Introduction
For many years, black people were discriminated against in the United States. They had no rights and no power. They were taken out of their houses and deprived of any liberties. That is why the question of freedom was so important and urgent for each African American. Even when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, African Americans still had no legal rights. In 1963, Martin Luther King proclaimed his famous speech that was aimed at emphasizing the fact that, despite all the difficulties, African Americans could achieve their goal (Cook, 2016). The purpose of this paper is to analyze this speech in terms of its effects on the audience and the author’s use of rhetorical appeals.
Martin Luther King as a Rhetor
Martin Luther King was a leader of the African American Civil Rights Movement (Zolberg, 2012). Due to his remarkable skills as a leader and orator, King led a lot of demonstrations and struggles against injustice, indifference, and prejudice against African Americans (Anderson, 2015). Therefore, the audience expected that the speech, which became known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, could contribute to changing the situation in society.
The Audience and the Occasion
Public protests led to one of the biggest and greatest demonstrations for freedom. It was organized in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, by Martin Luther King. Adults and children, men and women, lonely people, and big families came to listen to King’s speech (Zolberg, 2012). In his speech presented in the shadow of Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., King delivered his well-known message, in which he demonstrated publicity his strong will and sincere belief that one day, all Americans, both black and white, will be brothers (Godwin, Neck, & Godwin, 2015). He stated: “I have a dream that one day right down 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” (LogisiKHD, 2013).
The Purpose of the Demonstration
Being tired and exhausted, people gathered together not to be afraid of discrimination and to claim for their rights and liberties. They were united by the same wish: freedom and equality (Zolberg, 2012). Thus, King supported the public’s visions in his speech: “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” (LogisiKHD, 2013). However, the risks of being jailed after the demonstration for King and his supporters were high (Morgan, 2013). Still, King oriented people to struggle, and he asked for a peaceful change: “We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence” (LogisiKHD, 2013). This event had a powerful effect on people throughout the country and on their points of view. The demonstration contributed to signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Consequently, discrimination based on race and sex was forbidden.
The Speaker’s Main Points
This speech is divided into several paragraphs, and each of them contains its ideas. First, the author talks about problems concerning American society. Then, he reminds people about wrongful deeds. Finally, King shows the public his attitude to the problem. The audience listens attentively to all his words and bursts into applause each time he mentions that they are ready to change the system and to become finally free (Zolberg, 2012). The speech resembles a dialogue between the speaker and the audience (Howard-Pitney, 2016). There are several dialogues in the speech: a dialogue between a religious black community and God, which is made with the help of a sacred text; a dialogue between King and his audience; a dialogue between the community of the USA and the nation as a whole to ask for the Civil Rights Act and, therefore, solve the existing conflict.
Rhetorical Appeals and Language of the Speech
King’s speech is a narrative, which does not have any poetic features. Instead, it has the ethos in the form of focusing on the necessity of solving the conflict between the black population of the USA and its white government. It also includes pathos with the focus on broadening the meaning of political protest (Anderson, 2015). King’s elegant voice and his delightful use of the pause are the results of his vocal techniques (Wolfram, Myrick, Forrest, & Fox, 2016). His ability to repeat something and to emphasize some words or word combinations is a real art. King’s words are so simple and evocative that it is easy for everyone to get the main idea of his thoughts. King repeats each phrase in different ways in his sentences, using it at the beginning of a longer sentence or essentially standing on its own, creating further interest and tension.
Conclusion
Martin Luther King is one of the greatest figures in American history. It is a person who led millions of people to the desired freedom due to his confidence and intelligence. His famous speech, “I Have a Dream”, greatly impressed not only his compatriots but also people from other countries. His persuasive and penetrating speech inspired people to believe and act, as well as to follow their common dream – to become free and independent.
References
Anderson, T. H. (2015). Waking from the dream: The struggle for civil rights in the shadow of Martin Luther King, Jr. The Journal of Southern History, 81(2), 520-532.
Cook, V. (2016). Martin Luther King, Jr., and the long social gospel movement. Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation, 26(1), 74-100.
Godwin, J. L., Neck, C. P., & Godwin, E. R. (2015). Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Chicago campaign case: An intersection of transformational leadership and servant leadership. Journal of Leadership and Management, 1(3), 1-12.
Howard-Pitney, D. (2016). David L. Chappell. Waking from the dream: The struggle for civil rights in the shadow of Martin Luther King, Jr. The American Historical Review, 121(5), 1699-1699.
LogisiKHD. (2013). Martin Luther King | “I Have A Dream” Speech. Web.
Morgan, P. T. (2013). Recalling Martin Luther King: Obama’s effect on memory. American Journal of Psychiatry, 1(12), 2-9.
Wolfram, W., Myrick, C., Forrest, J., & Fox, M. J. (2016). The significance of linguistic variation in the speeches of rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. American Speech, 91(3), 269-300.
Zolberg, A. R. (2012). Dreams and nightmares: Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and the struggle for black equality in America. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 35(10), 1841-1841.