Rhetorical Devices in ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech
Introduction
Racial discrimination was one of the major societal issues in the United States in the mid of the 20th century. The black community was viewed by the members of the white race as inferior. This explains why most of the racial bigotry was directed towards the African Americans. The corrupt legal system in this nation facilitated this societal vice. Accordingly, the black Americans began the struggle towards the transformation of the legal system and the subsequent attainment of their civil liberties (Hansen 7). In order to accomplish these objectives, various activists emerged and established civil organizations. One of these activists was Martin Luther King Jr. He was the chairman of …show more content…
King’s audience, with respect to the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, is the authorities that discouraged the movement by terming it as untimely, violent, and inappropriate. For instance, the eight Alabama clergymen argued that the African Americans involved in the street protests could only increase the existent tension between the whites and blacks (Hansen 56). They justified their assertions by highlighting that the judiciary was the most appropriate institution to handle the issues linked to racial discrimination. Accordingly, Dr. King structured his speech in a manner that portrayed him as a peace-loving citizen whose main aim was to promote equality in the American society. He proved to the audience that engaging in peaceful protests against such societal vices as racial bigotry was not only part of their civil rights but it was also their responsibility. This is in line with the populace’s role of improving the American …show more content…
in his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech is pathos. By triggering certain emotions among the audience, this activist was able to efficiently convey his message. For instance, he made the average whites to be sympathetic to the blacks (Selby 68). Through the highlighted problems faced by the African Americans over the years, a large percentage of the whites ended the hatred they felt for the Negroes. Subsequently, this hatred was directed to the ideology of racism. Similar to the black Americans, the members of the white race yearned for a society that lacked societal discrimination on the basis of one’s racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, or religious background (Hansen 43). This is one of the elements that increased the impact of Dr. King’s speech on the fight against racial bigotry in the United
Introduction
Racial discrimination was one of the major societal issues in the United States in the mid of the 20th century. The black community was viewed by the members of the white race as inferior. This explains why most of the racial bigotry was directed towards the African Americans. The corrupt legal system in this nation facilitated this societal vice. Accordingly, the black Americans began the struggle towards the transformation of the legal system and the subsequent attainment of their civil liberties (Hansen 7). In order to accomplish these objectives, various activists emerged and established civil organizations. One of these activists was Martin Luther King Jr. He was the chairman of …show more content…
King’s audience, with respect to the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, is the authorities that discouraged the movement by terming it as untimely, violent, and inappropriate. For instance, the eight Alabama clergymen argued that the African Americans involved in the street protests could only increase the existent tension between the whites and blacks (Hansen 56). They justified their assertions by highlighting that the judiciary was the most appropriate institution to handle the issues linked to racial discrimination. Accordingly, Dr. King structured his speech in a manner that portrayed him as a peace-loving citizen whose main aim was to promote equality in the American society. He proved to the audience that engaging in peaceful protests against such societal vices as racial bigotry was not only part of their civil rights but it was also their responsibility. This is in line with the populace’s role of improving the American …show more content…
in his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech is pathos. By triggering certain emotions among the audience, this activist was able to efficiently convey his message. For instance, he made the average whites to be sympathetic to the blacks (Selby 68). Through the highlighted problems faced by the African Americans over the years, a large percentage of the whites ended the hatred they felt for the Negroes. Subsequently, this hatred was directed to the ideology of racism. Similar to the black Americans, the members of the white race yearned for a society that lacked societal discrimination on the basis of one’s racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, or religious background (Hansen 43). This is one of the elements that increased the impact of Dr. King’s speech on the fight against racial bigotry in the United