Prewriting 3page essay

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Rhetorical analysis of the “I have a dream” speech by Martin Luther King Jr.

In the middle of the twentieth century, racism was at the center stage in the United States, where most white citizens discriminated their African American counterparts (Holland). Although at the time all blacks were supposed to be free, they were under a polluted law system, where they were victimized endless. Due to this situation, many civil rights activists and groups started rising as an effort by the blacks to eliminate the discrimination (Bobbitt). Amongst all the activists, the most prominent was Martin Luther King Jr., who was from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). However, out of all of his protests the “I have a dream” speech had the most impact to a point where his opponents saw him as a threat. The speech was held on March 1963 during the Washington for jobs and freedom and was held on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial (Holland). The speech had much impact because Martin Luther King Jr. used rhetorical structures that were effective in presenting the racists problems that provoked most of the audience to feel sympathy for the blacks and provided hope for the oppressed African Americans (Martin Luther King).

Martin Luther King Jr. utilized the tense social mood of the era in his speech, and thus it had such a massive impact as it gave other black activists a vision for the future. The “I have a dream” speech was successful in making the whites feel ashamed of the course. In his seventeen minutes speech, it is quite clear that King was addressing different audiences; the blacks, the whites, the militant blacks and the racists supremacists. King structured his speech in such a way that it was appealing to all the targeted audience (Bobbitt). The speech came strong because King supported it with rhetoric modes (ethos, logos, and pathos) which he later reinforced using schemes and rhetorical tropes (Holland). For this reason, the three strategies that will be discussed in the analysis are; rhetorical modes, rhetorical tropes, and schemes. The structure of a speech and King was recognized this is because he shows the truth of the civil rights movements, the plight of the blacks and presents hope in the future. He recognized that the speech was supposed to be appealing to all the different audience and thus structured it extremely well (Martin Luther King).

In his address, King starts by presenting the problem to his audience, he helps them to visualize the problems the African Americans were going through, and thoroughly describes their condition (Bobbitt). He claims that “the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.” He also states that “the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.” King also says that “the Negro still languishes in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his land.” It helps the whites in realizing the terrible plight the blacks are in; it also strikes the hearts of most African Americans because they feel that they are represented (Bobbitt).

The speech makes the whites feel as if it is their faults that the blacks are in this terrible plight (Martin Luther King). He makes the whites feel that the suffering is not due to the failures of the blacks because he says they are denied their constitutional rights. Most individuals had lost confidence in the movement because it lead to violence, and King being a public face of the movement tried to stop this (Martin Luther King). He stating that “In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds, We must not drink from the cup of bitterness and hatred.” “We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence (Holland). We must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force”.

King understands that it is crucial to give the blacks hope for the future.At the end of his speech he stated that “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.” In his speech he uses rhetorical modes, one of which is pathos where he utilizes the audience emotions so that they no longer hate each other but rather a racism (Martin Luther King). King manages to make the audience sympathize with the African Americans, hate racism and creates hope for a better future. He states that the blacks are stranded on a “lonely island of poverty” which stirs the audience emotions.

He also claims that racists feel like a “dark and desolate valley” and “justice is a sunlit path.” (Bobbitt) King utilizes pathos by stating that “our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: "For Whites Only."” King also utilizes the other two rhetorical modes by claiming that the Constitution was clear that all men white or black were to grant same rights (Bobbitt). However, the society did not keep its promise and King states that “America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check that has come back marked "insufficient funds.” King uses logos in the speech where he states that “a great American in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation.” Where he referred to Lincoln, who signed that all blacks are free and should not be associated or treated as property (Bobbitt).

Other than rhetorical modes, King uses schemes in his speech. In particular, he uses epistrophe when he states “With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.” (Bobbitt) He wanted to inform the members of the movement that none of them will ever be left behind alone and that the will always work together. Another scheme used is anaphora when he says “One hundred years later” and “Now is the time” repeatedly in a paragraph (Bobbitt). He aims to emphasize his point to the audience; a good example is when the Negros are asked when they will be satisfied, and he replies, “We will not be satisfied.” He intends to emphasize that they will not stop until the discrimination against blacks is eliminated. He also repeats “I have a dream” severally, meaning that he sees a new America which will be free from racism (Holland).

King also uses parallelism in his speech where he states that “riches of freedom and security of justice” and “justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” By repeating the two statements next to each other, King expresses the fact that African Americans want freedom and justice. Using parallelism King emphasizes the importance of liberty when he repeats “let freedom ring” and “from (American place name).” King also uses antithesis by saying “the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.” (Martin Luther King) He was trying to emphasize that the Negros have been left behind and ignored while the rest of the state moves to success and fortune (Holland).

King also uses tropes in his speech, where he alludes such works as the Bible, Shakespeare’s “Richard 3” and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (Martin Luther King). By quoting the Bible, he presents his ideas with what is considered as righteous by most people, and it reminds them of the important parts of the past (Bobbitt). An example is where he says “justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” Which is direct from the Bible (Amos 5:24). King also quotes from Isaiah 40:4-5 “I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight.” (Bobbitt) It was relevant to use the Bible in his speech because the larger part of the population in the 1960s were church goers and thus the Bible was holy (Holland).

Thus, the audience felt that king’s speech was righteous because it had its base from the Bible and thus most people would support his vision (Martin Luther King). Gettysburg Address by Lincoln was also discussing human rights, and also, Lincoln were seen to support the blacks in America. He says “five score years ago” which is similar to the statements in the Address “four scores and seven years ago.” King also says, “summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality.” Which alludes from the Shakespeare's “Richard 111” which is play involving two brothers who have been in conflict for long and thus he tries to convince the audience that blacks and whites are brothers (Holland). King also uses metaphors when he says “In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check” and “America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check that has come back marked "insufficient funds.” He also uses rhetorical questions such as “when will you be satisfied.” (Bobbitt)

Conclusion

Martin Luther King Jr. gave one of his strongest and best speech during one of the most popular marches in history in 1963 during the march on for jobs and freedom. During these times, racism and segregation were at the toll of the American society. The discrimination made most of the lives of the blacks unbearable, but the king’s “I have a dream” speech caused an impact that changed all this. The speech gave most blacks hope for the future; it provoked them not to give up on the fight for justice and freedom (Bobbitt). The speech also made most whites to be ashamed of their actions, and they changed their thinking about the blacks, and they wanted to give the society a new start. The impact of the speech was massive that even today it continues to inspire generations to let go of their racism and advocate for colorblindness (Martin Luther King). The speech had heartwarming content and on top, the author managed to combine rhetorical modes, rhetorical tropes and schemes in the speech which made it well-structured and thus it was able to touch most of the Americans.

Works Cited

Bobbitt, David A. The rhetoric of redemption : Kenneth Burke's redemption drama and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littefield Publishers, 2004. Print book.

Holland, Leslie J. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s I have a dream speech in translation : what it really means. Mankato, Minn: Capstone Press, 2009. Print book.

Martin Luther King, Jr. I have a dream. New York: Scholastic Press, 1997. Print book.