Linguistic analysis of Martin Luther King 's 'I Have a Dream ' speech, and Abraham Lincoln 's 'Gettysburg Address ' I have chosen to investigate the use of linguistic devices and how they are used to persuade the audience. I will study a spoken form of language, as I think the spoken mode illustrates emotion better than a written mode. The speech I have chosen to study was spoken by Martin Luther King in 1963, and has been given the popular name of 'I Have a Dream '. I will also look at the Gettysburg address, spoken by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, as this links in closely with Martin Luther King 's ideals, and is referred to in his speech. Martin Luther Kings 'I Have A Dream ' speech is a very moving and interesting speech as it symbolises Freedom …show more content…
It is rousing, motivational and filled with emotion. The aim of my investigation is to see how Martin Luther King uses language to create a speech of this nature that will persuade the audience to support the Civil Rights movement in America. It has become almost an defining moment for the cause. Alongside King 's speech, I have also chosen study the similarities between King 's speech and Abraham Lincoln 's 'Gettysburg Address ', as Martin Luther Kings refers to this in his speech, and are related as both aim to promote peace and equality. As this is much shorter speech, I will be looking at it in less depth. I have chosen to look at King 's speech because it is an example of how the power of speech can instigate such powerful emotions and cause monumental changes. I am interested in how this was achieved using linguistic features in this speech. The Gettysburg Address is also a very important speech, and the speaker, Lincoln, is admired by many. I will keep an open mind while studying these speeches, and won 't be biased about either of the
In Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address he discusses the topic of civil war and its effects on the United States. Lincoln surprised the audience with the short speech that was given just one month before the end of the Civil War. He offered his vision of the Nation’s future and tried to promote a tone of positivity and optimism. Lincoln utilizes rhetorical tools such as word choice, tone, allusions, and many forms of logos throughout his speech to convey his message of unity throughout his speech. One of the main rhetorical tools Lincoln uses throughout the speech is his word choice and corresponding tone throughout it.
Compare how the speakers (JFK and Tim Collins) shape their language to create a sense of voice The inaugural speech, presented by John F. Kennedy, and the ‘Eve of battle’ speech, presented by Tim Collins, can both be analysed for the similarities and also differences, comparing how the speakers shape their language specifically to create a sense of voice. The instantly recognisable difference between the two texts is the genre. The speech by John F. Kennedy (JFK) is his inaugural address.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lincoln gave his speech during the period of the Civil War, and King gave his speech during the Civil Rights Movement. They both had addressed the issues of freedom and equality. They also shared a common purpose. Without the demand for change the nation will fall apart. This paper will discuss the rhetorical devices used to achieve each author 's purpose.
PART A – Speech Delivery 1. Martin Luther King Jr. provides a very dramatic speaking style in his “I Have a Dream” speech, in which he alters his prosody by changing the pitch of his voice. One instance of this is when Dr. King Jr. says, “I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of ‘interposition’, and ‘nullification’ – one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today!” (7:36).
Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic speech, delivered during the historic March on Washington in 1963, remains one of the most powerful and influential addresses in American history. King's speech adeptly employs various rhetorical devices to captivate his audience and convey his message. One rhetorical device employed by King is the use of repetition. Through powerful repetition, King emphasises key phrases, such as "I have a dream," which not only resonates with the listeners but also reinforces his central message and fosters a sense of unity. Furthermore, to make his thoughts more concrete and relevant, King skilfully incorporates metaphors and vivid imagery.
King’s dialect showed the audience civil right issues, involving many rhetorical strategies using ethos, logos, and pathos, to a racially tempered crowd whom he viewed as different, but not equal. From the very beginning of it , King brings his crowd back to the origin of America when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, that freed all slaves and gave hope to the former slaves. But immediately after Dr. King speaks out on how after 100 years Blacks still do not have the free will that is deserved. He points out the irony of America because Black Americans were still not truly free.
March Rhetorical Analysis The 1960’s civil rights movement often used persuasive language to echo the unheard voices of many individuals. Some more than others possessed the ability to exercise their potent use of language to bring forward prominent changes. In the book, March by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, eloquent methods of speech play an important role. John Lewis, Martin Luther King, and George Wallace are some that expressed their beliefs through persuasive empowering words.
In 1963, Martin Luther King J.R. wrote a letter in the margins of a newspaper from within the bars of his jail cell in Birmingham. This letter, known as “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, was written as a response to criticism received from eight clergymen regarding the protest that King was arrested for. In that same year, King gave a powerful speech to a large crowd gathered in Washington D.C., at the Lincoln Memorial. This speech, easily recognized as the “I Have a Dream” speech, addressed the cruelty of segregation and unfair ways of which most people were treated, and influenced hope within his audience. In these two writings, examples of both logos and pathos can be found, and although the writings are comparable, they are not completely the same.
Fighting for equality was a relevant theme in early America; however, fighting was only half the struggle, once you won what happened next was up to the leaders of the new system. In Abraham Lincoln’s speech “ The Second Inaugural Address”, America is nearing the end of the civil war and Lincoln explains what should happen next as their victory approaches. Through the use of rhetorical strategies such as diction, allusion, and syntax the audience connects to Lincoln and his statements while understanding the great capability of America. Throughout Lincolns Speech he often times alludes to references the general population knows about so they can connect to him and his statements while receiving a greater knowledge of his purpose.
A countless number of times throughout the essay rhetorical devices are used to persuade the audience. Martin Luther King Jr alludes to a speech presented by the former president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation” (King Jr, pg. 404). If the readers can familiarize themselves with the historic speech, they will have a greater understanding as to the content of the essay and will be able to relate to the topic. Alluding to a great speech gives King Jr.’s essay merit and helps him persuade his audience that is familiar with Lincoln’s famous speech. King Jr. also uses a metaphor to persuade his audience, “Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds" (King Jr, pg. 405).
This paper aims to inspect Lincoln’s use of powerful language and how it all aided him in making this speech unforgettable. Lincoln used effective rhetorical strategies in achieving his
Throughout the speech, King employed a variety of techniques to capture the attention of his audience and convey his message of hope and equality. One of the examples of figurative language in the speech is KIng’s use of metaphor. For example, he compares the emancipation proclamation to a great beacon light of hope that comes as a joyful daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. This metaphor helps to emphasize the significance of the proclamation and its impact on the lives of African Americans.
During the era of the civil rights movements in the 60s, among the segregation, racism, and injustice against the blacks, Martin Luther King Jr. stood at the Lincoln Memorial to deliver one of the greatest public speeches for freedom in that decade. In Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech he effectively uses ethos, diction and powerful metaphors to express the brutality endured by African American people. Yet his most important method of reaching his audience, and conveying his enduring message of equality and freedom for the whole nation was his appeal to pathos. With these devices, King was able to move thousands of hearts and inspire the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Opening his speech Martin Luther King Jr. sets up his credibility with his use of ethos, referring to the Declaration of Independence saying, “This note was a promise that all men… would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life.”
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an important influential person in our history. He wrote not only the historic “I Have a Dream” speech, but he also wrote a letter while in the Birmingham jail. These two pieces of writing have impacted many and have appealed to the readers emotions and used logic to persuade people. These appeals were found in both the letter and in the speech but which one was more emotional and which one was more logical? Let 's start by talking about the logical appeals in the speech.
This essay will summarize the King biography, and then analyze, and react to Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech "I Have a Dream. " Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech was one of the most famous of the time during the civil rights movement and many people were, and still are, inspired by it. Therefore, the speech has made an unforgettable impact on the lives of many who lived during the mid-nineteenth century. Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist who lived during the nineteenth century.