Perform a rhetorical analysis of a work of your choosing - Essay Example

His words became a basis for us to understand the social and political condition of the era. It was a moment for the blacks and even those whites and others who were subjected to inequality and racial subjugation to see the bright future when all human beings irrespective of their caste, color or creed would be treated equally on all social, political and cultural levels. The speech took the form of political treatise with the words getting a political favor and a rhythmic tone while making the use of imagery, frequent repetition and alliteration.

There is simplicity in the speech yet was quite forceful to shake the foundations of the American decrees. The first part espoused not the America of their dreams but shattering nightmares of Americans when they had to face racial abuse in every sphere of their lives. As King proclaimed, “we can never be satisfied” (226), had deep political overtures which challenged the white ruling government that just mere ‘words’ now would have no effect on them and they should get their dues. The second half of the speech took the shape of the verbatim voice further exhibiting the cause of freedom.

Now was no time to involve in tranquilizing the spirit of freedom gradually but this was a time of a drastic change and to make promises that would change the lives of each American. Anaphoric device used by King made the speech the most powerful form of expression and increased the rhetorical impact. “I have a dream” is repeated eight times throughout the text and has become one of the most cited examples of anaphora. Similarly other words like “Now is the time…” in paragraph 6, “We must…” in paragraph 8, and “Go back to…” in paragraph 14 are all repetitive words intentionally used many times to make the world understand the intensity and depth of what he was speaking.

Through these words, he made people realized that these were not merely spoken words but to put the same into practice. Repetition helps the people to remember the words and also to imbibe them in their mind, heart and soul and King ardently applied this technique to stimulate them to carry the momentum of their struggle forward and towards their successful end. Martin Luther King explicitly implied direct quotations from historical and literary works to give thrust to his speech and at the same time implicitly made use of the allusions to arouse the consciousness of the audience towards his words.

“Five score years ago” in paragraph two of his speech from Gettysburg address had a deep emotional impact as the King spoke just at the Lincoln memorial. Referring to the United States Declaration of Independence, King retorted “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (225) would be the norm in America and from the Jeremiah 2: 13 he urged, “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred” (225). These pleas allowed the minds of all the listeners to get disposed towards his words as he said even the Declaration of the Independence and constitution had not given them their rights for which they were promised.

By making people aware of this document, he insisted his brethren towards the real situation of racism which even after this promissory note was prevalent in their lives. King persuaded all to unite together for a common cause and be judged not by the color of their skin but by their attributes and character. These words created an