A Rhetorical Analysis Of I Have A Dream

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Rhetorical Analysis of “I Have a Dream”
Racism was an enormous problem during the mid-twentieth century. African Americans were said to be free. However, blacks were repetitively being victimized due to an unethical justice system. African Americans were ready for a change in the system. Many civil rights activists and groups formed. One of the most commonly activist today is Martin Luther King Jr. During the 1960’s King took part in various civil rights protests and boycotts. King helped further the movement and increased its eventual victory. Martin Luther Kings’ most famous speech, “I Have a Dream” was presented during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. …show more content…
He stated, “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” (King) I believe that King wanted his children not to have to hope for happiness. He wanted his children to experience happiness and to be equal with other races. In addition, he didn’t want his children to suffer the way he did himself and the way many other blacks were suffering. He wanted his children to have the chance to experience freedom.
Martin Luther King was an inspirational civil rights activist, mostly because he could relate to any race through his powerful speeches. Pathos helped King by using his emotions to persuade the blacks and the whites to no longer hate one another. Yet, he wanted to teach his audience to hate racism. In addition, he tried to teach his audience to have sympathy for the blacks. Kings use of the bible causes an emotional response also. In addition, he uses the bible to provide a belief and faith in his speech. This also provided King with …show more content…
During his speech King makes references saying that they were “stripped of their selfhood.” (King) Can you imagine being told that you cannot sit in a certain seat because of the color of your skin? King wanted racism to disappear. He wanted everyone to be brothers and sisters of God’s children. In “I Have A Dream” King shared emotions with his audience. King has done this by showing the audience’s feelings while showing his own. The way that King used logos during his speech was extraordinary. By repeating “I Have a Dream” it allowed the audience to realize that this movement meant a lot to him. He structured his sentences politically so that he wouldn’t anger the whites, but allowed them to have compassion. He didn’t want any more hate for the races. King wanted each race to learn to respect each other. So, by not angering the whites, he was setting an example of
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