Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential figures of the American civil rights movement. Famous for his prowess with words, King was known for writing powerful texts throughout his life. Two of his most famous compositions were his “I Have A Dream” speech and his “Letter From Birmingham Jail”. Although King uses many styles of writing effectively, his writings with pathos are the most prominent. Since “I Have A Dream” uses more pathos than “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, “I Have A Dream” is more effective at inspiring change. King's “I Have a Dream” speech is arguably one of the most famous speeches in American history. It’s popularity and influence would mostly be attributed to Kings excellent use of pathos throughout the speech. Although both logos and pathos can be found in “I Have a Dream”, the lines containing pathos are much more poignant. For example, possibly the most famous line from Dr. King's speech says, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they …show more content…
Although Dr. King was also a gifted speaker, the way in which one is familiarized with the writings has little to do with their effect on the reader. King uses simpler language in “I Have A Dream” than he does in “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, so, even if he had given both texts as speeches, “I Have A Dream” would still have had a greater impact because more people would have understood it. In addition to that, the purpose of “I Have A Dream” was to inspire the general public to make a change in society, unlike “Letter From Birmingham Jail” which was aimed at a much smaller audience. “Letter From Birmingham Jail” uses mostly logos language, which is harder to turn into a powerful speech than
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech is one of the most successful and most legendary speeches in United States history. Martin Luther King Jr. was a masterful speaker, who established a strong command of rhetorical strategies. By his eloquent use of ethos, logos, and pathos, as well as his command of presentation skills and rhetorical devices, King was able to persuade his generation that "the Negro is not free" (King 1). His speech became the rallying cry for civil rights and lives on as an everlasting masterpiece.
Very common in the South, segregation was to blame. Segregation was everywhere and on behalf of Jim Crow laws, inhumane ideas accumulated. African Americans were treated as if they were animals, which is morally wrong and sinful. Both of King’s examples give emotional and logical reasoning to make the reader think and actually perceive how the African Americans felt during segregation. The letter and speech that are used to compare and also to contrast in rhetorical devices are “I Have A Dream” and “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Both are written and/or spoken by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Using pathos and logos King emphasizes the struggle of African Americans during segregation.
Martin Luther King Jr. is a well-known icon of the civil rights movement. Throughout his time leading the movement, he wrote two of some of his best works, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and “I Have a Dream,” which was a speech he presented on August 28, 1963 in Washington D.C. The letter on the other hand addressed his wrongful jailing in Birmingham, Alabama and also the treatment of African Americans. His speech is one of the most important speeches in America and he is mainly identified by it alone. These two works contain Logos and Pathos that add life and understanding to his writing, and overall changes the way readers and listeners alike think about the civil rights movement as a whole.
In the year of 1963, when racial discrimination was evident in the community, Dr. King delivered two of his most noted works called the “I have a Dream” speech and “Letter from Birmingham Jail” to the public. These two pieces, quickly following each other in succession, were literary works of Dr. King devoted to the cause of racial equality and used eclectic devices and appeals to achieve that goal. King’s purpose bolstered in his “Letter” and “Dream” speech by key rhetorical devices are supported by audience oriented diction and appeals.
Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote many amazing speeches and letters. Two of them were “I Have A Dream” and “Letter From Birmingham Jail”. King used many different forms of charged language and logical examples. Dr. King used more language that appealed to his listeners and readers emotions more than the logical and factual language. I will tell how King used these different writing styles in his writings.
