Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream

More persuasive writing includes more emotionally loaded words and phrases—unlike argumentative writings and speeches, which tend to rely more on the cold, hard truth to make their points. By including personal stories and emotional appeals, writers and speakers provide more convincing arguments and are able to sway more of the audience to their point of view.

If a writer or speaker is trying to convince young drivers to drive safely and not speed, he might include a personal story about a friend who drove too fast and got in a wreck. That is usually more effective than specific facts he obtained from a safety organization. The personal example would help him convince the audience to rethink their driving habits by appealing to their emotions. A writer or speaker of a more persuasive argument employs more words that appeal to emotions: life-threatening, reckless, devastating consequences.
appeals to our emotions using the technique of parallelism. At the beginning of the speech he uses parallel structure as he gives specific examples of what the country needs to accomplish: “Now is the time… reality for all of God’s children.” This list of four clauses that all begin with the words, “Now is the time” helps the readers contemplate the validity of his ideas. Repeating the words “I have a dream” throughout the speech, King drives home his point that equality for Negroes is not yet a reality, but it is a dream he hopes to see come