Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr delivered his revered speech “I Have a Dream” on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on 1963, a time period dominated by the civil rights movement and the struggle for racial equality for African Americans. In his speech, King illustrated the “shameful condition” by using the rhetorical appeals of pathos and ethos, as well as literary devices like extended metaphor and anaphora. With these, he emphasized the priority of ridding racial problems, along with stirring hope for the future of America.
As King addressed both his audience present at the Lincoln Memorial and watching the event televised, he devised his speech to strike the emotions of all people to further emphasize his argument. The rhetorical appeal of pathos was then used frequently to reach the hearts of all people, regardless of race. He accomplished this by the use of emotional words, such as describing the plight of African Americans as “sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination” (King, par. 2). These words with negative connotation were intended to dramatize the injustice that American …show more content…
King also appealed to ethos. Throughout his speech, King established a connection to the audience, by saying “I am happy to join with you today” (par. 1) as well as “we.” King wanted to assure his audience that he was not above them, but rather that they were all equal. By grouping himself with the audience, he further stresses the importance of unity to bring down the problems of their time. King also used a different sort of ethos when he said, “But there is something that I must say to my people…” (par. 7). Instead of putting himself among those in the audience, he has in this sentence placed himself as their leader. His purpose for this was that he wanted to guide his audience and advise them to be careful and kind. Ethos was used in multiple ways in this iconic speech in order to give the audience a sense of inclusion, purpose, and
As King addressed both his audience present at the Lincoln Memorial and watching the event televised, he devised his speech to strike the emotions of all people to further emphasize his argument. The rhetorical appeal of pathos was then used frequently to reach the hearts of all people, regardless of race. He accomplished this by the use of emotional words, such as describing the plight of African Americans as “sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination” (King, par. 2). These words with negative connotation were intended to dramatize the injustice that American …show more content…
King also appealed to ethos. Throughout his speech, King established a connection to the audience, by saying “I am happy to join with you today” (par. 1) as well as “we.” King wanted to assure his audience that he was not above them, but rather that they were all equal. By grouping himself with the audience, he further stresses the importance of unity to bring down the problems of their time. King also used a different sort of ethos when he said, “But there is something that I must say to my people…” (par. 7). Instead of putting himself among those in the audience, he has in this sentence placed himself as their leader. His purpose for this was that he wanted to guide his audience and advise them to be careful and kind. Ethos was used in multiple ways in this iconic speech in order to give the audience a sense of inclusion, purpose, and