Martin Luther King Rhetorical Analysis - 806 Words

Rhetorical Analysis of Martin Luther King’s Speech â€Å"I Have a Dream† Likita M. Taylor ITT-Tech English 1320: Composition I November 12 2012 Rhetorical Analysis of Martin Luther King’s Speech â€Å"I Have a Dream† â€Å"I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.† These are the opening words of Martin Luther King’s â€Å"I have a dream speech†, which he predicted will be the foundation of the Civil Rights Movement and the turning point in finally ending segregation. Time and time again, his speech is credited as being â€Å"one of the most successful and most legendary speeches in United States history.†(Martin, 2010, 10 par 1). He was an astonishing,†¦show more content†¦He is seen as plausible because he delivered his speech astutely, by using heightened vocabulary. He also presented his speech in a logical and professional manner. He delivers his beliefs sincerely, further aiding his ethos appeal. Martin Luther King Jr. also utilizes ethos because as an American, he can relate to his audience. King’s portrayal of logos was one technique that he made excellent usage of in his speech. In one example he stated, â€Å"When will you be satisfied? We will never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.† (Martin 2001, par 9). He goes on to give other extreme examples as to why â€Å"we can never be satisfied,† if we continue to be treated less than equals. In this valuable use of logos, he uses an example of â€Å"If†¦then† to convince his audience that change was needed in order to be satisfied of true freedom. In this excerpt passage of the speech, King emphasized that the â€Å"Negro must want more out of life and should not settle for being treated less than human, but must demand to be equal to his fellow man. People were very much aware of Martin Luther King’s commitment towards justice because of the stand he chose to make. He didn’t just give a speech. King was the leader of many marches in several different states, and his passion and emotion for ending racial discrimination will never beShow MoreRelatedEssay on Martin Luther King Rhetorical Analysis1420 Words   |  6 PagesDreaming About Freedom Martin Luther King Jr.s I Have a Dream speech is one of the most successful and most legendary speeches in United States history. Martin Luther King Jr. was a masterful speaker, who established a strong command of rhetorical strategies. By his eloquent use of ethos, logos, and pathos, as well as his command of presentation skills and rhetorical devices, King was able to persuade his generation that the Negro is not free (King 1). His speech became the rallying cry forRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr.1046 Words   |  5 PagesRhetorical Analysis Essay Civil rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his memorable â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech while standing at the feet of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. His uplifting speech is one of the most admired during the civil rights era and arguably one of the best in American history. On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about the true American dream: equality. Although the video of his oral spectacle is powerful, the written document portrays exactly howRead MoreMartin Luther King Rhetorical Analysis1154 Words   |  5 PagesMuch of argumentative writing centers around rhetoric, the art of persuasion. Writers use certain rhetorical devices to engage and persuade their readers. Generally, we think of persuasion in terms of three rhetorical appeals. Aristotle first categorized these appeals based on logic (logos), ethics (ethos), and emotion (pathos). Most strong arguments have a balance of all three appeasl, although logos has proven to be more essen tial than the other two for a valid argument. In the same way theseRead MoreMartin Luther King Rhetorical Analysis1260 Words   |  6 PagesMartin Luther King Jr. advocates for non-violence throughout much of his â€Å"Letter from a Birmingham Jail.† However, he uses the extremist behavior of the black nationalists as a way to threaten the â€Å"white moderates† into siding with him on the issue of Civil Rights with the idea that he is the most moderate and sensible person leading the fight for equality. How can King justify using others’ violence to argue for nonviolence? Even though King’s tactics seems contradictory, it did help to encourageRead MoreMartin Luther King Rhetorical Analysis1098 Words   |  5 Pagesthe sermon â€Å"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God† by Jonathan Edwards and â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† by Martin Luther King Jr, both authors use several different effective rhetorical methods to convey their message s to the audience. Edwards (one of the best speakers in his time) and King (one of the most influential Civil Rights activists) both use these methods in an effective way. King and Edwards both use different methods to convey their messages, but it is important to analyze what one isRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King s Speech1460 Words   |  6 Pagesdiscussing, rhetorical analysis asks us to look not only at what a text says, or the meaning of the text, but also at how that meaning is created in the text. For this assignment, I want to challenge you to not just analyze the â€Å"ethos, pathos, and logos† of a text, but to delve deeply into how the text moves us to identify with its message, and to think, feel, or act in a specific way. One of the reason why this text became the most popular text of our century. First of the speaker Martin Luther KingRead MoreA Rhetorical Analysis Of Dr. Martin Luther King On The Church1256 Words   |  6 PagesA Rhetorical Analysis: Dr. King on the Church Missionary and Professor Charles Porter vocalizes a profound point during a lecture, â€Å"The only person who justifies us is Jesus.† This speaks measures regarding the Church and their responsibility to uphold justice. As people who claim to follow Jesus, the Church should be leading the charge against injustice. However, in the past century it failed to act upon the injustice of segregation. Analyzing Letter from Birmingham Jail, it becomes clear thatRead MoreMartin Luther King Letter Rhetorical Analysis710 Words   |  3 PagesIn a letter by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the civil rights leader uses various rhetorical devices to justify his actions for the nonviolent actions. His primary audience throughout the letter was to the clergymen who made accusations against Dr. King. He justifies his cause and argues the necessity of immediate action using rhetorical appeals such as ethos, pathos and logos. By using these various devices, Dr. King can gain the support needed for the Civil War Movement from his audience. Read MoreThe Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr.1139 Words   |  5 Pagesuse rhetorical devices and strategies to get their point across and try to convince the reader to believe in their perspective. It can also be used to get emotions from its readers, but that isn’t really the whole point of persuading someone. For instance, Martin Luther King Jr. uses an abundance of pathos in order to make the reader or clergymen feel sympathy towards the black people. Along with pathos, he uses logos and a bundle of hypophora. In order to obtain the goal of persuasion, Martin LutherRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr847 Words   |  4 PagesMartin Luther King Jr and The Civil Rights Movement Martin Luther King Jr was a protestor who became the most important spokesperson and leader in the Civil Rights Movement.  He was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People(NAACP) and in 1954, he decided to take a position as a preacher at Dexter Avenue Church in Montgomery, Alabama. King felt as though it was his moral duty to help the civil rights movement which is why he planned many activities that will help