The I Have a Dream speech was able to cultivate people around the country. Dr. King used persuasive and strong words, or pathos, to preach his beliefs on segregation in the United States. ¨Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!¨ (King,264). This, like many other statements from his speech, rials up the audience by using exciting words to make them engaged. In the Letter From Birmingham Jail, Dr. King writes to ignorant clergymen and establishes his stance by using facts and previous events, also known as logos. ¨We should never forget that everything Adolf
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter and a story based on a speech, I Have a Dream and Letter From Birmingham Jail, both of which were very strong and appealing to the the audience for diffrent reasons. Although they were both alluring to the audience in their own ways his story I Have a Dream was stronger. Dr. King used pathos very strongly in his I Have a Dream speech persuading people with his charged language and powerful word choice The use of pathos in both the letter and the speech relates the reader and draws them in.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s written works serve as a bridge that joins past and present day America, allowing citizens today to better understand the full magnitude of the civil rights movement. American citizens today are able to look back on his written works and feel the same raw connection, sorrow, and fire as thousands of citizens in the 1960s. Not only do his works unite two distinguishable time periods, but they are used in education systems as well. King expertly utilizes numerous rhetorical devices within his literary works that effectively communicate his message and create an emotional connection with his audience. From the “I have a dream” speech to his letter from Birmingham City Jail, students study and analyze his allusions, imperative statements, metaphors, and anaphoras, to better
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most influential figure from the Civil Rights Movement and still is to do the young minds of today. He is considered the face of the Civil Rights Movement. From his rallies, to his protests, to his speeches; it was obvious of how much of a great mind MLK had. He produced many popular and powerful piece of writings all throughout this period, such as his “I Have a Dream” speech, but his most famous piece of writing is Letter from Birmingham Jail. This letter was written on April 16, 1963 after King was arrested for leading a demonstration that was designed to bring attention to the cruel racist treatment of blacks in Birmingham, Alabama. Within in this letter it’s clear that Dr. King used his extensive knowledge of ethos, pathos, and logos in order to influence the reader.
“I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Junior is a widely known speech that demonstrates the power of rhetoric and the effect it can have on the audience. This speech was written and presented by Martin Luther King Jr. in the year 1963, right in front of the Lincoln Memorial. He uses symbolism, metaphorical imagery, and powerful diction to create an impact on the audience. These rhetorical strategies demonstrate ethos, pathos, and logos to help the audience Martin Luther King Jr’s message and purpose.
In his speeches, Martin Luther King builds ethos as well as relatability through his use of allusions, specifically biblical. King’s use of allusion in speeches creates a higher regard for the speech and for the speech-maker by increasing reliability and sensibility. By relating current events that King wants to address and bring about change with to events or bible verses that are common knowledge to his listeners, he is better able to keep an audience enthralled and understanding. Allusion is specifically apparent in “I Have a Dream,” “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” and “Beyond Vietnam: Time to Break Silence,” three of Martin Luther King Jr.’s most memorable and controversial speeches.
Dr. Martin Luther King Junior in his piece, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” shows that good writers go beyond. King had to convince a group of white town leaders that what they fundamentally believed and stood for was immoral. Throughout the letter, King evokes his passion through rhetoric, tone, and real-life experiences. This passion was fueled by what King witnessed in Birmingham and other communities, as a result of racist leaders. His resulting style and structure of writing showed that he was invested in instigating change. Mainly, the late doctor’s letter pushes, without crossing boundaries, fundamental social change. King knew that his opinion was not popular, thus he had to know his audience well. By reading about the way in which Martin Luther King Junior wrote with passion, especially his use of imagery, we can learn to be more effective writers.
The Speech “I have a dream” which was written Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is known as a powerful piece of rhetoric because of the effect it leaves on the audience. This speech was both written and presented by King. King uses symbolism, metaphorical imagery, and powerful diction to make a powerful impact on the audience. Each one of these rhetorical strategies appeals ethos, pathos, and logos to help the audience understand king’s message and purpose.
Martin Luther King Jr., viewed as one of the most important and predominate man in the 1960 civil rights movement, has written many powerful and inspiring piece of literature, including but not limited too “I Have A Dream” and “Letter From Birmingham Jail”. A common literary technique, Pathos and Logos, are quite predominate in the works of his, but what role do these simple ideas play in the bigger picture of the piece. With a multitude of diverse and equally superb works it's easy to break down a few and see this in action, for this essay the works chosen have been I Have A Dream and Letter From Birmingham Jail.
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.” This was said by Martin Luther King, Jr and, unknowingly, represented his life. He was a minister, and major advocate for the Civil Rights movement in America, and helped to gain equality for African Americans. While many people supported King, many changes he advocated came after his assassination in 1968. This essay will compare and contrast Martin’s two famous literary pieces, “I Have a Dream” and “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, and discuss whether he was successful with their intents.