Rhetorical Analysis Essay On Martin Luther King

Words: 1335
Pages: 6
Open Document
To Fight for Justice or Not to Fight “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal’” (I Have a Dream 4). This quote is said to be the strongest argument in Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, because of the meaning, hope and pathos it provokes. Just as any of King’s speeches there is one section or paragraph that presents the strongest point in King’s argument. In the case of King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” the words presented in the section where King tells of how the “oppressed cannot remain oppressed” and of how he has no fear about the outcome of his people’s struggle, present the strongest point …show more content…
Looking into his extensive use of Aristotle’s rhetoric, one may wonder how he does so in a proficient and engaging manner. King uses ethos throughout his whole speech, he does so as an art and as a leverage never truly stating that his movement should be supported on an ethical base. Instead, King uses examples of why it is ethical to support racial justice, the same as he does with the emotional reason why he should be supported. In terms of pathos, an example of King’s use is found when disagreeing with the clergymen’s view of the police force arguing that, “I don’t believe you would have so warmly commended the police force if you had seen its angry violent dogs literally biting six unarmed, non-violent Negroes. . . . if you would watch them push and curse old Negro women and young Negro girls; if you would see them slap and kick old Negro men and young Negro boys” (“Letter from Birmingham Jail” 13). This statement is used to appeal to the clergymen’s emotional response to pain and brutality, along with their pride for standing behind a wrongful police department. Moving to Aristotle’s logos mentality, King establishes many logical points in the beginning of his letter as responses to the clergymen’s criticism. An example being when King wrote, “I think I should give the reason for my being in Birmingham, since you have been influenced by the argument of ‘outsiders coming in’” and then continuing to logically go through how himself and some of his colleagues were called in to engage in a nonviolent direct action program (“Letter from Birmingham Jail” 3). After viewing King’s different uses of ethos, pathos and logos, it can be fairly concluded that his use of pathos had the greatest partake on persuading his audience, appealing to their morality and emotions using
Show More

Related Documents: Rhetorical Analysis Essay On Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Dreaming About Freedom Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech is one of the most successful and most legendary speeches in United States history. Martin Luther King Jr. was a masterful speaker, who established a strong command of rhetorical strategies. By his eloquent use of ethos, logos, and pathos, as well as his command of presentation skills and rhetorical devices, King was able to persuade his generation that "the Negro is not free" (King 1). His speech became the rallying cry for…

Words 1391 - Pages 6

Essay on Martin Luther King Rhetorical Analysis

Dear …………… I have been shocked to learn from your Facebook comment that you failed in your GCSE English examination. It is really ill luck and nothing else. I was very confident about your success and from the way you were devoting your attention to studies, I thought you might pass with distinction. It is said that man proposes and God disposes. What a shock the news of your unexpected failure might have brought to your parents. They were thinking of arranging a seat for you in the best of the…

Words 499 - Pages 2

Martin Luther King Speech Rhetorical Analysis Essay

On March 1963 Washington D.C. Martin Luther King Jr. Made a speech to the entire nation, fighting for jobs and freedom for the African-Americans. Uniting the blacks and whites in the struggle for equality and, to inspire Americans to work together to solve the problem of discrimination was King’s purpose. As King says, “Now is the time to rise from the dark … to the sunlit path of racial injustice.” King uses pathos by showing condolence and show to all the Negroes that he understands their pain…

Words 622 - Pages 3

Yes We Can Speech

In this essay I am going to compare and contrast the speeches of Barack Obama (‘Yes we can’) and Martin Luther King (I have a dream). When we talk about 'language', sometimes we mean speech (spoken language), sometimes writing (written language).Do you think is there any difference between spoken language and written language? Of course, speech is spoken and heard, while writing is written and read. There are many types of spoken languages such as news report, interview, speech, debates and conversations…

Words 1038 - Pages 5

LFBJ Final Essay

102 Sect. 403 February 16, 2015 Essay 2: Letter from Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis: Letter from Birmingham Jail Introduction Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a humanitarian, Baptist minister, and civil rights activist during the 1950 and 1960’s. During this time, Dr. King and his (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) staged a series of non-violent protest to combat the current racial situation in Birmingham, Alabama. A week into his involvement, King was arrested on charges of unlawful…

Words 1383 - Pages 6

Rhetorical Analysis Of Cesar Chavez

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Labor union organizer and civil rights leader Cesar Chavez, in his article published on the tenth anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., promotes the effectiveness of nonviolence. Chavez’s purpose is to convince the reader that the only solution to achieve something of great excellence is through nonviolent resistance. He establishes his support for this practice by implementing religious appeals, juxtapositions, and moralistic diction while portraying…

Words 543 - Pages 3

Review of Angels on a Pin, Letter From Birmingham Jail, Civil Disobedience and Other Essays

Carlos Aviles English 1301 Mr. Kederli San Antonio College 5/12/15 Journal “Kill em’! Crush em”! Eat em’ raw! In this essay the author John McMurtry talks about his personal experience with football and the negative aspects that it brings involving our bodies, injuries and coaches. McMurtry goes into detail on explain the many different injuries that he suffered while playing football at a high school, college and professional level. McMurtry also explains how football fans and coaches…

Words 3933 - Pages 16

English Language and Composition Test Essay

ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION SECTION I Time­ 1 Hour Directions: This part consists of selections from prose works and questions based on their content, form, and style. After each passage, choose the best answer to each question and completely fill in the corresponding circle on the answer sheet. Note: Pay particular attention to the requirement of questions that contain the words NOT, LEAST, or EXCEPT. Questions 1­11. Read the following passage carefully before you choose your answers…

Words 2831 - Pages 12

Department of English Spring 2014 Course Descriptions Essays

Tess of the D’Urbervilles (Thomas Hardy), The Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka), The Burrow (Franz Kafka), Sociobiology (E.O. Wilson), Animal Liberation (Peter Singer), The Lives of Animals (J.M. Coetzee), and Disgrace (J.M. Coetzee). Films may include King Kong, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Beasts of the Southern Wild, and The Life of Pi. 90S.02. Cruci-Fictions: Christ Figures Across Literature. Instructor L. Pawlak. WF 3:05-4:20 “Who do people say I am?” – Mark 8:27 From the earliest narratives…

Words 9501 - Pages 39