The Use Of Language In Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream Speech

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The use of proper language, a skill so difficult to learn, but when mastered, reaps a great deal of power. As hyperbolic as it sounds, incorporating proper language in our writing and speaking can be very influential in advocating ideas towards a community. “As a speaker, [you] have some influence on the extent to which others see you as having authority (Smith 13). To gain authority over an audience, one must write and speak with confidence, to be skilled enough to use proper grammar, complex sentences, and a wide range of vocabulary to display knowledge about the subject. A representation of education, the audience gains trust towards the writer or speaker, fostering an authoritative relationship. From the smallest of groups to world-wide …show more content…
His use of rhetoric is enough to persuade his followers, incorporating both figures of speech and compositional techniques. By repeating “I Have a Dream” and other thematic phrases, he increases the rhetorical effect and emphasizes patterns. Figurative language highlights two important, yet distinct concepts. For example, he uses “lonely island of poverty” to describe racism and “vast ocean of material prosperity” to describe racial justice.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s use of proper language builds the foundation for his excellent leadership, apparent through his “I Have a Dream” speech. His use of rhetoric demanding racial justice and an progressive society became a mantra for African Americans. His use of proper language in his speech was a manifestation for understanding the social and political upheaval of the time, encouraging positive advancement in the country.
Aside from speaking, the impact of using proper language would be the same when interpreted through writing. Many historical leaders had moved mountains, through the use of a weapon called writing. Fighting for American independence from British rule, Thomas Paine was able to impose his ideas in one of his influential works, Common Sense. In Common Sense, he explains the need for immediate independence from the British Parliament, under King George

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