Group Members: Nate Alvarez, Daniela Menoscal-Pena, & Jack Sublett

Rhetoric & Composition

Professor Tika

September 15, 2021

 

Dominant Appeals in Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” Speech

Article: https://www.123helpme.com/essay/Martin-Luther-King-Motivating-the-Audience-Through-245459

Link to Speech Transcript:

https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

Link to Speech Video: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP4iY1TtS3s

Ethos – 

• King establishes his credibility to speak on this matter of the enslavement of African Americans because he himself has faced oppression and racism, he identifies with those demanding change.  
  • For evidence, King, when he speaks for change, he says “we,” reinforcing that he, as well as many African Americans and other activists from various ethnic backgrounds are demanding change, that he is a part of those demanding change.
    • “But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.”(King)

Pathos –

• “But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination” (King)
  • King uses strong language such as crippled, sadly, chains of discrimination, in order to appeal to the audience’s emotion
• ​​”Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.”(King)
  • King uses specific examples from multiple states, trying to connect with the diverse audience he knew would hear his speech, by using landmarks from those states, he shows that he cares about where his audience comes from, and that he does not discriminate against any of them as African Americans have been unfairly discriminated against for such a long time.
• Repetition of the phrase “I have a dream”. By repeating an emotionally charged phrase like this furthers the presentation of the desperate feeling of the oppressed communities affected by racism and segregation as well as those who want to see change in general.
• The physical location of MLK’s I have a dream speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial, a commemorative monument to the president responsible for the freeing of slaves, further drives home the point and importance of the speech by allowing King’s words to echo across the land dedicated to a person who used their power to help those without.
• “One day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers” (King)  
  • The specific description of the individuals as children furthers this as children often are used to signify innocence and goodness. King’s words create a powerful image of equality and peace.

Logos –

• “When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as any other man, would be guaranteed the “unalienable Rights” of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’”
  • When referencing the Constitution and the Declaration, MLK wants to emphasize the logic of what the purpose of these important documents is in our society. This statement gives everyone an understanding that all African men have just as much right as other men in the country. Which is a great example when trying to make his point that all African men should be treated equally. 
• MLK uses the repetition of  “One hundred years later” as a way to express that statistically nothing has changed for African Americans in our Country. He wants to express that this cycle of inequality needs to stop, because of the shame it brings to our Country.