...RHETORICAL ANALYSIS 1 Rhetorical Analysis of “I Have Dream” Speech Alfonso Gonzalez Itt Technical Institute Instructor Deana Schoneberg EN 1320 RHETORICAL ANALYSIS 2 The main point of Dr. Kings speech was that an injustice had been done to the black people. They were promised freedom from the emancipation proclamation and up to that point they still were not free. They were segregated and treated like second class citizens. Were they suppose to sit down and let white men at that time humiliate them, beat them, bomb their houses, and strip them of human dignity? No! Dr. King was preaching to all who listened, that now was the time to metaphorically cash this check, a check that will give them upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. But to do this, not with violence or retaliation, “we must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.” (Carson, 1998, p225) This would be the way Dr. King would want to see his dream played out, with non -violence. Were all his efforts done in vain? On August 28, 1963, The March on Washington was organized by Bayard Rustin and led by union leader A. Philip Randolph. The backdrop ironically took place on the steps...
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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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...Freshman English 003-08/09/36/62 Assignment for Proposal Argument on the Dream Act due Thursday, February 13, 2014 For your Proposal Argument on the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, you will need to use at least two online sources from different genres to support your position on whether or not the DREAM Act should be passed by Congress. You should use the Howard University Library System to locate one of your sources. The library provides access to databases such as Ebsco, ProQuest, LexisNexis, JSTOR and Project Muse. Your other source can be newspapers, public affairs magazines, think tanks, or government agencies. Chapter 15 “Finding and Evaluating Sources” in Writing Arguments can assist you with this process. You can also refer to Chapter 8, Questions for Rhetorical Analysis on pages 159-160 in the 9th edition, for assistance. Choose one of your sources about the DREAM Act and answer the following: 1. Who is the author, and what are her/his credentials and/or affiliations? 2. What is the genre of the piece, when was it written, and in what publication or on what website does it appear? (Rhetorical context) 3. What motivated the author produce this piece? Is she/he responding to a particular aspect of the issue, such as the social, cultural, political, economic? 4. What audience is the author addressing? (Purpose) 5. What is the author’s main point or thesis? Summarize in a few sentences. (Logos) ...
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...Final Rhetorical Analysis Martin Luther King, Jr. Was an African American, nonviolent, civil rights activist and leader from 1956 until his tragic passing in 1986. On August 28, 1963 King proudly presented his well-known “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington, one hundred years after former President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation as well as delivered his prominent speech, the Gettysburg Address. King’s purpose of his speech was an intended aspiration to aim at the white population to advocate for the justices of African Americans as well as to encourage the nation to not stand alone but together for the rights appointed to each citizen under the Constitution. King accomplishes his ambition for his speech as he uses different rhetorical devices with his audience such as: ethos, logos, and pathos, as well as using several different figurative language techniques that include, allusion, anaphora, diction, and metaphors. King begins his speech contended and determined, as he explains this specific day will be one remembered forever. His use of archaic...
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...It`s been a long while since public speakers are concerned with various dimensions of speech such as sounds, gestures, syntax, rhetoric, meanings, speech acts, moves, strategies and turns. In this paper our main focus is on the rhetoric of a speech. As we know where rhetoric is concerned we should inevitably deal with literature. In other words rhetoric is like a joint which connect literature with politics and establish a method of analyzing political speeches called polio-linguistic approach. Thus we can consider political discourses as pieces of literature. Literary techniques especially rhetorical devices serve as one of the most distinctive features of the greatest and most influential speeches of all time. There is no shortage of rhetorical devices used in these speeches, but we can prioritize them by count of repetitions in political discourses. In this study first I have represented the necessity of using these types of persuasive skills in political discourses, the methods within which politicians take advantages of these skills and the different sides of a successful speech. Then after a glance through different rhetorical devices, excerpts from four of the greatest speeches in history are provided with the rhetorical devices indicated in them. Finally a quite deep examination of the most important of these rhetorical devices is presented and the conclusion is made through comparing these samples. The primary purpose of every presenter or rhetorician is to grab people`s...
