Rhetorical Analysis Of Dr. Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream Speech

Improved Essays
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an exceptional speaker. The style of his speech was accentuated by his passion for his cause, his extraordinary backdrop, and an abundance of flowing imagery. This was not a speech that was mainly meant to be informational, rather inspirational. Other than the famous “I have a Dream metaphor” there are many other lines used by King to move the hearts of those in his audience. Some impactful aspects of this speech are that Dr. King mentions God, hope, and faith. Images of nature were often invoked during Dr. King’s speech to tie in the spiritual world using the majesty of tangible landscapes. Dr. Martin Luther King has a gift for reaching Americans of the past and present, regardless of age, gender and ethnic background. …show more content…
What Dr. King says in his speech “I have A Dream” is true; all of our fates are intertwined. We must learn to walk together and no one should rest until each man, woman, and child, regardless of race, age, or gender, is able to practice this unalienable right of “Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was interested in the principles of the constitution of the United States applying to all people, he would not rest until "...black men as well as white men will be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness” and his vigor for his cause aroused in the hearts of many men and woman the hope that this nation could be better. It is truly inspirational to listen to Dr. King’s iconic speech and see the faces of those people in the crowd, many of whom experienced terrible acts of injustice, fill with hope at the words of their fearless leader. This speech was not meant to entice violence, As Dr. King states, "let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred" we see that he choose not to alienate and subjugate his oppressors. We see him encourage these

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    Dr. King aligned the past, the present and the future intending to end his speech with hopes and promises of a change that was to be conducted with peace and equality, in perfect harmony to humane relations. Martin Luther King through his speech moved a crowd of 200,000 people; his assembly of words and rhetorical strategies managed to advocate humanity in the face of social color blindness. His words still live and continue to inspire thousands…

    • 1207 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    His inspiring speech “I have a dream” is always in my head when I hesitate to take the next step in order to succeed. He was honest to the community and, what is more important, to himself. Martin Luther King Jr. claimed that all the changes in the world begin with each of us and we do not have to be afraid of the chance to change…

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Dr. King's unbelievable speaking ability and Gandhi type(nonviolence) persona has influenced the United States to celebrate differences in humanity. This speech also explains, how the King Jr is telling the government, and the people of the…

    • 274 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Martin Luther King was a well known motivational speaker who spoke for his people. Throughout his speeches and writing he used many rhetorical devices to help explain and emphasize what he was saying. These devices were used most importantly in his “I Have a Dream” speech and his ¨Letter from Birmingham Jail¨. Three of the devices Martin uses in his speech and letter is, repetition, rhetorical questions, and analogy. These three devices helped him give readers a better understanding of his writing along with more emphasis.…

    • 781 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Martin Luther King Jr.’s A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. is an essential, one-volume compilation of the late Civil Rights activist’s words. Included in the volume are autobiographical reflections, interviews and speeches. Within these compiled words hold Dr. King’s thoughts on a great many subjects including, but not limited to, black nationalism, nonviolence, poverty and segregation. Some of these works include the “Playboy” interview, “Letter From a Birmingham Jail”, “A Christmas Sermon on Peace”, and the famous “I Have a Dream” speech. For the reader’s convenience, Dr. King’s works are organized the general philosophy or topic that relates to what he is speaking on.…

    • 882 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Throughout his speech, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. uses an arsenal of rhetorical devices when trying to persuade his audience at Riverside Church in Harlem of the injustices of the Vietnam war. The most convincing of these devices were his knowledge of ethics, emotion, imagery, and rhetorical questions to convince the congregation to speak up and break the silence about the war in Vietnam. Reverend King begins by planting a seed of confidence and trust in the congregation. He does this by informing listeners of his experience as a preacher and with facing difficult moral situations such as a riot in a norther ghetto.…

    • 363 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    One of Dr. King’s rhetorical methods of encouraging peace in his community is his exemplary…

    • 458 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The speech I Have A Dream by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. uses literary devices, allusion and diction of unity, and rhetorical devices, ethos and logos, to motivate and rally the people across America to join the civil rights movement. This speech was given at the March on Washington on August 28, 1963. Throughout the speech, Dr. King makes references to multiple documents throughout history. One of the allusions was when Dr. King says “...a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves” (2). In this quote Dr. King is referring to the Emancipation Proclamation, which was a speech that freed the slaves in America.…

    • 736 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mlk Ethos Pathos Logos

    • 678 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Martin Luther King, Jr gave a heart touching speech on August 28, 1963, “I Have a Dream.” King’s motivation of the speech was to let the world know that we are all human and that the prison of segregation will be ripped away. Soon everyone will be able to look at one another and think, “They’re human, I am human, and we are all human.” King uses ethos, logos, and pathos to give feeling, and logic to the minds of the world. To begin, King uses logos as a way to bring across the idea that segregation and discrimination will be thrown away and replaced with the dignity of relationships with other races, and ethnicities joining hands.…

    • 678 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Enlightenment Essay Assignment For most humans it is necessary to seek enlightenment. The quest for some to seek enlightenment may not be a easy road to travel. Gratification as well as disappointment may very well arise. It is my belief that the type of enlightenment Plato wants us to seek is true knowledge. Despite the trials and tribulations we may face, when in search of this enlightenment, we must take solace in knowing that “with knowledge comes great power “.…

    • 751 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Also as you can see in this quote, he uses powerful words such as “justice” and “ righteousness” to emphasize and stress extra meaning on these points. He could have used ordinary words but instead he used compelling word choice throughout his speech. In the speech “I Have a Dream” Martin Luther King Junior…

    • 1116 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    I firmly believe that African American’s have significantly progressed since the year 1865. Before this time in history, blacks were not considered people, but slaves and were nothing more than free labor to slave holders. The treatment these African American people were given could be described as nothing other than heinous. On December 6, 1865 the 13th amendment was ratified and slavery was officially illegal according to the U.S. constitution. Since then, the African American people persevered.…

    • 1155 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    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…

    • 1036 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Martin Luther King Jr. speech’s. It was during a talking interview on the radio station, that Lewis was truly moved by the words from Dr. King. Lewis points out, “I felt like he was preaching directly to me (Lewis et al 56).” Sure, several people did hear the message that king was preaching about, but Lewis took King’s words to heart and thought of it as his call to action. Immediately, he began his research on King and followed up on every one of his speeches.…

    • 1151 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Martin Luther King Jr’s “Impasse on Race Relations” speech was very powerful and well spoken. Through his clear arguments and dedication to change, Dr. King made it hard for anyone not to see his point of view. He had clear goals and ambitions, and he strived for these things peacefully. That is what I perceived when I was reading his speech. I also kept thinking to myself that I would have loved to live in a time where change was made without violence and where love for one another still existed.…

    • 1010 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays