In this excerpt he alludes to the Declaration of Independence. By alluding to the Declaration of Independence, he gives the audience support behind what the nation’s true belief is supposed to be and why their current state should be changed into one that is more accepting.…
Metaphors are another useful rhetorical method that King uses, metaphors are important to help audiences fully understand an idea as it compares an idea with something the audience is familiar with, which is important to bring out ethos. King uses a series of more difficult metaphors in the middle of his speech. He claims that by “the Constitution and Declaration of Independence,” the men that signed the Constitution were signing a promissory note that all men, whatever skin color, would be guaranteed the same rights and treated equally. Later on, King uses the metaphors “battered by the storms of persecution” and the “winds of police brutality.” (American rhetoric 2) These two metaphors both relate to ethos as the first metaphor begs the ethic…
Martin Luther King uses rhetorical strategies in his speech in order to do many things. These rhetorical strategies can be seen throughout the Letter from Birmingham City Jail by Dr. Marin Luther King Jr. The main purpose of this letter is to fight for freedom and end segregation between the Whites and the African Americans.King utilizes pronouns to include the audience to persuade his audience that as a nation we are all in this together. King says, “We will win our freedom because the sacred heritage of our nation and the eternal will of God are embodied in our echoing demands” (1). The purpose of this sentence is to make everyone come together. King claims that they will win because God is on their side. If they work hard enough they will also achieve what they are striving for. “We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation” (1) Kings purpose of this quote is to give his readers hope that change will come eventually. He will not just reach the goal of freedom, but the nation will reach the goal of freedom. Using pronouns to include the audience brings king and the readers together. Together they take a stand and become one. King utilizes repetition, which ingrains the problem in your head while making…
Martin Luther King, Jr., a Civil Rights Activist of the 1950s, delivered the “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963 to advocate for equal rights for all ethnicities and to convey the message that unity is essential to the strength of society. Martin Luther King, Jr. starts his speech by uniting the audience under a similar belief that, “all men would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the…
King uses several metaphors during his speech, but there is one metaphor that stood out for me. “America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.” Mr. King is describing the injustice that is currently happening for the Black community and the treatment that society has molded for them as an outcast race. But he is expressing to the people (Mostly Blacks) that they shouldn’t have to conform themselves to this idea and that equal opportunity and justice should be evenly distributed throughout the…
Baptist minister and civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech in front of civil rights supporters as a call to end racism in the United States as well as civil and economic rights for all races. In the introduction of the speech, he discussed the day that America’s forefathers signed the Emancipation Proclamation was a beacon of light for enslaved African Americans, as they would one day be free and seen as individuals rather than slaves. King states, “But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.” Continuing, Dr. King believes that the origin of racial inequality lies solely with America and the refusal to view all races as equal, like the forefathers who wrote the Constitution and the Declaration of…
King initially draws connections from the current state of African American peoples by referencing allusions to historical documents which assisted in the advances against oppression. In his speech, King begins with a nod to Abraham Lincoln, using “Five score years ago” as his opening statement. He then praises Lincoln, claiming that he was a “symbolic shadow in which we [the people] stand today” and mentions his effort toward the ending of slavery, the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. However, the signing of the document was only a literal end to slavery, but in reality, African Americans were still enslaved by society. King was aware that slavery had been abolished, but obstacles such as Jim Crow laws were almost as detrimental to the Negros as slavery. Although, as he emphasizes, the Declaration of Independence evidently states that “all men are created equal,” African Americans were still being denied their unalienable rights. In theory, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness were to be given to all Americans, regardless of color, but for the Negros, liberty was remarkably lacking. By alluding to…
King argues that black people should be treated as white people. King also claims that all races were created equally. Finally, King suggest that we all need to be joined together.…
Repetition devices are utilized in King’s speech to unite and inspire his followers. He declares “Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation…
In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “ I have a Dream” speech to hundreds of people at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C revealing the ideals of the current world and encouraging his audience to envision his dream of a new America where segregation and discrimination were abolished. To do this King intelligently chose words, phrases, references that appealed to his audiences commonalities such as religion, their common struggle, and their desire to make the nation great.…
used metaphors in his speech to connect with his audience on a deeper emotional level. For example, the first metaphor used was “Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood” (par 6). In this statement, racial injustice is being compared to quicksand, which is highly unstable and once you get in too deep you cannot get back out. But with the help of others, you can be lifted from the “quicksand” into a strong, solid brotherhood free of racism. The second metaphor that was used was, “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood” (par 16).…
On August 28, 1963, America was gifted with Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, given from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Throughout his entire speech, the crowd was heavily moved and it was apparent from the way that they clapped in admiration. The speech was a highlight in the movement of freedom and equality based on the turnout, and show of support of the movement during the speech. The intended audience was far surpassed with over three-hundred thousand people from all ethnicities gathered in Washington to hear the historical speech.…
On August 28, 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave one of the most influential speeches in literary history. The speech titled "I Have a Dream" was delivered at the Lincoln Memorial on the hundredth anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. It was created to address some main problems of the time: true freedom, civil rights, and to bring an end to racism. This speech was an important step in the civil rights movement, with out it many of people wouldn't of been inspired to take their own steps to end the injustice that was running rampant in the United States.…
The speech’s tone then becomes determined. The usages of ‘we must not’, ‘we must’, ‘we can’ indicate King was determined in transforming the nation into one without discrimination. These phrases also persuade the audience to agree with him unconditionally as the audiences believe that these are what they should do in order to solve the problem. The tone then shifts again, becoming more positive and hopeful. By employing the repetition of ‘ I have a dream’, King passionately delivered his hope that one day everyone can be brothers and sisters. ‘I have a dream today’ stresses the idea that equality is not an impossible dream, even though it is a dream ‘today’, one day it must be realized. The speech ends with an uplift and optimistic mood as audiences are left believing in a dream that will finally come…
The speaker, focuses on emphasizing phrases throughout the speech. The phrase, ‘I have a dream,’ repeatedly appears in the speech. King focused on using anaphora…