Rhetoric Analysis of Martin Luther’s “I Have a Dream” Speech
Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech is one of the greatest speeches in American history. The speech was delivered on August 28, 1963, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Martin Luther uses great oratory skills and rhetoric to persuade the people listening to his speech on his dream for an America free of racial discrimination and with equal opportunities for all, including African Americans. The speech, given on the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, was a defining moment in the Civil Rights Movement and the history of the United States. The speech came at the time of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States during the presidency of John F Kennedy, a supporter of civil rights. The speech provided the perfect opportunity for Luther to share with the masses his dream for an America in which everyone would have freedom and equal opportunities regardless of their race, a fete he successfully achieved.
Luther begins his speech with a prophetic tone when he claims that he was joining the crowd for what would go down as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. The appeal is one of unity, hope, commitment, and action – important pillars of his speech and the greater Civil Rights Movement. The introduction to the speech was meant to capture the attention of the audience and inspire them to join Luther in his dream for America. Luther then proceeds to allude to the Emancipation Proclamation by Abram Lincoln that set former slaves free. He uses imagery when he says that the “decree came as a great beacon light of hope” to highlight the importance of the Emancipation Declaration (“Martin Luther King”). He further uses imagery to create a picture of how bad the situation had been before the Emancipation Declaration by likening it to flames of withering injustice (“Martin Luther King”). The allusion and imagery help to create a historical perspective of the issue and set the stage for the next components of the speech while also creating eagerness among the listeners on what is coming next.
Luther then proceeds to state affirmatively and in all simplicity that the Negro is still not free. He uses repetition to emphasize this point and to appeal to the emotions (pathos) of his listeners by repeating the phrase ‘hundred years later’ in successive sentences to highlight that change was long overdue. Luther also appeals to logic (logos) and emotions (pathos) by highlighting how the “Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity” (“Martin Luther King”). He further appeals to ethics (ethos) by alluding to the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence that illuminate the ethical basis for the speech and the Civil Rights Movement. He further appeals to ethics by saying that America had “defaulted on its promissory note” and issued the Negro people a bad check that had come back marked “insufficient funds” (“Martin Luther King”). This use of imagery highlights Luther’s plea and appeals to the emotions of the crowd and ethics. Luther also appeals to logic (logos) by likening justice to a bank and stating that the bank is not bankrupt meaning that justice was not in short supply and there was thus no reason for the Negro people not to partake of it.
Luther progresses his speech by highlighting the urgency of the matter and the need for fast action. He repeats the words “now is the time” to insist on immediate action and appeal to the authorities and the crowd on the urgency of the matter (“Martin Luther King”). He also uses metaphors like quicksands of racial injustice, solid rock of brotherhood, dark and desolate valley of segregation, and sunlit path of racial justice to appeal to the crowd to act and contrast different positions (“Martin Luther King”). He also makes an appeal to emotions by incorporating religion into the picture by likening all the people to God’s children. Luther further takes a firm stand of appeal by stating that there would not be rest until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. While this position may seem radical, it highlights the urgency of the matter and its importance to the audience and serves as a call to action. Luther then takes a turn and appeals to nonviolence in the quest for justice and equality. He appeals to the crowd not to resort to violence to achieve freedom. It is an appeal to both emotions and ethics that highlights the need for a peaceful quest for justice and freedom.
Luther then takes advantage of a question to appeal to the logic behind the Civil Rights Movement. He uses the question to provide answers to the quest for justice by highlighting the discrimination Negros go through and explaining why the Civil Rights Movement must continue to stem out the discrimination. The content of the answers to the question appeals to the crowd and activists of the movement to continue their efforts because freedom, justice, and equality were yet to be realized. Creating the question and providing answers to it is a wise way to explain why the Civil Rights Movement was necessary. In another appeal to emotions, Luther addresses those who had suffered from police brutality and persecution by encouraging them to stay the course and have hope that the situation would be resolved. By calling them “veterans of creative suffering,” Luther appeals to their emotions and encourages them not to “wallow in the valley of despair” (“Martin Luther King”). He further calls for unity by referring to the crowd as his friends and sharing with them his dream. By saying that his dream is deeply rooted in the American dream, Luther wisely appeals to the emotions of the crowd and sets the logic upon which his dream rests.
In the next paragraph, Luther then delves into his dream and shares it with the crowd. In an emotional narration filled with imagery, repetition, and symbolism, Luther articulates his dream for an America free of racial discrimination. Luther continually repeats the phrase “I have a dream” to put emphasis on his dream and to horn it into the minds of the crowd so they can become a part of it. In a powerful allusion to the nation’s creed, Luther appeals to the emotions and attention of the crowd. The allusion is a powerful illustration of the nation’s founding creed and its importance to the fight for justice and freedom. The narration of the dream then takes a prophetic and preaching stance as Luther appeals to the crowd to envision with him the future of America – a future free of racial discrimination and one of unity and brotherhood. Luther further appeals to the crowd by alluding to the Bible and quoting a verse that is consistent with his dream.
Luther further calls for unity by appealing to the crowd to have faith – the faith that would help them “to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together” (“Martin Luther King”). Luther also appeals to the crowd by prophesying of a day in which all of God’s children, black and white, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics would be united (“Martin Luther King”). He further uses repetition to highlight his call for freedom to ring across America. In a final appeal, Luther alludes to the old Negro spiritual “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” (“Martin Luther King”).
Work Cited
“Martin Luther King, Jr. I Have a Dream” American Rhetoric, www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm. Accessed 14 May 2020.