Civil Rights Speech Rhetorical Essay

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At the peak of the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his iconic speech "I have a Dream" in 1963. Martin Luther spoke to a crowd of civil rights activists to encourage change and step to total equality for African Americans. When performing his speech for the Freedom March, Martin Luther King Jr. advocates racial equality with an enticing speech by using strong diction and figurative language in order to create a critical tone. By using of historical reference, appeals, and climactic structure, Martin Luther persuades American citizens to believe that all men and women should be equal regardless of race rather than settling for the barriers the nation had between Caucasians and African Americans.
To further the cause of equality,
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He references to the Emancipation Proclamation and the initial thought as " a great beacon of light of hope for millions of Negro slaves," yet a hundred later, the generations followed by slaves still lacked the same freedoms and opportunities compared to their white counterparts. Martin Luther strategically references the Emancipation Proclamation on the one hundredth anniversary to define his message: there was 'change', but action must be taken now in order for society to truly evolve and break away from the racial discrimination throughout the nation, predominantly in Mississippi and Alabama.
To enhance his ideas to the reader, Marth Luther uses imagery to create a sense of isolation that African Americans have been facing their entire lives. This figurative language and strong diction provides a path for readers to gain a better understanding of the struggles overcame and
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Strong diction plays a major role in creating the growth of energy towards the problem, for example, “we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition,” and “to remind America of the fierce urgency of now.” These quotes add intensity to the goal of his speech, influencing those to join the cause and make a

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