Pathos In Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream Speech

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“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” –Martin Luther King Jr stated. In other words, no matter what you look like, your beliefs, etc, everyone everywhere should be treated equally and freedom to all. In Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech, that was the point he was trying to get across. King uses rhetorical appeals and figurative language to persuade the audience that equality and freedom should be for everyone. In this speech, King uses the rhetorical appeal of Pathos. One example of Pathos being used in the speech is when King states, “I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation,” (1). This quote demonstrates Pathos because of …show more content…

One example of Pathos being used in the speech is when King states, “I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation,” (1). This quote demonstrates Pathos because of the way the phrase creates a sense of pride within the audience. Additionally, the effectiveness of Pathos being used in this quote sparks emotions causing people to be persuaded of changing the nation to a great country where everyone can live in peace with one another. A second example of Pathos being used in the speech is when King states, “Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual” (6). Pathos is being demonstrated by bringing up emotions to let America know they will not remain silent during this time of inequality. Secondly, King uses the image of a united and healthier nation to get the audience to think of the possibility of a better, and to become a nation that demonstrates equality. In conclusion, King uses Pathos to persuade America to change for the

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