Speech In Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream

Martin Luther King Jr. once stated “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now”. King’s basis was racial equality for all Americans. King spoke in many places throughout the United States from 1963 until 1968 when he was assassinated. He fought for African Americans’ rights when no one else would. Ultimately, he enlisted the support of white Americans and eventually won rights for the African American people, but sadly it was not until the 1970’s, two years after King’s assassination, that black people were finally able to enjoy the rights King helped win with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. These rights would not have been possible without King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” which he wrote in compliance to the white clergy calling his civil disobedience “untimely and unwise.” The civil disobedience the white clergy is talking about is the one that he and many other activists including children were arrested for protesting without a permit. Although King wields a plethora of appeals and devices, pathos and allusion are the most powerful because these play on the audience's guilt and reference related historical events that denounce the oppressors’ racist ways.

On the 28th of August 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered one of the most inspiring, and influential speeches America has ever encountered titled “I Have a Dream”. The inspirational high point of a civil rights movement that asked for wrongs to be righted and for every American to get the same chance at success. He delivered his speech to blacks and whites to help advocate the idea of equality throughout all Americans. Martin Luther King first talks about America’s past, he then gradually moves on to the present and the current racial dilemmas African Americans are facing. Martin Luther then advocates Americans to take actions promptly to stop the racism that has been running through America’s veins for centuries. King relies heavily on pathos, ethos, and logos to convey his message of equality. As well as the use of several fallacies such as, the overly sentimental appeal, the bandwagon appeal, and circular reasoning to interact with his audience.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist and first hand witness of mistreatment of African Americans from the mid-1950s until April 4, 1968 when he was assassinated. He was a black man who grew up during a time of segregation and injustice. King Jr. came from a loving and structured home in which his father was an influential role model and a had a big impact on his future professions. Religion was also a large part of his life and was one of the biggest influences for his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. In this contextual analysis I will be summarizing the historical context of King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream Speech” and how it impacted his social standing and life's work. I will be exploring how Martin Luther King Jr.’s upbringing set the stage for his civil rights activism involvement and allowed him to become one of the most famous African Americans in the twentieth century.

King’s use of word choice intensifies his speech to stop racial discrimination in America. He uses negative words, like “captivity”, “poverty” and “persecution” to describe that African-Americans have no freedom and constantly being discriminated within society due to their skin colour. Kings distinctive voice begins with “One hundred years ago” is repeated, which suggest the lack of no change in the lives of African- Americas one hundred years after Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation to free the slaves. King also states “America has given the Negro people a bad cheque, a cheque which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds’, which recognises his use of a metaphor to express something that many people in the audience may have felt or even experienced. Personification is used when he says “that one day the nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed” America here is being compared to a human being who can rise up and live the true meaning of his belief. The intensity of King’s speech is built through bold statements and rhythmic repetition. Each repetition builds on the one mentioned before and is reinforced by King’s increasing passion “Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina…” It would always take a commanding voice to inspire thousands and King’s booming voice was well practiced in

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote and delivered many speeches in his lifetime. However, perhaps one of the best known and the most easily recognized of his speeches is “I Have a Dream.” But many ask, what in particular about this speech made it have such a great impact on the population? He uses repetition to make important words stand out. Such instances occur with the words and phrases: “now is the time”, “I have a dream”, “let freedom ring”, and “free at last” (Narins, par.6,15,22,27). All of these words have to do with blacks becoming free, or acquiring civil rights and equality. King also used imagery in his speech when he compared a “sweltering summer” to the Negro’s unhappiness of the lack of freedom and justice. Martin Luther King Jr. also used

In Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech: “I Have a Dream,” he argues that all people are created equal and racism should be eliminated. He supports his claim by first illustrating an image of the future he believes in by anaphorically saying “I have a dream.” He then addresses the black community by saying they need to take their rights, then he demands America to give the black community their rights, and finally tries to convince America broke their promise. King’s purpose is to explain the black Community’s problems in order to set them free from the prison that is their daily life in America. He establishes a hopeful tone that is meant to represent a promising future for black people, targeted at Whites,

The Power of Words “Let freedom ring” Martin Luther King Jr. said as he was giving his life changing speech that would only hope to change the world forever of equality. At this time in history was a hard grind, daily, for the black race, and King’s commentary came with a knock of relief, on the door of America. When in-telling, the style, with the use of rhetorical devices and spoken language, King created a very compelling lecture that would change the life of the Negroes, whites, and more, of the United States, and all over the world. With-in the speech, “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr. on August 28, 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, his purpose was to inform, and while doing that, the content he created: inimaginable.

