...intended to rally a large group. This difference in audience and how Dr. King chooses to appeal to each of his audiences causes for the choices in language and the purpose of “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” and “I have a Dream” to differ. “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is addressed to white clergymen, and the purpose of the letter is to defend the demonstrations that were taking place. As Dr. King is trying to defend the demonstrations to these white clergymen, his language choice is quite interesting. One brilliant way that he chooses to defend the demonstrations is by appealing to the white men through his choice of Anglo terms. For instance, in the letter, Dr. King writes, “Just as the prophets of the eighth century century B.C. left their villages and carried their “thus saint the Lord” far beyond the boundaries of their home towns…I am compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town” (King). This choice of wording makes Dr. King’s argument stronger since as these white men disagree with Dr. King and his form of peaceful protest, the white clergymen will not be able to argue back because he is using religious references that if the white men chose to argue against, it would make them look like hypocrites (Eubank). While there are some differences between “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and the “I Have a Dream” speech, there are also similarities. One similarity that the two share is in how King is incredibly understanding of his audience and thus chooses the...
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...Martin Luther king Jr. and Fredrick Douglass both use their own skills in their speeches to prove how their freedom is nothing without equality. In Kings ” I Have a Dream” and Douglass’ “Address to Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society” they both use rhetorical and literary devices to express their thoughts of freedom and equality. Martin Luther king Jr. wanted not only blacks freedom, but to have equal rights like the rest of American citizens. A rhetorical device found in King's speech is an anaphora to make the listeners emphasis and remember what is being said. Martin Luther king states,” I have a dream “ about 8 times to demonstrate to the audience to get it through there head what his dream is, to have the world in the future to come...
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...TUI University Lionel Martinez ENG 101 – English Composition 1 Dr. David Ojo Module 1 Case Assignment 1 June, 8 2012 While King's letter was set and written in the 1960's, it is still prevalent today. Martin Luther King was not only a civil rights activist for Blacks, but his logic and rhetoric is to be admired. I feel it is our duty not only to read King's letter, but to use it as an educational tool. The letter, by King, is well written and a great example of how to write a letter formed essay. Ignoring the fact this letter was being written during the civil rights fights and protests in the 1960's, it was written by a well-educated and well known man who is respected and admired. King begins his letter in a polite address to accusations delivered to him, "But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will..." He takes politeness to a degree that it becomes an art form. Not once does he use an offense word or phrase that would offend the audience of his letter. King's logic is also to be commended. The Letter began with King's reasons of being in Birmingham and he explains it in a way that you feel like you should agree with him. The different types of rhetoric that King uses are perfect for the intended purpose. His play on pathos, or our emotions, is so that you really have to pay attention to discover it. The best example of his play on pathos is when he describes an even with his son, "Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean...
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...given by Martin Luther King Jr.During the mid-20th Century, racism was a huge issue in the United States, which the most prominent was the racism of African-Americans. Although all blacks were supposed to be free, under a corrupt law system, blacks were victimized mercilessly. Therefore, blacks decided to try and change the system and multiple civil rights activists and groups appeared. Throughout the 1960s, King engaged in various civil rights boycotts and protests, helping to further the movement and gaining its eventual victory.Out of all of his civil rights-related efforts, he gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in our nation’s capital, Washington D.C. The speech was given in front of the Lincoln Memorial and is known by many as one of the most influential speeches on freedom and the equality of Americans, regardless of their race. 200,000 people gathered to hear Dr. King talk about the segregation and discrimination against African Americans in our nation at that time. In his speech He used pathos such as using the bible to get emotional reactions, with logos he gave real life situations as examples, and ethos he used what people thought and knew about Abraham Lincoln. This were just a few examples of what he said in his speech. King bought to the attention of the American people that our country was founded upon freedom and as a democracy we have the right to change laws and institute new laws if it will benefit society as a whole. Dr. King use of pathos...
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...------------------------------------------------- I Have a Dream 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...
