On August 28, 1963, civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Junior, stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and addressed over 250,000 people during a prominent time in history. King rallied for peace and racial harmony through his eloquently written speech most famously known as, “I Have A Dream”. Martin Luther King Junior addressed the growing issue of civil rights amongst African Americans through his “I Have A Dream” speech, otherwise known as a masterpiece of rhetoric. King speaks to the public about racial equality and freedom with the use of ethos, logos and mainly pathos. Martin Luther King Jr. uses Ethos to prove his credibility throughout his speech. King had already solidified his credibility with the public even before …show more content…
He moved hundreds of thousands of people by describing the issue at hand and appealing to the people’s fears, desires and feelings. He utilized this rhetoric numerous times throughout this speech by effectively utilizing the rhetorical device, anaphora. He repeated several phrases many times and the most popular of them all, “I have a dream”. These words alone were powerful enough to strike a chord emotionally. The effective use of anaphora engaged the emotions of the people. The phrases he repeated were compelling enough that they touched the hearts of the audience and inspired them to take action. These words sprung hope and prosperity and empowered the people to take action in fulfilling these dreams. Another strong use of rhetorical appeal can be seen in his references to children and their future. King appeals to the emotion within parents when he states, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character”. The goal of this statement is for parents to fight for a better life for their kids so that they won’t have to live in a world full of hatred. He empathizes with the parents by using his own children as an example and not just kids in
Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have A Dream” speech about Civil Rights was spoken out in front of a large group in Washington DC at the Lincoln Memorial. He also wrote a “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in response to eight clergymen criticizing his actions while he was in jail. In both he used pathos and logos to appeal to people with logic and feelings. In Martin Luther King's “I have a dream” speech he uses a logic to appeal.
Both John F. Kennedy’s Civil Rights Announcement and Martin Luther King Junior’s “I Have a Dream” speech are beautifully written and insightful pieces concerning the wretched act of segregation. However, King’s speech is the clear winner of this race because MLK has first-hand experience with the issue being discussed, King is more emotional, and King’s speech is much more relatable. Firstly, King is a victim of the problem at hand. This gives him more credibility because he certainly knows what he is talking about, being as he faced these problems in his everyday life, therefore appealing to all audiences, but, more specifically, African Americans because he was someone they could relate to.
On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr., a civil rights activist, delivered his renowned speech, "I Have a Dream" in the Lincoln Memorial located in Washington to millions of Americans. King relied on the use of metaphors, imagery, and anaphora to establish pathos; as well as to convey his wish to live in a country where everyone has equal civil and economic rights no matter their skin color. King employs many metaphors throughout his speech to disclose emotions that can only be represented by comparing two things. More specifically in the beginning of his speech he compares the lack of justice to a "check with insufficient funds". By doing this, King is able to make his audience acknowledge the fact that the African American population has been essentially cheated of its freedom.
Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have A Dream” speech is one of the most iconic and recognizable speeches in history because of his powerful message and performance. King was able to effectively create a sense of urgency in his call to action, and he used a combination of ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade his audience that change was necessary. King demonstrates Ethos, Pathos, and Logos effectively in this speech. Ethos is defined as showing competence, character, and charisma.
In 1963, King cited what became to be his most famous speech, “I Have a Dream”, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. With this speech King powerfully argues for the equality of all
Jake Edwards Professor Messersmith Comp II 3/3/13 Kings Keys to Success Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is known as the leader of the African-American civil rights movement, an activist, humanitarian, and one of the greatest speakers of all time. However, what makes him a good leader and good speaker? What makes his words so permanent and ingrained in so many people’s minds? In Kings writing “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, he uses many different rhetorical strategies that not only draw his viewers and listeners in, but also makes them feel powerful and useful.
Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and George VI wartime speech are both equally well-written and spoken, but each speaker had a different approach on presentation, type of speech, and effect on society. The first comparison between Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and King George VI wartime speech are that speeches served for different situations and audience, but Martin Luther King performed better to his audience. The purpose of MLK speech was a call to end racism in America and a push for Civil Rights. In doing so, the speech took place at the Lincoln moment memorial and was presented in front of about 250,000 Civil Rights supporters.
King also discusses his personal life, along with his family and children, to show the crowd that he is fighting for the same things as them. In his I Have a Dream speech, Martin Luther King, Jr. used ethos to increase his credibility with his audience, pathos to appeal to his audience’s emotional side, and logos to appeal to his audience’s logical side. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s use of ethos begins in the first few lines of his I Have a Dream speech. He begins the speech with a direct reference to Abraham Lincoln and his Gettysburg Address. King speaks of Lincoln as an admired figure in the Civil Rights Movement when he states “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand, signed the Emancipation Proclamation” (King 84).
On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr gave us one of one of the most rhetorically moving speeches ever given. Titled as the “I Have a Dream Speech,” he read this speech to the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom”. As a civil right mover he gave this great speech to all Americans (black and white) so that he could give off the idea of equality on the same level. Because of his crowd of mix races King made sure to make his speech imploring to all no matter what the race that they may be. He uses metaphorical imagery, powerful diction,and symbolism to create an impact on the audience.
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.
“I Have A Dream” “I Have A Dream”, a quote that many Americans hold dear to their hearts and a quote that is remembered and is associated with an unforgettable movement in history of the Untied States of America. From 1954-1968 one of the most memorable movements in history took place and will not be forgotten is the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the many greats remembered and recognized in the movement for being an influential leader of his time. Having given over 2000 speeches, MLK(Martin Luther King) has one particular speech that stands out from the many and it is his “I Have A Dream” speech. MLK’s message being about peace, unity, fairness and freedom for and to all people shines through in this speech.
The main idea of his speech is that all people were created equal and, although this is no longer the case nowadays, King felt it must be the case for the future. He argued peacefully, yet passionately and powerfully. In preparation for the speech, he studied the Bible, The Gettysburg Address and the US Declaration of Independence and he alludes to all three in his address. The intensity of King’s speech is built through parallelism, metaphors, bold statements and rhythmic repetitions:
In “I Have A Dream,” by Martin Luther King, it explains how he wants everyone to be treated the same and not have the color of people define who they are. Martin Luther King used pathos, ethos, and logos in his speech. Martin Luther King uses allusion in his speech when he refers to the Gettysburg Address and the constitution. Martin Luther King wanted everyone to be treated the same. Martin Luther King wanted black people and white people to be able to be together as brother and sisters.
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.”
Social Activists Influential Techniques Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream," and Malcom X's "The Black Revolution," were both influential speeches during the civil rights movement. There are aspects and characteristics of the two speeches that distinguish them from others, make them especially moving. The writers use powerful diction, tone, literary devices, and appeal to emotional, ethical, and logical beliefs. The diction, phrases, and words used in King's "I Have a Dream" speech, appeal to the emotional aspect of the audience.