Rhetorical Devices In Martin Luther King's Speech

In the speech “I Have a Dream” given by Martin Luther King in 1963 he inspires the audience to fight for equality and reminds the American citizens the correct definition of equality. He presents a motivational and though-provoking tone for the people gathered at the capital. Martin Luther King extremely impacts the nation in his moving speech by employing repetition and referring to outside documents. One rhetorical device that helps King convey his message to his readers is repetition. In the beginning of his speech, Martin Luther King utilizes anaphora and recapitulates the phrase “One hundred years later…” to enhance its importance. This phrase is referring to how long ago laws were made for equality of all races; however, African Americans are still being discriminated. By restating this phrase, King is proving …show more content…
One allusion from the Declaration of Independence is “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” King provides this quote to remind American citizens what their country is made of. This quote is extremely powerful because it is ironic that even though it states in the Declaration of Independence “all men are created equal” no one is doing anything to stop discrimination against African Americans. The irony helps to open American eyes. Another allusion Marin Luther King utilizes is “Five score years ago a great American in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation.” This is a reference to Abraham Lincoln’s speech “Gettysburg Address.” By starting his speech the same way as a very honored former president, it grabs the audiences attention immediately and proves that his speech will be very important from the beginning. When the American citizens relate Abraham Lincolns speech to Martin Luther Kings, they will have more respect for King and listen to what he is trying to convey; therefore, King gets his point across to more