The "I Have a Dream" speech by Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most influential speeches ever. Martin Luther used different parts of the English language to enhance the meaning of his speech and bring out the details. The different rhetorical devices, allusions to historic documents, and metaphors seemed to have brought about the emotions that King was trying to arouse in his listeners. This helped him influence his listeners towards wanting equality for all and changing what was happening in the present so they didn't repeat things in the past The very title of his speech was probably taken from his use of anaphora which was present throughout his speech. "I have a dream that one day the nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed… that all men are created equal."
Throughout his letter, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. attempts to draw an emotional connection with readers. Returning to the previous quote “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality…Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly” (p. 4), King strengthens his argument by assuming that we (the readers) are rooted somehow in relation to one another, therefore the actions of one (be that positive, or negative) will inevitably affect all. King deepens this emotional connection through the use of perspective, stating
“…chains of discrimination…” “…great vaults of opportunity…” “…quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.” The use of metaphors help to emphasise the message that King is trying to push for and helps keep listeners interested and holds their attention. King also uses anaphora quite frequently during the course of his speech. He uses anaphora to keep the momentum of a specific topic he may be discussing such as life of the Negro’s. “One hundred years later…” “I have a dream…” “Let freedom ring…” are all repeated to help remind the audience of the themes he is speaking about. Antithesis has also been used in his speech to reveal the goals he wishes to achieve.
Mallory Phillips In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s The Purpose of Education speech, he uses many examples of ethos, pathos, and logos. These are the three essential qualities that your speech or paper must have before your audience will accept your message. (Gale, 2011) Dr. King has sent us a message from the past, education should force us to think incisively and to think for one’s self and not let our mental life become invaded by half truths, prejudices, and propaganda to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal, and the facts from the fiction. He lived a very full and meaningful life, filled with major ups and downs that made him such a highly respected man. He was known for his inspirational speeches and open minded attitude.
Andrew Bacon Eng 101 Essay#3 10/23/12 Ethos, Pathos, Logos Martin Luther King, President Obama, and Charlie Chaplain all evoke strong persuasive techniques to tell a story but more importantly to shed light on intolerance and injustices all around us. Through their artistic use of the rhetorical triangle they give compelling and emotional testimony, not only through what they have witnessed but what they experienced. Ethos, pathos and logos are ancient techniques used in persuading anyone from your best friend to an entire society to perhaps think differently. Dr. King ‘s speech simultaneously uses all three persuasive techniques in his first sentence. He stated he was happy to join with his audience evoking pathos.
Ji Hwan Bae This author uses a variety of persuasive techniques in his essay to craft an extremely well thought-out argument for why liberal arts is useful. The author purposely evoked certain feelings such as anxiety and empathy, which kept the readers engaged throughout the passage. He proceeds to alleviate these concerns by providing liberal arts education as an alternative, thus making the readers want to peruse the liberal educations. This is further emphasized through the incorporation of credible evidences and listing some of the most successful cases as examples. The author is mindfully persuasive from the very beginning, introducing the topic with a dramatization that draws the reader in.
A distinctive voice creates an emotional response to texts through its ability to connect with an audience and position them to understand their purpose through the use of a range of written techniques. The two speeches “I have a dream” by Martin Luther King and “Address to the Plenary Session” by Severn Cullis-Suzuki and the song “dear Mr president” composed by pink will be used throughout to help show you how a distinctive voice creates an emotional response to texts. “ I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King and “Address to the Plenary Session, Earth Summit” by Severn Cullis-Suzuki, both have strong an powerful speakers/ composers presenting the speech. In the speech “I Have a Dream”, Martin addresses prominent issues by exposing the racial injustice African Americans faces. In the speech “Address to the Plenary Session, Earth Summit” Severn Cullis-Suzuki raised her concern about the destruction of the environment.
In my opinion, he created a light in the mind of others because his speech was coming out from his heart. Dr. King used the language devices in his speech and created the best speech in American history. He used anaphora, reputation, allusions, and metaphors to engage people and convince them to claim their rights hardly. First, he used many anaphors in his speech “One hundred years later, Now is the time, We must, We can never (cannot) be satisfied, Go back to, Go back to, With this faith, and Let freedom ring (from)” which made the speech stuck in people’s minds. Second, he used the reputation in many forms such as “freedom, we, nation, justice, and dream”.
I am pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice, but being a Mentoring is my passion. The belief that God created mankind in his own image should be an inspiration to all. Just the thought of having a fraction of the greatness that is God within me lifts me beyond measure. Psalms 139:14 express my feeling perfectly, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Mankind has so much untapped potential because we foolishly idolize each other instead of praising God for making use so wonderfully. We spend so much time and energy thinking of ways to improve ourselves in the eyes of others when the eyes of God or the only ones that truly matter.
Kings distinctive voice conveys his determination in uniting a nation to bring the changes needed. His experience in ac church had helped him create a voice which creates pathos as he preaches his message to the audiences, and thus his repetitive and memorable words create a distinctive voice throughout the speech. Similarly, he also creates his distinctive voice through the urgency he demands of America for change. For instance, King states, “tranquilising drug of gradualism” to show how this the required change the African Americans