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...Professor Ngoh Protest Literature 21th October 2015 Letter from Birmingham Jail-Rhetorical Analysis Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in order to address the biggest issue in Birmingham and the United States at the time (racism) and to also address the critics he received from the clergymen. The letter discusses the great injustices happening toward the Black community in Birmingham and although it is primarily aimed at the clergymen King writes the letter for all to read. In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr. uses logos, alliteration/repetition, and ethos to back up his belief that nonviolent protesting and disobedience is the most effective means to protest anything that needs to be changed, in this case segregation. After reading King’s letter I, and almost anyone, would come to the conclusion that King is deeply motivated to help against any injustice in the US. Who else would go to such lengths if they didn’t? He knows how persuasive he can be by using his knowledge of the English language, and he uses this to speak out against people who doubt him (clergymen) and to incite a different way of thinking into the people in hopes of change. Dr. King’s letter is extremely effective because it provides an enormous amount of evidence to the reader that he and his company are being treated unjustly and also that King truly cares about making a change for the good of the city. It also re-directs attention to the wrongdoings...
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...writing from their time period. Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was this revolutionary piece of writing in the 1960s. King had written this letter while confined in Birmingham Jail and he had written it to the clergymen whom had written “A Call for Unity.” Throughout King’s letter he writes about the civil rights movement and makes an argument against what the clergymen had written about him. The Letter from Birmingham...
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...Civil Freedom On April 12, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and put in a Birmingham jail for demonstrating/protesting without a permit. During this time, he wrote a letter to eight dissatisfied white clergymen on behalf of a public statement of concern. In this lengthy, strong-handed letter, Dr. King did not argue; he did not get angry, but rather, he provided views of brotherhood and peace within his rebuttal. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” King uses a variety of rhetorical strategies in order to persuade and inform his audience of the benefits of equality. Dr. King was thrown in jail due to illegal protesting. During his time of being locked up, “[he] came across a recent statement calling their present activities ‘unwise and untimely”. (King 1) During the time that King was locked up, he had plenty of time to think and release his anger, but it wasn’t until later when he began to write a rebuttal of the recent criticisms made by the eight white clergymen. In the letter, King does not release any anger, nor does he argue with the clergymen’s response. In fact, he writes in a calm manner that sends a message of peace, as well as comfort. On the other hand though, he doesn’t simply ignore the fact of the utter ignorance of what was said. A main strategy that King uses is one that...
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...Martin Luther King I have a Dream On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" Speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King was one of the leading roles in the Civil Rights Movement. He was working on getting the black people the same rights as the white people; he wanted them to be equal, but ad that time there were still laws against the black people. That made it possible for white people to treat them the way they wanted to without it being “wrong”. Laws were separating them ad restaurants, hotels and schools. 1. Find some of the most powerful examples of Martin Luther King's use of imagery. The King uses imagery in his speech to make people understand and relate to his ideas. He especially uses time and landscape as imagery’s. By using images and symbols in the speech, he connects to more people then he would have with big rhetoric woods. He wants the African American people to face and push for more freedom: “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 quicksands of injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood” (page 12, line 12-14). A valley symbolizes a low point there is difficult to escape from. The sun symbolizes a brighter future were all people are equal and the quicksand symbolizes a trap there is difficult to get out of. When he says “solid rock of brotherhood” it symbolizes a stable people there...
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...“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” - Martin Luther King, Jr. This particular quote deals with the need for a leader to care about the larger view of life instead of their individual wants or needs. Certainly, if a person wanted to rise to power, they would need to first off think about the one’s they are governing and how they could use their powers for the general good of the city and the people. This is particularly relevant to the character of Brutus during the play. During the scenes of William Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, characters are able to rise to power through their particular strengths. These characters, Cassius, Brutus, and Antony all have different characteristics that helped them gain power within the city of Rome. However, these people also showed that they were human by having weaknesses that led to their down fall. Within a leader, it is important to look at their trustworthiness, honorability, reputation, and their use of empathy. These three characters all displayed differences within these traits which made them unique in their own ways. Within the scenes of Julius Caesar, Cassius, the leader of the conspiracy against Caesar, displays many strengths that guide him to the rise to power, and weaknesses which direct him to his eventual fall. Cassius believes that the people of Rome are responsible for the government...
