Martin Luther King: I have a Dream - Essay Example

 Martin Luther King : I have a Dream I have a Dream is a public speech which was delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929- April 4, 1968) a civil rights activist and leader, American clergyman, Pan-Africanist and humanitarian on August 28, 1963. One of his notable works was the I have a Dream speech which he delivered in Washington D.C. As a gifted orator, Martin Luther King Jr. must have made elaborated plans to have his speech deliver the most optimal effects, as shall be seen in the rhetorical analysis which ensues forthwith. First, it is important to note that King effectively and extensively used the rhetorical triangle known as the ethos, pathos and logos by carefully structuring his speech. For one, King extensively uses ethos by appealing to his authority and credibility as the presenter of the speech. For one, King assumes that everyone is aware that he is African American. As such, he is well informed that people take it for granted that he has borne the brunt of racism, racial segregation and persecution, courtesy of institutionalized racism and laws such as the Jim Crow Laws. It is for this reason that many understand the magnitude many appreciate the clauses, staggered by the winds of police brutality and battered by the storms of persecution as indications of both an African American and a civil rights activist who has weathered the enchanted storms of injustice. Thus, when King likens the collective dereliction on the US Constitution and Declaration of Independence to the issuance of a bad check to the African Americans, he is readily taken as one with the authority to speak on such matters, by virtue of his experience (Washington, 26). Another way in which King uses ethos to underscore his message is by presenting himself as someone who has vested interests in the matter or subject in question [in this case, social justice]. After having the audience subconsciously identify him as the epitome of the African American [as has already been seen in the second paragraph], he reverts to show the disregard that the political system had shown the Emancipation Proclamation. King argues that when President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation one hundred years earlier, slaves were legally and automatically declared free and therefore, blacks were not to be treated as chattel any longer. Again, in this instance, King uses this part of evidence to underscore the fact that not only he, but also, Lincoln as an authority in the matter and as one of the most highly esteemed and admired men in American history stood for the emancipation of blacks. In this case therefore, King ingeniously used an ethos appeal through the logos of Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Again, another way in which King used ethos to give the speech maximum effectiveness is his use of impressive logos, to show to the audience that he is highly knowledgeable on the matter. The manner in which King refers to historical facts and milestones such as the Emancipation Proclamation, the US Constitution, the Gettysburg Address, Shakespeare’s Richard III and [indirectly to] the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments to the US Constitution underscores King’s use of logos to underscore his ethos. Particularly, the reference to the Emancipation Proclamation and the plight of blacks as the former slaves weighed upon the mind of the audience, the fact that it had been 100 years since the Emancipation Proclamation was passed, yet the state of blacks was unchanged. This means that for hundreds of years, the plight of the African American had been only deteriorating and not ameliorating. In the conscious of the audience, inference was being made to the effect that the adoption of policies and frameworks which would foster racial equality was highly expedient. Similarly, King’s ability to use Biblical scripture to underscore his standpoint also strengthened his use of logos to strengthen his ethos. King’s reference to Amos 5:24, Isaiah 40:4-5 and Psalms 30:5 not only showed how deeply convicted he was about social justice and racial equality, but also, his strong command and ability to see the interconnectedness extant between spiritual matters and racial equality, as a theologian and Baptist pastor [Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama]. That King had at several times made references to turning the other cheek and kept the civil rights movement a nonviolent affair also testify of King’s appeal to his image as a respectable leader and authority (Lewis, 232). In another wavelength, King also uses pathos to reinforce his appeal to the emotions of the audience. This is especially made manifest in King’s mastery over choice of words and ideas. In the last instances of his speech, King stresses to the audience, the need to keep the faith. He maintains that with faith, it is possible to change the jangling discords of the American nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. Apart from making the audience feel overwhelmed by King’s artistic choice of words, the statement inculcates courage in the audience, since the audience is reminded that continued racial injustice was going to lead to total chaos, while racial equality was going to pave way for a beautiful society (Lewis, 236). King also uses rhetorical questions in his speech. In the final trope in his speech, King asks, “When will you be satisfied?” This triggers a barrage of possible answers and also stirs feelings and attention of both the black and white audiences. King then divulges that blacks will not be pacified as long as racism will exit. By this, King seems to answer whites in general and whites who had asked King and black activists when blacks will be satisfied. From this point, King proceeds to stir up feelings among African Americans when he mentions a litany of social injustice that have been meted on the people of color, as he answers the question, “When will you be satisfied?” This strategy is strong in stirring up the anger and discontentment of the black audience and Negroes’ strong feelings about racism and whites’ collective conscious against racial injustice and inequality. Above all, the appeal to the audience’s emotion is more pronounced in the instance where King digresses from his prepared text for a partial peroration on the theme, “I have a dream.” This had been prompted by Mahalia Jackson’s, piece, “Michael, tell them about the dream.” With this part of the speech, the audience’s emotions hit the roof with thrill and utmost excitement as King elaborated his dream of equality and freedom which would spring from America, a land of racially instigated hatred and inegalitarianism. With this single clause, King joined the rank of Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln as people who had shaped modern America (Washington, 23). As an intellect wielding strong gift of garb, King also uses logos, as a way of using logical appeal to convince the audience. This use of logos is seen in the instance King refers to the Emancipation Proclamation that Abraham Lincoln had signed 100 years earlier as a legal document which had barred the enslavement, subjugation and mistreatment of the African American. It is also worth noting that there are several paralinguistic features which accompanied the delivery of the speech. Right behind King as the speaker were fellow civil rights activists, a commoner and a white police officer. This helped underscore the fact that: all civil rights activists were in unison with King’s speech and dreams [King was speaking for them]; King was speaking with, and not the people; and that the civil rights movement and the speech were in unison with the observation of the rule of law and not anarchy. According to Washington, there is also a heavy use of rhythm and repetition by King to strengthen his message. Every repetition builds on its predecessor and is strengthened by King’s passion. The clause, we cannot be satisfied is used three times, to answer the question, “When will you be satisfied?” The clause, go back is also used three times, while the clause, let freedom ring, four times. In this light, there is veracity in positing that Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech was successful because of his massive and clever use of literary and non-literary devices (Washington, 25). Works Cited Lewis, Anthony. “King, Martin Luther, J.: King’s Dream.” Biography, 32.1 (2009): 230-236. Print Washington, A. Durthy. “‘I have a Dream’: A Rhetorical Analysis.” The Black Scholar, 23.2 (1993): 23-27. Print Read More