I Have A Dream Speech Rhetorical Analysis

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I Have A Dream Rhetorical Analysis

Activist, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was a man of many words. He was a man who possessed admirable qualities and demonstrated power with fine grace and composure. All who listened were transfixed by what he had to say. Dr. King made great strides for African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century, a time when blacks were segregated and subject to racial injustice. On the mark of 100 years following the Emancipation Proclamation that freed the slaves, Dr. King delivered what would become arguably the most famous speeches of all time. Dr. King employed multifarious strategies in his I Have A Dream speech, including metaphors, parallelism, and allusions to rally the civil rights marchers before him to call an end to racism and discrimination through peaceful methods.

To communicate his message to the people, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. embedded metaphors throughout his speech. Dr. King uses metaphors to color his language and help create an image in the mind of the listener. Metaphors can be found as early as the second paragraph of the speech. Dr. King began to touch on the importance and value of the Emancipation Proclamation proclaiming that “[t]his …show more content…
Martin Luther King Jr. utilized parallelism to emphasis key aspects of his speech so that the audience is aware of their significance. One of the major themes in the I Have A Dream speech is togetherness. The idea that united, change is possible. This theme is illustrated when Dr. King states that “[they] will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together…” With this phrasing, King carries his message with engaging memorable rhythm. This allows for a build up and adds to the energy and passion to the speech. .Possibly one of the most famous examples of parallelism can be found nearing the end of Dr. King’s speech. Parallelism is seen when Dr.
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