TOW #6 (written text)- "I Have A Dream"

Speech- http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the famous “I Have A Dream” speech in front of over 250,000 people on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. During one of the most difficult times in African American history, King called for the end of racism in the United States. For over 200 years, African Americans endured slavery, segregation, and inequality, and were desperate to gain their rights set forth in the Constitution. King, who was the most influential man of African American civil rights movement in the 1900’s, succeeded in creating change in America shortly after delivering the “I Have A Dream” speech. The direct audience of this speech is the thousands of supporters of the civil rights movement that gathered to March on Washington and listen to King’s speech. The extended audience includes all of America, particularly whites, and the US government. In the speech, Martin Luther King Jr.’s clearly states that his purpose is to convince African Americans that there is hope that they will one day be equal to whites. His ultimate goal is that this desire will become reality and Africans Americans will be able to live happily and peacefully among whites. In order to achieve this purpose, King enables the use of allusions and anaphora that appeal to pathos, ethos, and logos. Throughout the speech, King alludes to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bible. In his introduction, King says, “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation.” This allusion refers to President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, who began by saying “four scores and seven years ago.” This allusion not only appeals to ethos because it proves King is intelligent and well-versed in history, but also adds meaning to the speech because the Gettysburg Address also dealt with civil rights. Lincoln, who supported African Americans, signed the Emancipation Proclamation the same year he gave the Gettysburg Address, which put an end to slavery in the United States. In addition to allusions, anaphora plays a large role in King’s speech. King repeatedly says, “I have a dream,” in order to achieve his purpose. He uses this phrase to list the many things he hopes will happen due to the civil rights movement, leading to the equality of whites and blacks. This repetition effectively appeals to the emotions of readers as it makes both whites and blacks feel ashamed of the country they live in that is full of racism. Together, I feel that these rhetorical strategies along with the many others used by Martin Luther King Jr. allow his to accomplish his purpose of creating equality. History has shown the speech was successful because not long after, African Americans finally gained the civil rights they deserved.