Rhetorical Devices Used In Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream Speech

Improved Essays
In, “I Have a Dream” by, Martin Luther King he talks about that all men are created equal and black people have rights just like white people and there should be peace with white people and black people. This speech was was very compelling in many ways it made you think really deep and think with the rhetorical devices used in this speech. One rhetorical device that was used to have an impactful effect was repetition for example MLK said, “I have a dream today,(paragraph),I have a dream today”(MLK). He used repetition to make you feel deep and it helped the speech to make sure you understood what he said. He used these rhetorical devices so well it had flow and people really felt what he was saying. He did that by a lot of repetition also another

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The main argument/point was for Martin Luther King to convince the clergymen why he did what he did and why it was necessary. He responded to the criticisms about his actions in Birmingham. He uses persuasive tones to try to influence the reader to agree with him. King wanted freedom for all African Americans. He argued that if African Americans were to stop protesting they would never get their rights.…

    • 251 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    One rhetorical device Martin Luther King uses in both of these works is repetition. Repetition is when the author, King, repeats words or phrases to give key ideas impact. In his I Have a Dream Speech he uses this rhetorical device many times. In paragraph 3 he repeats the phrase One…

    • 396 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The largest and most credible part of King's speech was the idea that Civil Rights and the advancement of racial equality was part of American History. Throughout the speech, Dr. King uses these ideas to emphasize his point. The idea of being able to use American historical narrative as evidence or proof of why the dream must be achieved is another notion of credibility within the speech. In this light, Dr. King's argument gains credence as he argues that Civil Rights are nothing more than an extension of the rights upon which the nation was founded.…

    • 200 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Dr. King’s speech uses pathos appeal because it inspires and motivates the audience to fight for racial equality by boosting their spirits. They are told that they can stop segregation and they listen to that and make it happen. On paragraph 9 of the speech, he says, “You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.” The word “continue” is motivating the reader to keep going with what they are doing.…

    • 138 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Throughout his speech, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. uses an arsenal of rhetorical devices when trying to persuade his audience at Riverside Church in Harlem of the injustices of the Vietnam war. The most convincing of these devices were his knowledge of ethics, emotion, imagery, and rhetorical questions to convince the congregation to speak up and break the silence about the war in Vietnam. Reverend King begins by planting a seed of confidence and trust in the congregation. He does this by informing listeners of his experience as a preacher and with facing difficult moral situations such as a riot in a norther ghetto.…

    • 363 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The speech I Have A Dream by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. uses literary devices, allusion and diction of unity, and rhetorical devices, ethos and logos, to motivate and rally the people across America to join the civil rights movement. This speech was given at the March on Washington on August 28, 1963. Throughout the speech, Dr. King makes references to multiple documents throughout history. One of the allusions was when Dr. King says “...a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves” (2). In this quote Dr. King is referring to the Emancipation Proclamation, which was a speech that freed the slaves in America.…

    • 736 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Dr. King’s preparation, emotional connection to the audience, tone, and delivery were all contributions to this powerful and courageous speech. He uses symbolism and powerful diction to paint the picture of how life as an African American really was. “I Have a Dream” is formed in a parallel structure, which means the repetition of the same pattern of words that are similar in grammatical form. Also, the phrase “I have a dream” is a repeated clause that appears throughout the text of the speech. “This speech is also an example of parallelism for emphasis” (Your Dictionary).…

    • 948 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Lowery, L., & Mitchell, H. (1987). Martin Luther King Day. Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books. Ask students what they recall learning about Martin Luther King Jr. Students may use their graphic organizer to look back on.…

    • 699 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    One of the most important speeches in the nation’s history was given on August 28th, 1963 by the most influential and iconic leader of the Civil Rights movement. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. along with more than 250,000 peaceful supporters marched to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. The march was to rally the American public to celebrate 100 years of Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and to support the changes necessary for racial equality and justice for colored people. Although there was great opposition and difficulty, King still took the stage and delivered some of his most powerful and influential words that are still remembered by millions of people around the world today. In fact, several important and historical events…

    • 1130 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is an activist for civil rights. He is also a leader in nonviolent movements across America and influences people around the world to fight for civil rights. King is most known for his “I Have a Dream” speech, which he gave at Washington D.C in 1963. In fact, the speech was so influential it earned King a Nobel Peace Prize. Other works by King include “Beyond Vietnam,” “Give us a ballot” and his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech (Biography.com Editors 1).…

    • 1197 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Although there are many speeches that have contributed to the progress of civil rights in American history, no other speech comes to mind more than Martin Luther King’s notorious “I Have a Dream” speech. It paved the way for the equality of all mankind in America, thus, becoming an imperative check mark in the history of our nation. It’s effectiveness, however, isn’t accomplished just by the remarkable delivery of Dr. King. His “I Have a Dream” speech successfully implements many rhetorical devices to establish a powerful speech that readers and listeners can easily connect to. Besides its heartfelt and promising content, Dr. King’s use of vivid metaphors, influential repetition of words and phrases, and placement of strong verbs construct…

    • 1036 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    On, August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have A Dream” speech with the intention of building a better bond within the American people in order to assemble a remarkable future. During that time in America, most citizens were racially divided and many people of color were looked down on in society. Martin Luther King saw a problem with how segregated they were and him an many other advocates for civil rights planned to do something about it. This speech was a way to motivate millions of African Americans to demand justice from their oppressors, to say enough is enough. Dr. King delivered the message of freedom, inequality, and racial segregation very clearly because of his use of metaphors, repetition, and imagery.…

    • 1301 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Martin Luther King is a famously known Civil Rights activist during the Civil Rights Era. His contributions led to equal rights for men of color and whites. One of his strongest attributes was, to persuade people to think or do what is right. Two cases of this are his famous "I Have a Dream" speech and his "Letter From Brigham Jail". In both works, he uses persuasive text to persuade the reader do or think someway.…

    • 1010 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “I Have A Dream” is a speech written by Dr. Martin Luther King during the Civil Rights Movement. King wrote about the many things that the white people aren’t owning up to and one of which includes the freedom for black people. His intention of writing his speech is to help the white people realize that the blacks are in a desperate need of their freedom and that they will not wait another day until they get what they deserve. In order to make his speech understandable to the whites and others, King uses various literary devices. Few of the many literary devices that king used in his speech includes metaphors, connotation, and repetition.…

    • 1072 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The speech” I have a dream” by Martin Luther king, was delivered in August 28 1963 at Lincoln Memorial Washington D.C, is one of the most powerful speech in American history. The speech is powerful and the tone fluctuates mainly between pathos and logos. Also, the speaker provided argumentative speech by addressing reasons and supports for his argument. In addition, he represented the other point of view for his demand of racial justice. However, the words were simple, but the speech varies from the treatise style to the poetic one.…

    • 1094 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays