Mlk Speech Rhetorical Analysis

From MLK’s speech, one could say there was a strict message of equality. He wished for equality for all colored people across America. This was displayed through his use of ethos, pathos, and logos throughout his speech. Despite the faults in the character of his personal life, many took the use of these literary tools as promises and hope for a better future set about by the language King chose. He states “There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until all of color are set equal.” This was King’s use of ethos to inform the listening masses of the ethics behind freedom and equality to blacks. The ethics come from the peaceful protest against racism and inequality. Pathos was also shown in the speech through the following quote,”We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now.” King is empathetic towards the fact that change needs to happen through urgent action. The colored man is a topic of the now and not a thought to have later. There are also demonstrations of logos. The relation to logic lies within the following quote, “We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities.” In this quote, King emphasizes it is not logical for the blacks to be refused access to the motels and hotels across America’s highways and cities. I see the point …show more content…
This is seen all throughout the speech delivered by MLK. Towards the beginning of the speech, there was a slow pace which built itself into a fast paced production to imply the direct messages King was trying to demonstrate. One example is, “It came as a joyous daybreak(pause) to end the long night of their captivity.(slowly spoken)” I feel this was slowly spoken to amplify the fact that the inhumane treatment of Blacks during slavery was trumped under the efforts of Abolitionists. However; there