...Renowned civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his notorious speech, “I Have a Dream”, in the midst of societal strife across the United States. Throughout his oration, King lances at the status quo, one where African Americans are degraded and demeaned to the sewers of American society; instead, he proposes a new country—a new way—where African Americans will fight until they obtain the rights they were originally promised. In superb recognition of his audience, King uses a litany of devices, from metaphors to anaphora, in order to develop rage within the audience—a unifying quality that would undoubtedly drive a movement facing gusty headwinds. Intending to concisely state the purpose of his speech, Martin Luther King utilizes...
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...and no other would stand up, Martin Luther said, ‘’We have no alternative but to protest. We come here tonight to be saved from that patience that makes us patient with anything less than freedom and justice. ‘’ I believe, that he gave his people the strength and courage they needed to stand up for themselves. It is my belief that their civil rights, were so harsh and not fair at all. King continued organization’s until he believed they got what he and his people truly deserve. King applies the rhetorical devices throughout his speech. King creates ethos in several instances. Ethos is that appeal that creates trust, leadership, and authority. When king alludes to Lincoln, Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation,...
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...Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, obtained leadership through his actions and his many inspiring speeches. Through his actions and words, many people realized they could make a change. This means that any one person could make a change in the world. A change that I will make in myself for better is to help with bullies. My change to help with bullies can change my school by helping kids with bully problems. In my school, I could start an after school program of some sort, to allow kids to receive help from other people in the group to overcome their bully. With this, the kids in the school would be less or even bullied none. This explains that with help from counselor type people, kids can be happier. Furthermore, my community...
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...will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” - Martin Luther King Jr. The gift of eloquent speech that has been graced towards our like minds has swindled the air of its breath and left a nation to exercise dire beliefs at an unpropitious time, where one may counter with the rejoice in the accomplishments of one man’s dream; “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.” This man so happens to be Martin Luther King Jr. And so we know that no great accomplishment is awarded without a price, that no humble belief is executed without determination and that through the obstacles of life, the intangible becomes the tangible. First, it starts with the segregation of blacks and whites in the public areas...
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...On August 28th, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a moving speech on the racial injustices African Americans were facing. Protesters from all over the United States came to be a part of such a mighty demonstration, protesting racial inequality in front of President Lincoln’s memorial. Dr. King spoke powerfully to condemn the brutal injustices that African Americans were facing, and to urge protesters to unite in peace to fight for justice for all Americans. Dr. King explained that through the Emancipation Proclamation and the Declaration of Independence, all Americans should be given opportunity to strive toward “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. However, African Americans had been disadvantaged and not given such opportunity through racial inequality. Such inequalities resulted in poverty, insufficient public...
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...CRITICAL THINKING ANALYSIS OF MARTIN LUTHER KING’S SPEECH, “I HAVE A DREAM” Martin Luther King uses a strong approach to deliver a speech full of encouragement and motivation for the deprived freedom of blacks living in American in the mid-1900s. With a recording break crowd in attendance in Washington in August 1986, Martin Luther King expresses the experienced suffering and demand for change in the lives of blacks. His purpose is clear and without hesitation. As I listener, I felt his passion that was supported by his appropriate boundaries to live equally. With the limitations and challenges King faced during that time, I can understand why his speech is a significant milestone in our country’s history. King makes the listener understand that his purpose is to fairly achieve the long overdue equality blacks have been robbed of. He is clear in his mission and has no intentions of entertaining such an mission with wrong doings or harm. I can only imagine, while during this time in American history the blacks had lived with so much oppression and discrimination, how challenging it would have been to approach such freedom with proper actions. Although King is trying to gain something in his speech, he is not driven by a selfish motive. He distinctly states his purpose and strategizes on the actions needed. At the end of his speech, I ask myself, “Do I agree with the necessity of blacks’ freedom?”. King presents his speech in a manner that is realistic, future...
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...On August 28, 1963, in Washington DC Martin Luther KingJr.,gave one of his most famous speeches titled “I have a dream” on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.King’s purpose for delivering this speech was to inspire people to unite as one.He wanted to end racial discrimination and lead a progression of civil rights for all human beings regardless of race or cultural background. He dreams one day that his children will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. He introduced his topic with three words “ I Have a Dream”, he unified the concept of where there was no social hatred,where people were treated equally, and where it wasn’t a crime to be a minority. The speech was split up into two sections, the...
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...civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. In 1963, King gave his famous "I have a dream" speech, in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. The speech's location and date signify that even after years of the emancipation proclamation being pioneered the African Americans still face discrimination in their own country. The location aids King's mission of getting his message across, which is that all people deserve equal rights and he hopes to see all Americans united. To convey his message, King uses rhetorical devices such as diction, a rhetorical question, and repetition. In the beginning of his speech, King uses diction to stress his point that even after years of African Americans being set free from their positions of slaves, they still feel like they're chained up. King uses words such as "great", 'hope", and "joyous" to describe the emancipation proclamation. The emancipation proclamation was instigated by Abraham...
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...Throughout American history, racism has fractured this country in many aspects. The United States is notorious for a racist history towards people of color. Why has the African-American culture been handled differently for numerous years in the United States? Martin Luther King Jr. posed this very question in his “I Have A Dream” speech to the American people. In August of 1963, Dr. King delivered the speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. His speech contained multiple rhetorical devices, including repetition, allusion, imagery, symbolism, and irony. Rhetorical devices are used in order to arouse an emotion, inspire to take action, and persuade a new point of view. This speech is celebrated as one of the most inspirational speeches in history, and it served as the turning point of the Civil Rights Movement. Throughout “I Have A Dream,” Dr. King emphasizes that segregation is erroneous by utilizing different literary elements....
