The speech entitled I Have a Dream by Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. is considered to be one of the most successful speeches in history. The speech was delivered by Dr. King on August 29, 1963 in Washington, D.C. He delivered it as part of the March a Washington, the highlight of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. The speech is remarkable effective because it touches upon pathos, logos and ethos. However, the most remarkable aspect of the speech is the use of repetition during the peroration or final part of the speech. King’s repetitive use of the phrase “I have a dream” stirred hope in his listeners regarding the future, after touching upon commonly shared themes of the past. This paper will discuss the rhetoric used by King in his speech.
The speech was as a rhetorical device to move society forward with regards to race relations. At this time in history, blacks and whites were still segregated and could not share facilities. Furthermore, racism against blacks was an accepted part of social norms. As the Civil Rights Movement recognized, this needed to change. Dr. King was the leader of the Civil Rights Movement and urged for passive resistance and nonviolent approaches to create change in society. His best moment was when he delivered this speech.
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"I Have A Dream Essay".
The speech engaged in the use of all three methods of persuasion to move the listener to the correct conclusion regarding relations between races. These three methods are pathos, logos and ethos. Ethos refers to the recognition that the speaker is an authority on the subject. It appeals to the audience to recognize that the speaker knows what he or she is discussing. Pathos refers to an appeal to the emotions of the audience. It seeks to persuade the audience through an emotional, rather than a logical response. Logos is what appeals to the logic and reasoning powers of the audience. It is important to realize that humans are persuaded by both their hearts and their brains. The goal of a speech is to convince the audience that the speaker is an authority on the subject and then to appeal to both their hearts and their brains. In this manner, the audience can be convinced to adopt the views of the speaker and his or her speech.
Dr. King appealed to ethos through the use of Biblical imagery. Dr. King was, first and foremost, a respected clergy member. As a clergy member, he was highly qualified to speak with regards to the Bible and the stories and the lessons that are found within it. Even without making direct references to the Bible, King uses the lessons taught in the Bible. He extols people not to be bitter and full of hatred. He tells them to recognize that they have been mistreated and then still respond with love. This is the message of the New Testament, and the listeners likely would recognize that a preacher was qualified to discuss love as opposed to hatred and bitterness. He refers to the vision of the Lord being revealed to the people in the future. This is one of his dreams.
Dr. King was also known to be a highly educated man. He spoke eloquently and sounded as if he understood the history of the United States. He referred to the centuries of slavery in which African-Americans toiled on American soil. He also discussed the Declaration of Independence and how its promises were empty for African-Americans. By discussing these historical events and documents in a logical manner, he appeals to the logos of the listener. He forces them to recognize that white man and black man were treated differently despite. He refers to the Declaration and the Constitution as “promissory notes to which every American was to fall heir” (King 1). However he declares that the check was marked “insufficient funds” for blacks. He then states that “we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt” (King 2). This is a logical argument. Every American for all generations were made promises with these documents. These promises were not honored for an entire race. He uses a continued them of a check and a bank. The continued theme forces the listener to draw the same conclusion. He ends the concept with the idea of hope though. He wants to inspire his listeners to realize that there is hope for the future.
His hope for the future is best stated at the end of the speech. This is an appeal to the pathos or emotions of the listener. It particularly discusses his dreams for children. People are not logical about children; they are emotional. Children bring out emotions in humans; it is natural and the correct response. King uses the repetitive line “I have a dream” to discuss his hopes for the future. He hopes that his children will be judged by “the content of their character” rather than their color in the future. He hopes that the children of slaves and the children of slave-owners will play together. He dreams that black children and white children will be able to join hands and play. This image brings together two groups that the law separates. Children do not see color. Their parents do. He wants this to end. He then repeatedly states “Let freedom ring” and discusses the many places across the country where he wants it to ring. In this manner, he lets his listener know that freedom is his ultimate hope for society.
In the speech I Have a Dream by the Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., King appeals to his listener through the use of pathos, logos and ethos. His most important appeal is when he tells the listeners that children will play together in the future and be judged by their character, not their color. In this manner, he appeals to what everyone wants: hope for one’s children.
- King, Dr. Rev. Martin Luther. I Have a Dream. 1963. 6 December 2015. https://www.archives.gov
