Although there are many speeches that have contributed to the progress of civil rights in American history, no other speech comes to mind more than Martin Luther King’s notorious “I Have a Dream” speech. It paved the way for the equality of all mankind in America, thus, becoming an imperative check mark in the history of our nation. It’s effectiveness, however, isn’t accomplished just by the remarkable delivery of Dr. King. His “I Have a Dream” speech successfully implements many rhetorical devices to establish a powerful speech that readers and listeners can easily connect to. Besides its heartfelt and promising content, Dr. King’s use of vivid metaphors, influential repetition of words and phrases, and placement of strong verbs construct
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We can no doubt find elements of metaphors, repetition, and strong verbs in both of their speeches. King and Kennedy’s word and phrase choices both produce very well written speeches, but one is simply better than the other. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech proves to be more effective and noteworthy than John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address. King’s carefully thought out metaphors enlivens his speech by illustrating vibrant portraits of the future he hopes to help produce. His rich metaphors are straightforward, and they are easy to comprehend. Repetition works towards his advantage, for King is able to unmistakably present an enchanting speech that has been, and will be, a fundamental source in the progression of equality in America. His verb choices help form influential phrases that are powerful enough to appeal to the heart, thus, creating a more emotional connection to the speech. (“…wallow in the valley of despair” [King]). Kennedy’s Inaugural Address has good usage of these rhetoric devices, but compared to King’s speech it appears lackluster. “I Have a Dream” generates more hope and more call to action. It motivates people of all ages and education levels, because of these rhetoric devices. The speech’s message is simple to comprehend because of the vibrant visualization that is brought on by metaphors, repetition, and strong verbs. Thus, considering all of the hearts and lives this speech has touched, “I Have a Dream” is successfully more
We can no doubt find elements of metaphors, repetition, and strong verbs in both of their speeches. King and Kennedy’s word and phrase choices both produce very well written speeches, but one is simply better than the other. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech proves to be more effective and noteworthy than John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address. King’s carefully thought out metaphors enlivens his speech by illustrating vibrant portraits of the future he hopes to help produce. His rich metaphors are straightforward, and they are easy to comprehend. Repetition works towards his advantage, for King is able to unmistakably present an enchanting speech that has been, and will be, a fundamental source in the progression of equality in America. His verb choices help form influential phrases that are powerful enough to appeal to the heart, thus, creating a more emotional connection to the speech. (“…wallow in the valley of despair” [King]). Kennedy’s Inaugural Address has good usage of these rhetoric devices, but compared to King’s speech it appears lackluster. “I Have a Dream” generates more hope and more call to action. It motivates people of all ages and education levels, because of these rhetoric devices. The speech’s message is simple to comprehend because of the vibrant visualization that is brought on by metaphors, repetition, and strong verbs. Thus, considering all of the hearts and lives this speech has touched, “I Have a Dream” is successfully more