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...At the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. changed the lives of African Americans. King delivered a memorable speech called “I Have a Dream”. A speech about the Civil Rights Movement, and made America think more about what the Declaration of Independence establishes of what America should strictly follow, which is “All men are created equal” no matter what skin color ,nationality, and ethnicity. King dreamt about civil rights his whole life, now everyone in the United States is created equal not just men. The audience that this speech targeted was the United States, so they could realize how harsh America has gotten. White people during this time period should be ashamed of themselves of treating innocent people the way they did, only because of the distinct skin color. King encouraged America, and the world to make a change about being divergent. “I Have a Dream” speech changed the face of America forever....
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...Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have A Dream” speech exhibits rhetorical elements in which he uses repetition within his strong imagery, logical thoughts, and credible examples to support his argument that all men are created equal and should be treated as such. In the first paragraph of King’s speech, he immediately evokes Pathos in his audience. He refers to the beacon of light that has been “seared in the flames of withering injustice.” This image casts a feeling of hopelessness and despair. The metaphors invoke an initial feeling in his listeners and grab their attention. The second paragraph continues the strong use of imagery, but he also incorporates a repetition to help strengthen his message. His reference to “One hundred years later”...
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...Rhetorical Analysis of Martin Luther King’s Speech “I Have a Dream” Likita M. Taylor ITT-Tech English 1320: Composition I November 12 2012 Rhetorical Analysis of Martin Luther King’s Speech “I Have a Dream” “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 “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 “one of the most successful and most legendary speeches in United States history.”(Martin, 2010, 10 par 1). He was an astonishing, intelligent speaker who often relied on using strong rhetoric devices to get his message across. Through his articulate use of logos, pathos, and ethos, King was able to persuade his generation that "the Negro is not free.” (Martin 2001 par3). His speech became the rallying cry for civil rights and lives on to this day as a perpetual masterpiece. Before one can really understand the analysis of his speech, it is important to understand King’s arguments. His main point is that blacks are not free or equal according to the rights guaranteed by the Constitution. He argues that African-Americans must claim their full rights and demand liberation from inequality and suppression. King's audience is not only Black Americans, but his message...
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...Rhetorical Analysis Paper Martin Luther King Jr.: I Have a Dream According to Aristotle, there are three ways for a speaker to persuade his audience: ethos, logos, and pathos ("American rhetoric: Aristotle's rhetoric - selected moments," n.d.). Aristotle noted that a speech should “engage both the rational and non-rational elements of the listener's soul” (Wardy, 1996, p. 63). The speaker must have credibility with their audience and appear fair, open-minded, honest, and knowledgeable (ethos). He/she must also have logical appeal with strong, valid arguments based on facts and, perhaps, with personal experience and observations (logos). And, finally, the speaker must emotionally appeal to the audience and create a personal connection to draw and hold their attention (pathos). Of the three, Aristotle believed that ideally arguments should be made with reason, or logic, alone (McKay & McKay, 2010). However, it is often a speaker’s emotional appeal that creates the personal connection, as well as captivates and motivates the audience … and few have done that better than the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. If you say the words “I have a dream”, Americans from age 18 to 80 immediately think of Martin Luther King Jr. They may not know the words achieved notoriety from a speech given at an equal rights march on Washington, DC in August 1963. They may not know that 250,000 blacks gathered at the National Mall to demand "jobs and freedom" (Hampson, 2013). Additionally, they...
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...From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about the Martin Luther King Jr. speech. For other uses, see I Have a Dream (disambiguation). Martin Luther King, Jr. delivering "I Have a Dream" at the 1963 Washington D.C. Civil Rights March. | "I Have a Dream"30-second sample from "I Have a Dream" speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. | Problems listening to this file? See media help. | "I Have a Dream" is a public speech by American activist Martin Luther King, Jr.. It was delivered by King on August 28, 1963, in which he called for an end to racism in the United States. Delivered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the speech was a defining moment of the American Civil Rights Movement.[1] Beginning with a reference to the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed millions of slaves in 1863,[2] King examines that: "one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free".[3] At the end of the speech, King departed from his prepared text for a partly improvised peroration on the theme of "I have a dream", possibly prompted by Mahalia Jackson's cry: "Tell them about the dream, Martin!"[4] In this part of the speech, which most excited the listeners and has now become the most famous, King described his dreams of freedom and equality arising from a land of slavery and hatred.[5] The speech was ranked the top American speech of the 20th century by a 1999 poll of scholars of public address...
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...------------------------------------------------- AMERICAN DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE Civil Rights Movement Deyana Faraj On the 4th of July 1776, 56 delegates to the Continental Congress signed a document that would not only declare independence of America from British colonial power but less than 200 years later, become the backbone of a new established America where the walls of discrimination and segregation would finally begin to deteriorate. The Declaration of Independence is a powerful document that has led to the development of equal rights and social justice within societies on a world context. More specifically, principles in this document were instrumental when argued by African American Civil Rights leaders in achieving equality and abolishing racial segregation and discrimination against African- Americans in the United States, during the African American Civil Rights Movement (1954-1968). Before the American Civil Rights Movement, laws known as Jim Crow laws had forced racial segregation of facilities and the prohibition of intermarriage. These laws were similar to the apartheid legislation and it became the law mainly in the south of America. Where there is inequality and injustice within a government, the people of the nation demand change. Since the Jim Crow laws were enacted, the laws that mandated racial segregation in public areas and the prohibition of intermarriage in the Southern United States were socially and morally unjust and this fuelled...
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