The speech “I’ve Been to the Mountain Top” was written and delivered by Martin Luther King Jr and it appealed to the emotions of the audience. The speech was delivered on April 3, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee and all who were there that night felt the impact from it. Martin Luther King Jr used the goal of freedom as his main speaking point. Freedom in America during this time for African Americans was their main concern. The end of slavery was not enough because the African Americans in the United States at the time of this speech were being suppressed, discriminated against, and typically were pushed to poverty by the white man.
Martin Luther King Jr alludes to many areas that people are rising up and taking a stand for their freedom. King says, “Something is happening in our world. The masses of people are rising up. . . the cry is always the same: We want to be free.” This is a use of pathos because it appeals to the emotions of the audience regardless of color. This statement says that the world is finally approaching a time when the people who were being suppressed by the majority are now rising up and taking a stand for freedom. The idea of total freedom for most people during this time was what they longed for, the freedom to be no longer harassed by society and suppressed.
Martin Luther King Jr speaks of a “Promised Land” which basically means that there will be a time when blacks are equal in the United States. King says in his speech , “And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!” King believes it is God’s will for the blacks in American society to become equal with the white man and says he is the one who is going to take them to the promised land. This religious allusion relates to many black people at this time who have all their faith in God. Using this in his speech also alludes to the audience’s emotions and caused many people to become rallied with emotion.
Martin Luther King Jr uses pathos, religious allusions, and his delivery of the speech to appeal to the audience’s emotions. The main subject throughout this speech is black freedom and equality. Any speech about this subject will cause people’s emotions to get the better of them and that is what happened to several grown men during this speech.
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