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...Pentadic analysis incorporates five basic elements of drama called pentads. These include act (what is being done), agent (who is doing the act), agency (the means employed by the agent to do the act), scene (the backdrop against which the act occurred), and the purpose of the action (the reason why it happened). Act is the artifact itself whatever it may be such as speech, poem, monument, event, etc as it stands for what is actually being done or happening. Agent refers to the main communicator of the artifact which could be an actor, orator, writer or manager of the act. Agency refers to the main medium of communication which includes a book or televised film, presentation or personal communication. Scene is the backdrop against which the action occurs including the actual, physical scene and the context in which something happens and is meant to be understood. Lastly, purpose is the motive or the message which is conveyed and understood. Pentadic analysis has its roots in Burke's Theory of Dramatism which looks at life as a play where symbols and language are used to express thoughts as a way for humans to comprehend the reality of the world. Burke developed this theory as a way to attempt to understand the bases of human conduct and motives. Thus, the purpose of a pentadic analysis addresses the content of what is being done and what are the motives of a certain artifact as crafted by a rhetor. Burke believed that ratios interconnect important terms and map out a clearer...
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...Rhetorical Analysis of The Letter from Birmingham Jail Influential leader of the Civil Rights Movement and active agitator for justice, Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. in his letter, “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, argues passionately that injustice anywhere automatically creates the timely situation for organized retaliation in seeking freedom for the oppressed. King was arrested and placed in Birmingham Jail after a peaceful protest in downtown Birmingham. King was “the foremost civil rights leader in America in the 1950s and 1960s” (Kirszner and Mandell 799). “An ordained minister who held a doctorate in theology, King was the head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference” (799). “King and his followers met opposition not only from white moderates but also from some African-American clergymen who thought King was a troublemaker.” King’s opposition labeled his demonstrations and acts against segregation as “untimely”, “unwise”, and...
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...Using Facebook to Teach Rhetorical Analysis Jane Mathison Fife The attraction of Facebook is a puzzle to many people over the age of thirtyfive, and that includes most college faculty. Yet students confess to spending significant amounts of time on Facebook, sometimes hours a day. If you teach in a computer classroom, you have probably observed students using Facebook when you walk in the room. Literacy practices that fall outside the realm of traditional academic writing, like Facebook, can easily be seen as a threat to print literacy by teachers, especially when they sneak into the classroom uninvited as students check their Facebook profiles instead of participating in class discussions and activities. This common reaction reflects James King and David O’Brien’s (2002: 42) characterization of the dichotomy teachers often perceive between school and nonschool literacy activities (although they are not referring to Facebook specifically): “From teachers’ perspectives, all of these presumably pleasurable experiences with multimedia detract from students’ engagement with their real work. Within the classroom economy technology work is time off task; it is classified as a sort of leisure recreational activity.” This dichotomy can be broken down, though; students’ enthusiasm for and immersion in these nonacademic literacies can be used to complement their learning of critical inquiry and traditional academic concepts like rhetorical analysis. Although they read these texts daily...
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...and it had no intentions of leaving. As the tobacco industry boomed, smoking made its way into the lives of millions of Americans, and so did its consequences. By the 1960s, when the first Surgeon General’s warning appeared on cigarette labels, the dangers of smoking were well-known, yet still ignored by many. It was no secret that smoking was the primary cause of lung cancer, bronchitis, and a myriad of other complications---that is why ever since, the Centers for Disease Control and American Cancer Society have worked to educate the public and put an end to the deceitful ploys of cigarette companies. In a print public service announcement, the American Cancer Society discourages the act of smoking by appealing to the logos and pathos of its...
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...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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...Cammie Denton Dr. Foster WR 122 April 17, 2016 Rhetorical Analysis of Barack Obama’s Remarks on Economic Mobility On December 4th, 2013 Barack Obama spoke on the subject of income inequality and upward mobility. This speech was delivered to, and hosted by, the Center for American Progress (CAP). The president uses striking language to appeal to the emotion and logic of the audience. Obama executes his appeals in a variety of ways with the express purpose of painting the issue of growing inequality and decreased upward mobility as the “defining challenge of our time.” President Obama describes these issues as what drives everything he does as POTUS. Obama’s speech was quite intellectual and technical, peppered in detail with the numbers and statistics of current social and economic inequalities, appealing to logos. While he builds his argument based on these substantial facts, the overall feeling of his language is that of compassion. This compassion seems to drive his purpose and thus emotionally connecting to his audience. Further, Obama appeals to ethos during his speech as he outlines how current market-caused inequalities are threatening everything that makes America great. Obama masterfully balances his passionate language with solid facts and straight-forward logic in this effectively persuasive speech. Before expanding upon the specifics of the rhetorical methods utilized by the president in this speech, I think it is important to highlight that the audience (CAP)...