A civil rights leader by the name of Reverend (PBS, 2016) Martin Luther King Jr. changed the world he occupied and changed the future course of the United States of America by advocating for desegregation. Martin Luther King Junior was on a mission to end the segregation of the African American community. Segregation was the post result of slavery throughout the United States of America which enslaved Africans. He challenged the status quo of the time. Protesting peacefully and advocating for social change is what he proposed. The United States and the south in particular had feelings of prejudice, racism and hatred towards people of color that resulted in the Jim Crow Laws (PBS, 2016). Martin Luther King Jr. gave the “I have a dream” speech and explained how he saw the world through the eyes of an African American in 1963 that still echoes through the modern era. He was trying to persuade us to believe that a change of oppression towards blacks is achievable through nonviolence. A gunshot will challenge the peaceful speech for many followers. (Kagan, 1996)This rhetorical analysis will be covering the Kairos of Martin Luther King’s speech. Thesis: Despite Martin Luther King Jr.’s risk to life and arrests, he was willing to state “I have a Dream”, for all to hear because his main purpose was to create a peaceful unity between black and white Americans. The south would continue to subjective African Americans in the United States by enacting the “separate but equal” status

Near the end of his address, King repeats the phrase “I have a dream”, a powerful message that it is there to mean something. King’s “dream” refers to the future in which the nationalities, despite the color of skin, are in joint unison where they are treated as equals and share the same land. Also near the conclusion of the passage, it is written to “Let the freedom ring”. This freedom that King is addressing in his lecture is the freedom of African-Americans who are still constrained by others despite their freedom as slaves. Martin Luther King Jr. stresses the freedom that rings as the country wide freedom from the hate and oppression of their lighter-skinned counterparts.

In King’s “I Have a Dream” speech his goal during his speech was to get through to the people so they know how this affects him and other African Americans. King does this speech first of all because he feels as if they are still not treated right even after the Emancipation Proclamation. King is also doing this speech to stand up for the people who are too scared to stand up for themselves.  King's expected outcome is that the people marching will be equal to the people who do not have a reason to march or speak up for themselves. Martin Luther King uses diction, figurative language, and repetition in order to appeal to his audience during his speech.

Martin Luther King’s use of rhetoric throughout his “I Have a Dream” speech carried his argument-that African Americans should be treated as equals and have the same rights as white people-to change an entire nation for the better. MLK claims that African Americans were denied many of their basic rights and freedoms. He uses a metaphor of a “bad check” to make this topic easier to grasp because money is something that everyone understands. MLK uses a tone of urgency and repetition of the phrase “now is the time”(lines 36-41) to convey his argument that they need to make a change now. He saw that African Americans’ rights were being abused and forgotten, and a quick change needed to be made.

Civil rights activist, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in his moving speech, “I Have a Dream”, emphasizes the importance of equality and lack of this in the country. During this speech, Dr. King exploits the world in a determined and hopeful tone, to convey his points of the importance of equality for all races. MLK makes his points memorable and effective to the audience by being a strong and creative speaker.

It is during the time that civil rights are being called into question that Dr. King chooses to speak on the issues of the moment. He often calls the lack of civil rights both injustice and a lack of freedom. The overall purpose is clear: equality for everyone. The topic is not only appropriate for his audience, but inclusive for almost all audience members. His speech sparks fire within the black community by recounting all the transgressions against them: “…the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality” (King). He does not forget to include the white individuals who support the movement by mentioning them in his speech as well. There is an addition of historical events and Bibles

Martin Luther King was a brave man, his heart beat for freedom for all, regardless of the color of your skin. He created the speech “I Had a Dream...” which changed the very views of our nation. During his time discrimination based on the color of your skin was still a significant problem, which left many of the black community with their rights in jeopardy. King's speech remains an important part of our history because of it's eye opening and persuasive language. The emotional impact causes the reader to immediately have an response. Dr. King uses his strong use of heartfelt language in order to appeal to the masses. His controversial topic is brought to life in a way that causes individuals to stand for a cause whether it applied to them or not. He appeals to the audiences sense of compassion for the lives of others. King uses the words, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the

January 15th, 1929 is the date that one of the greatest men to have made history. This mans name is Martin Luther King Jr. He grew up in a home in Atlanta with his grandparents until he was 12 years old. His life really began when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus for a white man.