Martin Luther King I Have a Dream - Essay Example

Speech Analysis Speech The Speech selected for analysis in this paper is the famous speech delivered by Martin LutherKing Jr., “I have a dream”, on 28th August 1963. This speech is particularly of great significance as it addressed the need for the prevalence of racial equality.VenueThe speech was delivered at Lincoln Avenue near the Washington Monument and was attended by more than 200,000 people in person.SpeakerThe speaker of this historic speech is one of the most notable and respected leaders of the American Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Junior.

He was an activist and followed the principles of Mahatma Gandhi and thus believed in tolerance, patience, dialogue and nonviolence.Analysis of the SpeechThis speech was delivered with sheer confidence and utter conviction using a combination of logos, pathos and ethos of speech. The orator was rational in his arguments, emotional with his voice intonation and was respected and looked upon by the audience. Every word that he spoke was listened to and this made his speech more affective. Considering the attitudes of audience then the speaker addressed the affective dimension of their attitude by assuring them of the commencement of an imminent change in the country, for the better.

The personality and presence of the speaker are keys to an impactful public speech. Martin Luther King Jr. was considered to be one of the greatest revolutionaries of all times and thus each word that he spoke was seen with credibility and weighed with internalization. The listeners could identify themselves with the reader and thus can understand and interpret whatever that was said, accurately. The way of speaking of Martin Luther King Jr. was expressive and this added the component of power to his words, making him appear more credible to the audience, as they perceived him to be an expert in politics and a trustworthy individual.

The speech was made in public so the physical setting added more worth to each word spoken by the speaker as he was able to make people believe what he said and they chanted slogans and cheered for him all the way. The audience speaker relationship is really important in an affective speech, Martin Luther King Jr. was looked up on as a role model by millions of people and so it was easier for him to convey his ideology to the audience because they were very receptive to his ideas and thoughts in advance, because he always addressed to their core beliefs.

The speech was delivered in context to the American Civil Rights movements and it talked about the establishment egalitarianism in public and political sphere in the US, therefore it gained a lot of support and acceptance from people (Hansen, 2003, p.177).Favorite line from the speech“With this faith, we will be able to hue out of the mountain of despair . . . . With this faith we will be able to transform the tangling discords of our nation into beautiful symphony of brotherhood.”These lines are chosen to be the best in the entire 17 minute speech because the speaker almost sums up the notion and objective of the speech and the public gets a fair bit of idea of whatever that has been said and what are the objectives of the American Civil Rights movement and where is it leading them to.

Apart from the line above, the speaker on various occasions used the phrase “I have a dream . . .” in the speech and this added a lot of emotion and motivation among the listeners to think about the future, imagine it and try to make it possible.In all in all this was an effective and a very high rated speech in the history of American Rhetoric. This speech teaches us the way to speak in front of a humongous crowd, for a noble cause and for the better future of future generations. With such an agenda in hand the speaker has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders for being honest, loyal and committed to the cause that he is been speaking for.

ReferenceHansen, D, D. (2003). The Dream: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Speech that Inspired a Nation. New York, NY: Harper Collins. p. 177.