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...Martin Luther King, leadership, transformation, change. The research finds that Dr. King personified the four characteristics of transformational leadership. It also illustrates King’s leadership legacy through modern works on leadership. Few individuals have made such a significant contribution to the advancement of modern society as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Born into a family of Baptist ministers in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1929, Martin Luther King also became a Baptist minister and rose to national prominence through the organization of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and as leader of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the mid- 1950s until his death by assassination in 1968. Awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1964, his leadership was fundamental to that movement's success in ending the legal segregation of African Americans in the southern states, and other parts, of the United States. Inspired by Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence, King promoted non-violent tactics for social change such as the massive March on Washington (1963), although he never witnessed his dream of a United States in which all Americans would have racial and economic justice. King’s vision of racial justice and love, provided hope and opportunity to African Americans beset by daily hardship and injustice and the impetus to initiate far-reaching social and political change. His ability to transform the struggle for racial equality into a vision with understandable, concrete...
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...Martin Luther and the Ninety Five Theses Outline I. Introduction II. Who was Martin Luther? III. Martin Luther Calls for Reformation IV. A Short synopsis of the Ninety Five Theses V. Result of the Theses VI. Sources Consulted Introduction Martin Luther was the first person to translate and publish the Bible in the commonly-spoken dialect of the German people. Luther's hymns sparked the development of congregational singing in Christianity. His marriage, on June 13, 1525, to Katharina von Bora, a former nun, began the tradition of clerical marriage within several Christian traditions. Martin Luther was one of the most influential and compelling figures of Church history. Some of the most fundamental tenets of the Catholic Church were called into question by Luther, and lead to the greatest religious revolt in Church history, now known as the Protestant Reformation. Who Was Martin Luther? Martin Luther was born to Hans and Margaretta Luther on November 10, 1483 in Eisleben, Germany. He was baptized on the feast day of St. Martin of Tours, for whom he was named. Martin’s childhood was one of abuse and uncompromising cruelty, “His father once beat him so mercilessly that he ran away from home …His mother, "on account of an insignificant nut, beat me till the blood flowed, and it was this harshness and severity of the life I led with them that forced me subsequently to run away to a monastery and become a monk." His...
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...Seeing as how the years stretching from 1960 through 1969 encompass some of the most volatile in American history, it is only fitting that one of the most polarizing letters of all time finds its birthdate among them. Dr. Martin Luther King’s bluntly-titled “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is, on one scale, a tactful reply to public statements released by eight white religious leaders from the South who condemned the involvement and communal acceptance of “outsiders” in local civil rights protests; on another, it is an impeccably dense treatise regarding both the philosophical and biblical histories of human rights in the context of the 1960s decade. Even within a piece meant to unite rather than divide, however, King bears both the risk of alienating...
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...ineffective to the effective. The leader would make changes to ensure the effectiveness, growth and outcome benefits the corporation. Transformational leadership is the “style of leadership in which the leader identifies the needed change, creates a vision to guide the change through inspiration, and executes the change with the commitment of the members of the group” (Transformational Leadership, n.d.). Northouse (2007) goes further to explain transformational leadership as the process whereby a person engages others and creates a connection that raises the level of motivation and morality in both the leader and the follower (p. 176). Two of the most inspirational transformational leaders of this generation have been Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy. King, with his “I have a Dream” speech inspired the Civil Rights movement. President Kennedy’s vision of “landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth” inspired the space race of the 1960s and 1970s (Greenberg, 2005, p. 364). These men filled the categories of transformational leaders and with their popularity, charisma and confidence; they inspired a nation to change from their old ways into a new millennium of national, social and political improvement. What is a Transformational Leader? The transformational leader has a desire and ability to raise the consciousness of others by applying powerful moral values and ideals....
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...has delivered an Inaugural address. The purpose of this address is for presidents to present their vision of the country (United States) and to set forth their goals for the nation. With that being said, this paper will use the strategy of genre analysis to critique to examine Barack Obama’s second Inaugural Address and John F. Kennedy’s inaugural speech. Genre analysis is a type of rhetorical analysis that examines speeches based on the artifacts or commonalities that contain. The artifacts of speech are created by the rhetor as a response to a specific exigency. So as Bitzer’s essay, The Rhetorical Situation, saw it, in order for a text to be rhetorical, it must come in response to a rhetorical situation. Furthermore a rhetorical situation has three characteristics, an audience, an existence of constraints, and as mentioned above, an exigency. One manner, in which we can analyze an artifact, is through...
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