Rhetorical Analysis of “I Have a Dream”
Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister and social activist, delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech on August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial. Two hundred thousand people gathered there after the March on Washington. Dr. King wished to speak about the injustices of segregation and discrimination of African Americans that was transpiring in the country. Throughout his speech King uses rhetoric that enhanced his firm stand for equal rights. This speech, filled with progressive, intellectual, and thought-provoking rhetoric was a turning point for the country, reaching the hearts and souls of millions.
Through a passionate and serious tone, Martin Luther King begins his speech by creating a sense …show more content…
King utilizes references to the Declaration of Independence which undoubtedly portrays attraction to the logical side of the audience. As he quotes the Declaration by saying, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…”, King goes on through the entire fourth paragraph to purposefully create that logical appeal. This tactic generates trust and morality concerning a logical approach. Notably, King also uses anaphora while repeating “I Have a Dream” in eight continuous sentences. This is to hammer in the theme and purpose of the speech, which logically sticks with the listener and their rationality. Rationality was very important for King, as to achieve his goal or “dream” he needed to make his audience agree with him. Reasoning with his audience most likely was not an enormous struggle, as they believed in similar goals to aspire to. This being said he tied the rationality and logical aspects to emotional and moral aspects as well. Impressively, it is prominent throughout that he connects these appeals in order to persuade his cause to the audience and further the rhetorical effect. In conclusion, as a social activist, Martian Luther King used this speech to create a rippling effect which resulted in major changes to society and racial injustice. Without the rhetorical devices used, Martin could not have had such an impact on his audience. Through tying all three persuasive appeals together, and using them individually to address the issue at hand, he created a speech that truly transformed the mindset of an entire
Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister and social activist, delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech on August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial. Two hundred thousand people gathered there after the March on Washington. Dr. King wished to speak about the injustices of segregation and discrimination of African Americans that was transpiring in the country. Throughout his speech King uses rhetoric that enhanced his firm stand for equal rights. This speech, filled with progressive, intellectual, and thought-provoking rhetoric was a turning point for the country, reaching the hearts and souls of millions.
Through a passionate and serious tone, Martin Luther King begins his speech by creating a sense …show more content…
King utilizes references to the Declaration of Independence which undoubtedly portrays attraction to the logical side of the audience. As he quotes the Declaration by saying, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…”, King goes on through the entire fourth paragraph to purposefully create that logical appeal. This tactic generates trust and morality concerning a logical approach. Notably, King also uses anaphora while repeating “I Have a Dream” in eight continuous sentences. This is to hammer in the theme and purpose of the speech, which logically sticks with the listener and their rationality. Rationality was very important for King, as to achieve his goal or “dream” he needed to make his audience agree with him. Reasoning with his audience most likely was not an enormous struggle, as they believed in similar goals to aspire to. This being said he tied the rationality and logical aspects to emotional and moral aspects as well. Impressively, it is prominent throughout that he connects these appeals in order to persuade his cause to the audience and further the rhetorical effect. In conclusion, as a social activist, Martian Luther King used this speech to create a rippling effect which resulted in major changes to society and racial injustice. Without the rhetorical devices used, Martin could not have had such an impact on his audience. Through tying all three persuasive appeals together, and using them individually to address the issue at hand, he created a speech that truly transformed the mindset of an entire