Lincoln Memorial Speech Analysis

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In a time of great crisis within its ownself, America was transforming. There were many events that happened in the 60’s but, one main event happen on the stairs of Lincoln Memorial, the speech “I Have A Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr. King not only inspired millions of people, he revolutionized America with this speech. In this speech, King emphasizes the significance of civil rights by using multiple rhetorical strategies. Throughout this speech, he uses clever metaphors, many allusions, and strong pathos. First, King stresses the wickedness of racial injustice by applying these metaphors that highlight these contrasting concepts. King wants his audience to see the truth, that “ [we should] not wallow in the valley of despair” …show more content…

King opens the speech stating “five score years ago” (King 2). This allusion goes back to the “Gettysburg Address” by Abraham Lincoln. Not only did Lincoln become president, but he put an end to slavery. Lincoln is the face of equality and that is why specifically King spoke on his steps. Afterwards, King then claims that “ [we are] all of God’s children”, that we come from the same place (King 6). This allusion is used for its equality reference because we are all family, and no one is better than any other. King says this allusion because he knows most of the audience believes in a religion and that in God’s eyes, everybody is equal. He wants people to see the way God sees people, different but equal. King, then uses another allusion to describe how he wants society “that every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight” (King 25). This allusion references the verse in the bible “Isaiah 40:4” and is used for its abstract idea of equality. The allusion sets society as nature and that every mountain is every white person in which they will be made lower, and every valley is every black person in which they will be made higher. King uses this allusion to paint a picture of his perspective of a better nation. That every citizen is at the same level as …show more content…

The anaphora “one hundred years later” emphasizes that nothing has actually changed. That America is still hostile to blacks and blacks are still not fully free. King uses this as pathos as he stresses that discrimination is holding America back from its potential and that to be an actual free country, segregation has to end. Furthermore in his speech, King then speaks as a loving father dreaming “that [his] four little 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 character (King 21).This pathos appeals to people and lets the audience see King’s emotional side. King wanted to be relatable to the common people, and that people will see him as a loving father who is only looking out for his children which is appealing to the audience. Lastly, as King becomes closer to the ending of his speech, King ends on a hopeful note that “With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day” (King 27). The epistrophe, is used to emphasize being “together”, that citizens should not be segregated, that they

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