, ”Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation...But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free”. Which shows how even though the Emancipation Proclamation freed the African Americans from slavery, they still are not free because of segregation. He then transitions to the injustice and suffering that the African Americans face. He makes this