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...Amanuel Abebe ENGL 102 Prof. LeBlanc 02/07/15 Rhetorical Analysis Outline I. Introduction A. In his new York times essay “where sweatshops are dream” writer Nicholas D. Kristof makes a number of points regarding what he sees as an adverse effect of labor standards compliance on the economic development of low-income countries that we feel require some clarification and comment. B. Purpose of argument: His purpose in this essay is to let people know that sweatshops can help people. C. Audience: Kristof assumes his readers are Americans that are repulsed by the idea of importing products made by barely paid barely legal workers in dangerous factories. II. Thesis: By establishing his credibility, building his case slowly, and appealing to both logic and emotions, Kristof succeeds in writing effective argument . III. Body paragraph 1: pathos A. He appeals to pathos by using words or images designed to move readers and appeal to the readers emotion. B. List examples you might use: “The miasma of toxic stink leaves you gasping, breezes batter you with filth, and even the rats look forlorn.” “Many families actually live in shacks on this smoking garbage.” C. Explanation: why or how is the example you provided effective or not Throughout this short essay, Kristof uses emotionally loaded language and his arguments include vivid descriptions or striking examples intended to appeal to reader’s emotion. IV. Body paragraph 2: ethos A. Topic sentence As a columnist...
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...a speech depends on many factors, including the mood of the crowd, the ability of the orator, the situation the crowd confronts, the topic of the speech and the using of words- the using of stylistic devices. The goal of any political speech is persuasion - you want to bring the crowd around to your point of view, whether that means convincing them to vote for you. So the frequent and wide use of stylistic devices is an important characteristic of political speeches which is an effective way to make these speeches more attractive, lively and more persuasive. A stylistic device is an example of the figurative use of words, which produces a particularly rhetorical effect when people use the language creatively in a specified context so all politicians use stylistic devices in political speeches. In the realm of discourse analysis, the typical linguistic features of political speeches have so far been the focus of attention of many linguists and researchers. However, there are not many studies of the language used in political speeches, especially stylistic devices used in political speeches of...
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...Symbolic convergence theory From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Symbolic Convergence Theory) Jump to: navigation, search Symbolic convergence theory (SCT) is a general communication theory that offers an explanation for the appearance of a groups cohesiveness, consisting of shared emotions, motives, and meanings. Symbolic convergence theory provides a description of the dynamic tendencies within systems of social interaction that cause communicative practices and forms to evolve. This theory allows theorists and practitioners to anticipate or predict what will happen and explain what did happen. One thing SCT does not do is allow for prediction and control of human communication.[1] To foster this cohesiveness, dramatizing or using fantasy stories are significant types of communication involved in SCT. SCT explains that meanings, emotions, values, and the motives for action are in the communication contexts by people trying to make sense out of a common experience.[2] It explores the human tendency of trying to understand events in terms of the people involved, who have certain personality traits and motivations, and have agency over how the events unfold.[3] SCT was first proposed by Ernest Bormann in the Quarterly Journal of Speech in 1972.[4] Symbolic convergence is related to attribution theory in that it deals with the human tendency to attribute meaning to signs and objects in order to make sense of them.[5] The process of symbolic convergence...
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...immigrants, my fellow Americans, how do you know if you are a Republican? Well, I tell you how. If you believe that government should be accountable to the people, not the people to the government, then you are a republican. If you believe that a person should be treated as an individual, not as a member of an interest group, then you are a Republican. If you believe your family knows how to spend your money better than the government does, then you are a Republican.” We see here that he focuses his speech on an audience which he addresses as "my fellow Americans". Although he seems to be speaking to all American citizens, he actually focuses in on the Republican citizens. Upon identifying his audience, Schwarzenegger angles his message and rhetorical purposes to them to reinforce their Republican beliefs and create a feeling of pride in America. It is clearly his fundamental belief and intention to convince the audience that this pride in...
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