ITT-Technical University

Rhetorical Analysis of Dr. Martin Luther Kings “I Have A Dream” (Revised)
Introduction
On August 28th 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave the “I Have a Dream” speech which was addressed to not only the 200,000 white and black Americans but people all around the world. The “I Have A Dream” speech has been considered one of the most greatest and powerful speeches in history. Why was it given? Simply to rectify that all me were created equal despite their race or color. In this Analysis I will be explaining some literary terms he used as strategies in his speech, and also explain how Dr. King used two rhetorical patterns to help him support his argument, those two patters are Ethos, & Pathos.

Strategies Dr. King used many literary terms in the “I Have a Dream” speech such as Alliteration, which is the repetition of sounds. For example he says, “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.” The “c” in those three words of that sentence gives it a repetitive rhythm feel which will make that important part of the speech catch and memorable. Also from that same sentence he used Anaphora, which describes the most famous part of the speech, where in this case is “I Have a Dream”. Although he used it many times just buy naming this speech “I Have a Dream” it will make everything he say after that easy to remember.

Ethos In the very beginning of the speech Dr. King referenced Abraham Lincolns Emancipation Proclamation in saying “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. From my point of view not only did he just quote a powerful man but he pulled in the audience of both sides who may not have been 100 percent for him pre-speech knowing what kind of segregation and discriminating actions that could had happen, so using this he brought a sense of early speech unity he knew that people tend to believe people whom we respect. Both blacks and whites respected Lincoln. This introduction sentence sent a message to both ethnicities there. Giving credit to Abraham Lincoln being that he was a great president who used that line in empowering Americans during the civil war and had gained the trust of America and also established a new sense of freedom.

Pathos Dr. Kings use of pathos was very good, with the way that he directs address both his audience both black and white emotionally to me is “The Power Behind the Punch” (Williamson, Feb, 23 2013) everything he put into this speech has a emotional kick to it weather it was sad, funny, or encouraging. Throughout this entire speech you can hear the crowds emotion changing after almost every paragraph. A great example of this is the paragraph: “It is obvious today that America has 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.” This triggers a encouraging emotion which leads to applause, and then he follows after by saying, “But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.” And the crowd began to laugh. (I have a dream speech original recording.)

Conclusion Throughout this great speech by Dr. Martin Luther King you can only imagine all of the research, time, and dedication he put into this strong empowering speech. Dr. King recalled that he did not finish the complete text of the speech until 3:30 A.M. on the morning of August 28th. After the speech he then recalled: “I started out reading the speech, and I read it down to a point…. The audience response was wonderful that day…. And all of a sudden this thing came to me that…. I’d used many times before….’I have a dream.’ And I just felt that I wanted to use it here…. I used it, and at that point I just turned aside from the manuscript altogether. I didn’t come back to it” (King, 29 November 1963). The “I Have a Dream” to me was the change we as a nation needed to become more united as a country. He spoke out on the issues black people with discrimination and racism when no one else would. This speech will be taught on for many years to come.

References 1. King, Dr. Martin Luther. “I have a Dream”. Washington D.C., 1963. 2. Roberts , R. (2010). "i have a dream' speech, in its entirety . Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122701268 3. have a dream speech analysis lesson plan. (2012, January 11). Retrieved from http://blog.flocabulary.com/i-have-a-dream-speech-analysis-lesson-plan/ 4. Gallagher, R. (2009, April 1). Analysis of dr. martin luther king's "i have a dream" speech. Retrieved from http://voices.yahoo.com/analysis-dr-martin-luther-kings-dream-2976335.html?cat=4 5. The global freedom struggle. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_i_have_a_dream_28_august_1963/ 6. Martin Luther King Jr. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 04:07, Feb 23, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/martin-luther-king-jr-9365086.