An Analysis Of Martin Luther King's Speech

1. What parts of King's speech received the most enthusiastic reception from his audience? Overall, Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech on the Montgomery bus boycott was a lively, passion-filled delivery, all of which was supported and fueled by the audience itself. However, the part of Dr. King’s speech that received the most enthusiastic reception from his audience was when it was announced that there is a point of time where an individual or group reaches their breaking point and rallies for change. Dr. King proclaims, “…there comes a time when people get tired of being tramped over by the iron feet of oppression” (Foner 265), in which he receives a thunderous applause. He goes on, stating that the reason behind their gathering is because
King assures supporters that the boycott is not radicalized in any way, nor will violence be used. As a means of appealing for white support, it is vowed that the group’s boycott can in no way be compared to the work of the Ku Klux Klan or the White Citizens Council. Dr. King appeals to whites by pledging that the movement will not use tactics popularized by these white supremacist groups, and they are only boycotting the busses in order to secure their human rights. Dr. King proclaims “There will be no crosses burned at any bus stops…no white persons pulled out of their homes and taken out on some distant road and lynched for not cooperating” (Foner 266), assuring safety for whites whether they choose to support the boycott or not. This is a direct contrast of how African Americans are treated by the movement’s white-counterparts, for if an African American were to not support a movement or piece of legislation, they would be beaten, arrested, or even lynched. This is why, as a way to appeal for white support of the boycott, King assures that whites, whether they be supporters or not, will be treated with the respect and dignity quite often deprived from their African American