Analysis Of Martin Luther King

Article written by: Wayne Fortin Rhetorical Analysis On August 28, 1963 one of the greatest speeches of freedom had occurred on the steps of the Washington memorial. Around this time African Americans in society were not considered equal as the whites. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came to encourage the American people in hopes of setting forth equality for every man and woman in the nation with his “I have a dream.” The Social activist constructed a speech to demonstrate his cause by peaceful means. One hundred years earlier before Kings “I have a dream” speech our former president signed the Emancipation Proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation was a United States document that was never granted, within the document stated that blacks were to be set free from captivity and equal. Even though the document was signed the passages in the Emancipation Proclamation were never granted to the black slaves. The “I have a dream” speech by social activist Martin Luther King Jr. was very well constructed and King stated himself in the beginning of his I have a dream speech “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.” King earned a degree in theology and learned to be a master communicator. In his speech I have a dream King uses perfect structure, organization and tone as well as the Greek terms ethos, pathos and logos which are persuasive appeals to character of the speaker, the emotion and logic or reasoning to the context. The structure in Kings Speech starts off with the introduction of Abrahams Emancipation Proclamation, then follows with how the African American are enslaved

and ends with his dreams and how this country could be if we were all treated equal. King uses a preacher like tone as if he is talking to his disciples. King uses a lot of visual descriptions as well as unique analogies. An example of a visual analogy in King’s speech goes as “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice.” Within that passage he uses “beacon of light” and “flames of withering injustice” as very good visual words. Analogies also play a key role in Kings I have a dream speech. King states “In a sense we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check.” Then he goes with “This note was a promise to all men, yes, black men as well as white men, and would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America as defaulted on this promissory, note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds.” When King uses the words “promissory note” he refers to the Emancipation Proclamation document. When he goes on to state the “bad check” and “insufficient funds” we take that as the emancipation proclamation holding no or meaning in America, that is until King goes to “cash” the check or bring back the rights and meaning held within the emancipation proclamation document because he refuses that the bank of injustice is “bankrupt” because this is the land of the free and equal opportunity “in the great vaults” of this nation.

Repetitions of words make Kings Speech communicate effectively to the public causing those words to put a staple in your mind. Among the most actively used words was “Now is the time,” and “I have a dream.” For example “Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksand’s of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of gods children.” And “I have a dream today! I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low.” In addition to Repetition King also uses rhetorical questions, for example “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.” Last but not least is King’s use of Greek persuasive appeals such as ethos pathos and logos. Ethos is the character of the speaker. King organized and demonstrated his context in a very professional manner, using non violence. “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. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force” says King. I hold this last passage a highly prized persuasive appeal when it comes to showing ones character or ethos. Pathos is an appeal based on emotion. When King states “I have a dream. A dream deeply rooted in the American dream” pathos plays a big role within that sentence when he says the word “dream.” To dreams lead to feeling which are also tied in with emotion. Last but not least is logos and logos refers to ones logic or reason which brings up to the begging of the play and to look at Kings purpose for delivering this demonstration to the nations capitol. A text example of Logic and reasoning is when Dr. King describes

Lincolns Promissory note and how what was once promised never had lived through to its full potential. King describes how the blacks are not equal in society and how he has a dream to someday see the equality among the black and the white community. In conclusion after looking through I have a dream’s structure, organization, tone in association with ethos, pathos and logos we find that the great social activist known as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the best communicators in the world. His single speech through effective and persuasive communication changed the world forever.