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

We all know Martin Luther King Jr. ,right? We know him as the man who gave the “I Have a Dream” speech. Which was a step in the civil rights movement to fight for African American rights. Well, besides that monumental speech, he also wrote “Letter From Birmingham Jail”.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a prominent civil rights advocate, delivered his “I Have A Dream” speech during the March on Washington in 1963. In his noteworthy speech, King exposed the American public to the oppression and injustice of racial inequality that African Americans have endured throughout the last century. Dr. King’s urgency for change emphasized the importance of freedom for every man, woman, and child in the country. His life’s dedication was to put an end to racism, segregation, and discrimination on the basis of race. King’s speech called for equal treatment among all Americans, not just African Americans, and underlined the significance of unity as one nation.

Martin Luther King Jr., a minister and social activist, led the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the mid-1950s until his death by assassination in 1968. He was an advocate for equality between all races and a civil and economic rights Activist. Because of his leadership, bravery and sacrifice to make the world a better place, Martin Luther King was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize. His incredible public speaking skills and ability to properly get his message across can clearly be scene throughout the speech. Tone: Dr. King delivered his speech at the university of Oslo in Oslo Norway in front of a large group of people.

At the beginning of this text King refers to the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Abraham Lincoln, however then compares that to the society in which they find themselves in one hundred years later. King 's repetition of the phrase one hundred years really shows us that society at that time had not really progressed from the time of Abraham Lincoln in terms of racial justice. King describes this with very raw imagery of captivity when he says ' 'one hundred years later the life of the Negro is still badly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination ' '. The repetition of the phrase one hundred years also sets up the overall poignant feeling in this speech when he states ' 'one hundred years later the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. Another example of where King uses clever repetition of phrases is in the second half of this speech where King presents his view for a better future in America, where all people are equal.

Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential leaders of his time and played a crucial role in the African-American Civil Rights movement. Luther was a charismatic leader who took a firm stand against the oppressive and racist regime of the United States (US), devoting much of his life towards uniting the segregated African-American community of the US. His efforts to consolidate and harmonise the US into one country for all is reflected in many of his writings and speeches spanning his career. As a leader of his people, King took the stand to take radical measures to overcome the false promises of the sovereign government that had been addressing the issues of racial segregation through unimplemented transparent laws that did nothing to change the grim realities of the society. Hence, King’s works always had the recurring theme of the unity and strength of combined willpower.

For instance, the tone in Martin Luther king speech is how he says that the “negroes will not stand down until they will get served”. In other words, this tells us that they are fighting and standing up for themselves, so that they could be treated the same, and for them to get served in restaurants, transportation, and more. Overall, Martin Luther King mentions about the Emancipation Proclamation that was signed by Abraham Lincoln and others who fought for their country and for slavery to end and give them freedom. Finally, king employs a critical rhetorical device. For instance, in his speech he says that the whites had broken their law against the black community.

Martin Luther King, Jr. addresses both the black and white communities to live in peace, by using powerful diction, he describes both sides in different ways but with one only purpose; to touch the heart of the audience and convey to them that a world where whites and blacks can live in peace is possible. Also, Luther King’s speech is full of repetitions, that allow him to reaffirm his point of view. For instance, he uses anaphora in different sentences, like “One hundred years later” or “Now is the time” to call for attention and interest of the audience, while the stanza “Let freedom ring[...]” creates a more rhythmical sound over the end of his speech. After getting the audience’s attention, Dr. King proceeded to persuade and get into the feelings of the people. That is why, Dr. King’s emotionally charged diction conveyed the entire world that racism and segregation were hurting the black society.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil right activist who fought for the right and equality of African American citizens. In his speech, he stressed that nonviolence was a more effective way to success. One of the rhetorical devices that was key was his persona. His persona showed his followers that with patience and persistence change will come. In his speech, King spoke about the march in Birmingham, Alabama, where he and his friend Bull Connor lead.

The racial discrimination, as well as his religious views, caused him to fight for equal rights. Repetition and Parallelism, which are rhetorical devices, are constantly used in his renowned speech to support his single dream, which he proudly claimed to his audience of 200,000 or more people: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” (Part 12). These forms of rhetorical devices were often used in his speech, the most famous phrase being “I have a dream”, which was what his speech was later called. The repeating of phrases and the similar sentence structures create a rhythm that influences the audience, and allow them to be immensely inspired by one of the greatest speeches in history. Supporters of the Civil Rights movement believed that African Americans should have the same rights as “white” men.

king represent white people in his speech “I have a dream” he made them seem like all white men and women had this hatred towards the black community, but we know that this is not true. Not all white people wanted for the black man to be oppressed some supported the black community, for example some of the white people would escort the kids who were trying to goto integrated school. He did not show that the black community to have a hatred towards white people which was rather interesting instead he taught to “love your enemies” , unlike Malcolm X who taught that we should hold it against the white man and to fight back. So martin made it seem like the white man were the evil and that they just abused the black man, So he did not really have to make the white man look bad because they kind of made themselves look bad, but black people would start to stereotype the white man and see him as devils just like Malcolm did. So Martin luther king portrayed them as oppressor but that we should not stoop to there

Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Had a Dream” speech was very commanding speech to the black and white people of the United States of America. His ambition was to end racism and segregation between the blacks and whites in the country. King’s greatest motive was equality, and he would not let anything change that from happening. In Martin Luther King Jr’s speech his tone was very determined. He was very passionate while being determined for everything he believed in.

According to King, what hardships do African Americans face ? give two examples from the speech. Dr. Martin Luther king talked about many troubling issues of which he and his fellow African American citizens faced. One of the issues was racial injustice they have suffered from the hands of whites and the constant discrimination from whites. From lines 10-15 he claims that the negro is on a lonely island of poverty and finds him in exile in his own land and with injustice he claims in lines 20-24 he clearly talks about the injustice that was done to them because they were promised freedom and rights and in return they were given racism and disrespect.

Based on King speech he knew what audience he was going to be talking to so he used that as a strategy to get their attention. Martin Luther King Jr presented the "I have a dream speech" at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. The Lincoln Memorial was made for Abraham Lincoln, which he signed the Emancipation Proclamation. That is a document that set all the slaves free. Martin Luther King set a statement by just doing his speech there.

Martin Luther King Junior’s “I Have a Dream” speech has a powerful purpose embedded within it. His speech caused a national uproar in every community. Therefore, the uproar caused the outcome of his speech brought many of the members of the African American and American communities to unify. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech caused such an uproar was due to his skilful use of poetic devices which strengthened his speech greatly. Martin Luther King Junior’s “I Have a Dream” speech reveals the theme of creating peace through unification due to the usage of the poetic devices, imagery, metaphors, and symbolism.

Throughout history, American men and women have fought and sacrificed to accomplish the freedoms we have in America. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of these men. King has greatly inspired me through reminding us that all peoples were made in the image of God, and, on that basis, we need to fight for the sanctity of human life. In his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, MLK voiced that he hoped one day all American’s would uphold the Declaration of Independence when it says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”