Rhetorical Analysis of MLK Jr's Speech I Have a Dream - Essay Example

Rhetorical Analysis of MLK Jrs speech “I have a dream” MLK Jrs speech “I have a dream” has become one of the most notable historical speeches as far as the United States is concerned. The speech was delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 and the whole speech addresses the racist and civil rights issues confronted by the Black community in the nation. The speech had a great impact on the black civil rights movement as it offered them a clear vision for the future. Similarly, the speech is regarded as a landmark in the history of black liberation; all throughout the speech Martin Luther King shares the dream of an African American for freedom and equality. Martin Luther King employs a number of rhetorical strategies to make his speech effective and appealing to the audience. The use of rhetorical questions, metaphors, similes, epistrophe, anaphora, antithesis, tone, rhythmic use of language and the well-knit structure of the speech contribute to the effectiveness of the speech. The speech clearly demonstrates that Martin Luther King was quite aware of the nature of his audience. The speech is targeted at three types of audiences-the segregated blacks, the moderate whites who support the civil rights movement and the racist whites who condemn the civil rights movement. King’s intention is to stir the public opinion in favor of black liberation, freedom and equality. The speech is quite persuasive in nature and the speaker employs various rhetorical strategies all throughout the speech. From an Aristotelian point of view the speech appeals to the ethos (credibility, ethics, character, honesty and confidence of the speaker), logos (use of reasoning to appeal to the reader) and pathos (emotional appeal) of the audience. However, a close analysis of the speech reveals that King predominantly tries to stir the pathos or emotional appeal of his audience through carefully planned rhetorical devices and this paper seeks to explore how the speaker tries to change the emotional status of the audience. It is worthwhile to analyze the introductory part of the speech where King introduces the depth and severity of the segregation and inequality faced by the Black community in America. At the very outset of his speech king captures the attention of his audience by stating that the meeting will be ‘the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history’ of the nation. He then reminds the audience of the Emancipation Proclamation made by Abraham Lincoln a century ago and describes it as ‘great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves.’ However, King goes on to portray the tragic plight of the Negro community towards the rest of the introductory session. He reminds them that the Negro is still not free and that he is “crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.” He also points out that the Declaration of Independence guaranteed by the constitution was a bad check with insufficient funds. Thus, one can find the conscious efforts of the speaker to appeal to the pathos of his audience by taking their attention to those unfulfilled promises and guarantees offered to the Negro community. Then King makes a deliberate call of action and exhorts his audience that it is high time for them to move from the dark valley of segregation to the radiant path of racial justice and brotherhood. Thus, the speaker makes his intentions very much clear in the introductory session of the speech. The following paragraphs will analyze how Martin Luther makes deliberate attempts to appeal to the pathos of his audience through a variety of rhetorical devices. One can find a number of effective metaphors and similes in King’s speech and these contribute to the pathos formation. As already mentioned King uses the metaphor of a ‘dark and desolate valley’ for racism whereas racial justice is a ‘sunlit path’ for him. Similarly, the metaphor of a ‘great beacon light’ is used to describe the Emancipation Proclamation made by Abraham Lincoln. However, king reminds his audience that the metaphors of ‘sunlit path’ and ‘great beacon light’ do not exist in the real life of the black community and this emotionally appeals to the public. Similarly, instances of simile are abundant in the speech. One of the most powerful similes in the speech occurs when King points out that the Declaration of Independence was like a bad check with insufficient funds. In the same way, King compares justice to waters and righteousness to mighty stream when he purports that the Negro community “we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” The effective use of simile can also be found when king regards the Emancipation Proclamation as ‘a joyous daybreak’ and a great “beacon of hope” to the slaves. Anaphora is the strongest and most powerful rhetorical tool used in the speech to evoke the emotions of the audience. One can find powerful repetition of many clauses at various parts of the speech. Towards the first part of the speech the expression “now is the time” is repeated many times to prepare the audiences to wake from their sleep and react. King tries to instill in the minds of his followers the necessity and inevitability of protest. Towards the middle part of the speech the expression “we can never be satisfied” is repeated to yield collective action from the part of the Black community. The most powerful of the Anaphora used in the speech occur at the concluding part of the speech where expressions like “I have a dream,” “Let freedom ring from” and “Free at last” are consciously repeated by Martin Luther King. “I have a dream” is repeated many times by king to take the pathos of his audience to a new America where the black boys and white girls can join hands and work as brothers and sisters. The variations in the tone employed by King while repeating these anaphora expressions provide extra dimensions to the persuasiveness of the speech. This touching image is sure to lure the hearts of many. In the same way, the use of anaphora such as “Let freedom ring from” and “Free at last” also persuade the audience to dream of a free America where social justice, equality, liberty and fraternity will flourish. One can also notice that rhetorical strategies such as epistrophe, antithesis, the rhythmic use of language and the well-knit structure of the speech also contribute to the pathos as well as the effectiveness of the speech. Epistrophe refers to the repetition of the same word at the end of successive clauses and as such it contributes to the rhythmic quality of the speech as well. For instance, the repetition of the word ‘together’ in “…we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together…” and ‘go back’ in “go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities…” show the power of epistrophe in the speech. Antithesis, on the other hand, refers to “two utterly different ideas are put together, which is useful for grabbing attention and emphasizing” (Anson). The most effective use of epostrophe in the speech can be found when king observes that the Negro is still living on ‘a lonely island of poverty’ whereas the whites are in ‘a vast ocean of material prosperity.’ In the same way, the structure of the play also contributes to effective pathos as it initially portrays the injustice and unequal treatment shown towards the black community; calls for action; and finally exhorts the audience to dream for freedom, justice and equality. To conclude, it can be stated that Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech “I have a dream” employs a number of rhetorical devices to stir the pathos the audience. As already mentioned the use of metaphors, similes, epistrophe, anaphora, antithesis, rhythmic use of language and the well-knit structure of the speech contribute to its effectiveness. Apart from these King also employees rhetorical questions such as “when will you be satisfied?” to trigger positive responses from his fellow blacks. Similarly, one can also notice such optimistic and positive exhortations as “we shall march ahead” and “we cannot turn back.” Another factor contributing to the emotional appeal of the speech is King’s in-depth understanding of the nature of his audience. In fact, King shares the concerns, frustrations, and dreams of his audience and prepares them to act promptly to bring about desirable changes in the American society. King also tries to appeal to the pathos of the white people in the meeting when he asks the crowd not to “distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.” In the same way, one can also find King making use of many biblical allusions in the speech as he knows the Christian background of his audience. Works Cited Anson L. Rhetorical Analysis of the “I Have a Dream” Speech. n.p., n.d. Web. 6 March 2012. King Jr, Martin Luther. Martin Luther Kings Speech: I Have a Dream - The Full Text. ABC News. Aug. 28, 1963. Web. 6 March 2012. Read More