A Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther's Speech

The famous “I have a dream” speech given by Martin Luther King Junior (Jr.) sent a shock wave across the United States and forever changed the meaning of freedom and equal rights for all mankind. The way in which Martin Luther went about bringing change for the black man and woman was brilliant and very effective. Even though many things contributed to the Civil Rights Movement to bring about the radical change, Martin Luther’s rhetorical and stylistic devices throughout his speeches and articles drove his audiences to participate in the movement. He possessed a mastery in the art of motivational speaking and an understanding of language and rhetoric in order to transform an audience from passive bystanders to advocates and leaders of a greater

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is considered one of the most utterly effective pieces of rhetoric in all written literature. Doctor King was an adept scholar fighting for civil rights. Martin Luther King, Jr. used the different rhetorical appeals to respond to eight white clergymen that had publicly criticized him for his actions. Reverend King was so persuasive with his letter that he influenced not only other African Americans to join his fight for equality, but also the White community. As Osborn tells us in his piece “Rhetorical Distance In ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail,’” that Mr. King’s “Letter” went on to cause problems for these eight men (32). He was very effective in portraying his undesirable situation from the point of view of someone that held authority. Along with portraying his circumstances, he provides logical arguments to contradict the white clergymen's statements. In addition to a logical approach, he uses his emotions and passion to make his readers feel sympathy for forsaken situation place upon the segregated community. Reverend King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” provides a vivid insight into the civil rights movement along with rhetorical appeals that persuade his audience to join his fight for justice by establishing authority, reasoning with logic, and engaging our emotions.

Martin Luther King Jr. built his speech around fighting unjust conditions placed on both African Americans and soldiers of the Vietnam war with non-violent protest. King is arguably the best speaker the world has seen, he knows how to get his audience passionate about the problems America faces while also informing them of what causes these problems.

In “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. resolutely responds to eight clergymen who question his methods of protest against segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. Specifically, in paragraphs 12-14, Dr. King explains why his protests are indeed being done in a timely manner to obtain the “constitutional and God-given rights” (A Portable Anthology, page 207) that Africans have been restricted of for over 340 years. Dr. King’s argument, combined with his strategic use of rhetorical devices to enhance it, helps create a palpable feeling of understanding that captivates the audience into seeing America through his vision.

In “I have dream” speech by Martin Luther King Jr the use of rhetorical devices helps to persuade the reader to his point. "Now is the time" is repeated at the beginning of the lines with the intent to exaggerate that now "we" as a country need to step in and change segregation and racism and be equal (Luther lines 40-43). It shows the urgency of the situation and that segregation has been going on for too long, and "now" we must stop it. Also in the speech, it starts off with “Five score years ago…” (Luther paragraph 2) which is

Martin Luther King Jr., an American Baptist minister and a Civil Rights activist, became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He is widely known for his speech that took place on 28 August 1963, “I Have a Dream.” This speech aimed toward the entire nation. King’s main purpose in this speech was to convince his audience to demand racial justice and for them all to stand up together for their rights. In this speech, King uses emotional and logical appeal to gain the audience's support. He applied many rhetorical devices to his speech to connect with the audience’s emotions, and to logically support his arguments.

By the time of the 1963 ‘I Have a Dream’ speech at the March on Washington, King had become the voice of the various perspectives of life as a Black American. He now expressed the universal voice of all his people, and he was not afraid to use it in the pursuit of equality for Blacks (Branch, 881-3). Martin Luther King’s Birmingham campaign would prove to be the

To begin, Martin Luther King Jr. was an African American rights activist and an impressive preacher. One day during a peaceful protest, he was arrested and sent to the Birmingham Jail. In jail, he wrote a detailed, metaphoric letter to the clergy men, speaking about the recent racism problems and how to fix it. He wrote page after page of issues, using several examples and many iconic phrases from history. Martin Luther King Jr. was not an uneducated fool, as many seen him. He knew that if he used ethos, pathos, and logos, he would get many people on his side, consisting his notable character known by the church, his ability to evoke sympathy, and his logical way to present this problem.

In his letter, “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, Dr. Martin Luther King Junior uses a didactic tone to inform his audience, eight critical clergy members, that direct action and peaceful protests are the only solution to racial segregation-a moral dilemma. This letter comes after Martin Luther was apprehended by police and confined in a jail cell due to an “extreme” peaceful protest against racist ideals. The didactic tone utilized in the letter can be characterized by Luther’s diction, language, and imagery.

There has been many influential figures in American History that have provided the American people with promising messages of hope and equality for all people. One of the most influential figures of the twenty century was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This time period was marked by the Civil Rights Movement, which was a movement that prompted a group of individuals to fight for the equality of African Americans. This is because “African Americans were granted better economic

In addition to King’s uses of allusions, the speech contains many contrasting metaphors and similes that influence his audience very effectively. He begins by pointing out that even though Negros are freed from slavery, they are still slaves “crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.” King then goes on about how “America has given the negro people a bad check” whereas the check in this instance symbolizes their right to equality because the mistreatment of the Negroes and racial discrimination is evident and the check “has come back marked ‘insufficient funds’” meaning they have yet to feel what they too, are guaranteed. With that understanding of human nature, Martin Luther King, Jr. compares gradualism to a tranquilizing drug, implying that people have a tendency to relax when things are “cooling off.” But he urges for his people not to relax and to take charge “to make justice in reality for all of God’s children.”

Martin Luther King Jr. is a celebrated figure in America’s history. His stance on nonviolent protests united the African-Americans of the 50s and 60s to promote desegregation. One of his most famous speeches, “I have a Dream”, was delivered in the early sixties and it was extremely effective by the way it helped the non-violent stance for equality.

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15 , 1929 and died on April 4, 1968. He was born Michael Luther King Jr. but decided to change his name to Martin. Both Martin Luther’s grandfather and father were pastors of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. Martin Luther carried on the tradition and served as pastor from 1960-1968 (Nobel Prize, 1). He was a big part of the civil rights movement for his race. In fact he was the most important voice in this movement. Dr. King is know for his nonviolent resistance to overcome injustice. Throughout his life he tried his hardest to make people understand that “all men are created equal”(American

During the late 1950’s and early 1960’s a black man by the name Martin Luther King Jr. help with the gradual advancement of Colored People to remove them from the second class of society, and to be treated as equals among their white peers. On August 28th 1963, a speech titled “I Have a Dream” written by Martin Luther King Jr was preached at the Lincoln Memorial, in commemoration of the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln had passed a hundred years earlier freeing the black slaves. During this speech King effectively got his point across to thousands of Americans, and lit a spark of hope to all African Americans, all with his moving words and rhetorical devices used in his speech.

This critical evaluation essay will be on Martin Luther King’s speech “I Have a Dream”. This speech was delivered during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on 28 August 1963. This march was initially organized to focus on the economy, but as the date grew near, the focus shifted to social issues in the country. This march was attended by more than two hundred thousand people, to include the many actors, musicians, and the civil rights leaders. Martin Luther King said “I am happy to join you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation”. (King). Martin Luther King not only touch the hearts of so many that day, and on that he made people aware that there was work