I Have A Dream Speech Rhetorical Analysis
A speech was given by Martin Luther King Jr. on August 28th, 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. This speech was entitled “I Have a Dream” and was delivered in front of a crowd of three hundred thousand Americans. King’s intent with this speech was to support the American Civil Rights movement, which was a movement that was designed to provide true equality for all American citizens. Within this speech, King spoke of his desires for true equality amongst people of any race, ethnicity or religion through the usage of various rhetorical devices as well as his eloquence and his conveyance of his emotions through his tone and movement. King’s primary message in this speech was equality; he wanted each person in
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It is filled with powerful metaphors, such as the ‘chains of discrimination,’ the ‘manacles of segregation,’ a ‘solid rock of brotherhood,’ and ‘an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality.’ These metaphors helped to trigger an emotional response from the crowd, as the vivid images of despair, pride and dignity had a profound effect upon the audience. King also emphasized the importance of other historical elements of American society using allusions, in which he alluded to the “Declaration of Independence”, the “Emancipation Proclamation”, and the “United States Constitution”, all showing similarities to King’s beliefs. Anaphora was also used, specifically with the lines ‘I have a dream…’ This was used to emphasize the importance and the significance of his dream to the American people, specifically to African Americans. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech was one of the most important speeches given in American history, namely due to its impressive success at furthering the cause of the Civil Rights Movement. It provided an emphasis on freedom, equality, and the necessity of maintaining peaceful protests rather than violent ones. The speech was successful in delivering King’s message, his dream, to the American public. His powerful voice, eloquence, and his location to deliver the speech all contributed to its success, and it ultimately helped to finally make King’s dream come
It is filled with powerful metaphors, such as the ‘chains of discrimination,’ the ‘manacles of segregation,’ a ‘solid rock of brotherhood,’ and ‘an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality.’ These metaphors helped to trigger an emotional response from the crowd, as the vivid images of despair, pride and dignity had a profound effect upon the audience. King also emphasized the importance of other historical elements of American society using allusions, in which he alluded to the “Declaration of Independence”, the “Emancipation Proclamation”, and the “United States Constitution”, all showing similarities to King’s beliefs. Anaphora was also used, specifically with the lines ‘I have a dream…’ This was used to emphasize the importance and the significance of his dream to the American people, specifically to African Americans. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech was one of the most important speeches given in American history, namely due to its impressive success at furthering the cause of the Civil Rights Movement. It provided an emphasis on freedom, equality, and the necessity of maintaining peaceful protests rather than violent ones. The speech was successful in delivering King’s message, his dream, to the American public. His powerful voice, eloquence, and his location to deliver the speech all contributed to its success, and it ultimately helped to finally make King’s dream come