Rhetorical Analyzing Martin Luther King's Speech

Subsequently, King exercises the strategy of pathos, the emotion appeal. In his statement, "Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all God\'s children". The great use of imagery with the contrast of light vs. dark here definitely draws audience’s attention. Moreover, by making references to the government as a "Bank of Justice" that gave African Americans a "bad check," King describes the situation of the African American people. He proclaims that the "Bank" is not bankrupt and that it was time to "cash the check". These metaphors are easy to understand and are something that the audience can relate to.

In the passage, Dr. King is shown to use emotions, such as concern and despair. For example, in paragraph 6, the text states how "negroes have experienced bitter unjust treatment in the courts." Also, in paragraph 6, it depicts how these were "hard, brutal facts for the negro community

His tone is sad and disturbed when he implies, “freedom riders were brutalized and mobbed”, “Wherever there was hard work,dangerous work---on the mines, in the docks--- negroes have done more than their share”. He uses this construction and images to encourage people to work toward change. However, toward the end, his tone changes into a passionate tone. He moves on to,”The boy in the Harlem stood up. The girl in Birmingham arose.” The boy in passage, was Martin Luther King. He is showing that he witnessed the effects of racism and he is writing his

uses figurative language and rhetorical appeal to appeal to his audience. On page 4 it states, “Like a boil that can never be cured so long as its covered up but must be opened with all of its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed, with all the tension its exposure creates to the light of human conscience and the air of national opinion before it can be cured.” This detail explains that King uses similes to compare racial injustice with a boil to show that instead of covering them up, they should be exposed in order for them to be fixed. If the racial injustice is hidden from the nation and its people, it can’t be fixed and it will continue to go on. So, the people must take direct action for there to be change in America. It also states on page 8, “I doubt that you would so quickly commend the policemen if you were to observe their ugly and inhumane treatment of Negroes here in the city jail; if you were to watch them push and curse old Negro women and young Negro girls; if you were to see them slap and kick old Negro men and young boys…” This detail demonstrates that King uses pathos when describing the cruel treatment of the black people in jail. He does this to make the black Americans angry at the oppressors, more specifically the policemen, to make them take matters into their own hands. They would do this by joining Martin Luther King Jr.’s cause, which is the Civil Rights Movement. King uses figurative

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 his speech, in order to back up his basic structure King uses rhetorical modes, one of which is pathos, or the mode of utilizing human emotions, by making his audience no longer hate Negroes and instead hate racism and wish for a new, better world, which is part of the structure of his essay. King tries his best in the speech to make the audience sympathize with the Negroes, dislike racism and then be filled with hope of a new world without racism by using strong adjectives and metaphors. For example, King constantly describes the Negroes as being “crippled” by the “manacles of segregation” and “chains of discrimination.” Through this, King makes the audience feel that the Negroes are in great calamity; as if the Negroes had committed a crime and have to be restrained, something which King emphasizes on when he compares the situation of the Negroes as to being stranded on a “lonely island of poverty” while everybody else around them are indulging in a “ocean of material prosperity.” Therefore, through this, the audience realizes how it is not because the Negroes are stupid that they live in poverty, but because the white American society is literally holding them back.

Referring to “vaults of opportunity… riches of freedom and the security of justice”, Martin Luther King Jr. intelligently and metaphorically expresses how valuable equality is for African American citizens (King Jr. 2). After speaking out about injustice and lies, his discourse changes as it comes to an end. King Jr. focuses more on the unification of the nation instead of focusing only on African Americans. He faithfully believes the nation can “transform…. Into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood” (King Jr. 5). Highly contrasting from his first metaphors, the audience is provided a sense of peace and faith. Martin Luther King Jr. used many metaphors to mold the hearts of the audience and persuade them to believe in the civil rights movement.

Many authors use rhetorical devices and strategies to get their point across and try to convince the reader to believe in their perspective. It can also be used to get emotions from its readers, but that isn’t really the whole point of persuading someone. For instance, Martin Luther King Jr. uses an abundance of pathos in order to make the reader or clergymen feel sympathy towards the black people. Along with pathos, he uses logos and a bundle of hypophora. In order to obtain the goal of persuasion, Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter contains rhetorical devices.

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.

“Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation… But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free...the Negro is sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chain of discrimination,“ (King 261). During the civil rights movement Martin Luther King, Jr. had a speech about how they were treated and does not have much right like others, even they were supposed to be free long ago. During the 1960s, the group of people was treated poorly than another group of people. People who are treated unwantedly wanted a right, freedom, and change in society. Like what Martin Luther King told his audiences they were supposed to have the same

On April 3rd, 1968 in Memphis,Tennessee at the Mason Temple many protesters came together to hear Martin Luther King Jr’s speech. His purpose was to get his point across, blacks should have their freedom like any other white man or woman. Martin Luther King Jr. went on to say how happy he is to be living in this time period, able to see the period of life unfold. His purpose was to raise awareness that, something is happening in the world,things are going to start changing. Martin Luther King Jr’s use of ethos and pathos is successful in showing that the world is changing in many ways. Most of all he uses logos or logic very well, giving us the info on how, people are starting to rise up in masses and make small cities bigger like New York City, Atlanta, Georgia and many other cities.

We have all heard Martin Luther King’s famous speech, I have a Dream. His main goal was to convince everyone across the country to comprehend racial equality and to reinforce a solution for those individuals already engaged in the Civil Rights movement. You could say his speech was part of what made the movement successful. By him taking a stand, much attention was put into the problems that were going on. He was and still is viewed as an important leader who was an activist in the Civil Rights Movement. Here we will basically dissect parts of his speech and define the points he was making and trying to make. Throughout the paper, you will see how Dr. King uses Ethos, Pathos, and Logos to show his audience and make them feel what went on.

(Martin Luther King Jr., Pg. 1) This was the most important paragraph because he uses a lot of references to well known things. He talks about how even though the whites say the african-americans are free they are not. Rhetorical devices help develop this idea because the hyperboles and metaphors make is very relatable to things that people that don’t understand their struggle understand, and the hyperbole helps it sound as bad as it is. He makes a very strong argument about how if they keep living this way, they will still not be free in 100 years.

On August 28th 1963, Civil Rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr. made his infamous “I Have a Dream” speech. In the speech, King confronts the mistreatment of the African American community and the lack of free will they contain in society. Throughout the mid-1900s, the Civil Rights Movement took place, influenced by centuries of cruelty towards the African Americans.. The most influential speech in the modern era was said in front of thousands of Civil Rights activists who all shared a common goal; to fight for the respect and to be treated as equals within the United States.

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s gave his most famous speech, “I Have a Dream” on August 28, 1963. This speech was give on the Lincoln Memorial steps in Washington D.C. Dr. King Jr. wanted to put a dreaded end to racial injustice and make America non-violence. He conveys to his audience to stop feeling remorseful for themselves and to stand up against this horrible way of racial injustice. Dr. King Jr. kept pushing for equality and for