The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s was a dark and unpromising time. African Americans were not able to perform simple tasks like getting a drink of water, unless it was designated for “colored” people. In this speech Martin Luther King proposes his overall goal of inspiring change through nonviolent protests. The tone of this speech is rather informative, appealing to ethos. In contrast the speech also has argumentative qualities, appealing to the audiences senses of emotions and passions. The use of strong diction creates an intelligent aura for the information that will begin to be presented throughout the speech. Symbolism also holds a key role in the understanding of a fundamental point in the speech, equality among all races and the
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Using sophisticated, strong diction to start off the speech King enables the audience to latch on immediately. (Aliteration) Within the first few sentences of the speech King begins to appeal to ethos. He does this by relating himself to every person listening to the speech, strategically not placing himself above or below any single person. Earning trust early on with the audience helps strengthen the upcoming arguments. Shortly after establishing ethos he draws immense attention to the phrase “ I have a dream” implementing the rhetorical device anaphora. King emphasizes the idea that change cannot be pushed back and looked upon another day; it needs to be dealt without now. King uses the allusion “ Five score years ago” from President Abraham Lincoln’s speech The Gettysburg Address. This allusion is ironic due to the fact that about a hundred years ago Lincoln gave that speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial abolishing slavery, yet here is King still fighting and speaking for equality among all races. Lastly, King uses a reference to the United States Declaration of Independence to seal the trust of the audience. By using such respected documents to support his claims and arguments King continues to impress the crowd with his …show more content…
(Antithesis) When King describes his “dream” for the future he creates a keen example of anaphora. Starting eight consecutive sentences with the famous line “I have a dream” helps the crowd comprehend the sincere wishes King is trying to make a reality. The irony of the “dream” is that many people’s dreams are extravagant unrealistic hopes, but in this case King is asking only for things that should already be occurring in every day life. His simple request could be fulfilled simply by the unity of the people of the United States coming together to do the ethical thing. In some of the final lines of Kings speech he provides specific examples of states he personally would like to hear “freedom ring.” He includes states such as Mississippi and Alabama where most of the problem occurs. These two states have been the ground where King has broke his back to try and show that racial justice is not just something that is declared by the Declaration of Independence, but something that each U.S citizen should do to follow the “sunlit path.” Alabama is the place that King was thrown in Birmingham jail for leading a nonviolent protest that the court refused to approve. This alone symbolizes Kings perseverance through hardships, and his dedication to leave a footprint in the
Using sophisticated, strong diction to start off the speech King enables the audience to latch on immediately. (Aliteration) Within the first few sentences of the speech King begins to appeal to ethos. He does this by relating himself to every person listening to the speech, strategically not placing himself above or below any single person. Earning trust early on with the audience helps strengthen the upcoming arguments. Shortly after establishing ethos he draws immense attention to the phrase “ I have a dream” implementing the rhetorical device anaphora. King emphasizes the idea that change cannot be pushed back and looked upon another day; it needs to be dealt without now. King uses the allusion “ Five score years ago” from President Abraham Lincoln’s speech The Gettysburg Address. This allusion is ironic due to the fact that about a hundred years ago Lincoln gave that speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial abolishing slavery, yet here is King still fighting and speaking for equality among all races. Lastly, King uses a reference to the United States Declaration of Independence to seal the trust of the audience. By using such respected documents to support his claims and arguments King continues to impress the crowd with his …show more content…
(Antithesis) When King describes his “dream” for the future he creates a keen example of anaphora. Starting eight consecutive sentences with the famous line “I have a dream” helps the crowd comprehend the sincere wishes King is trying to make a reality. The irony of the “dream” is that many people’s dreams are extravagant unrealistic hopes, but in this case King is asking only for things that should already be occurring in every day life. His simple request could be fulfilled simply by the unity of the people of the United States coming together to do the ethical thing. In some of the final lines of Kings speech he provides specific examples of states he personally would like to hear “freedom ring.” He includes states such as Mississippi and Alabama where most of the problem occurs. These two states have been the ground where King has broke his back to try and show that racial justice is not just something that is declared by the Declaration of Independence, but something that each U.S citizen should do to follow the “sunlit path.” Alabama is the place that King was thrown in Birmingham jail for leading a nonviolent protest that the court refused to approve. This alone symbolizes Kings perseverance through hardships, and his dedication to leave a footprint in the