On April 4, 1967, Martin Luther King, Jr., an enormously influential civil rights activist, conveys his indignant and hopeful thoughts regarding the Vietnam War, in his speech “Beyond Vietnam,” by utilizing biblical allusion, anaphora, and use of diction. The pro-social justice and anti-war speech were delivered to state MLK’s opposition to the war to the people of Riverside Church in New York. In this speech, King is evident in his stance regarding Vietnam and expresses his hopeful ideas of growing as a nation by employing biblical allusion, anaphora, and use of diction.
Firstly, King utilizes biblical allusion to compare the values we should have to the story of the Good Samaritan. He writes, “On one hand, we are called to play Good Samaritan…