Ethos Pathos And Logos In I Have A Dream Speech
On August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial, during a civil rights march Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech entitled “I Have a Dream”. He was addressing the nation as a whole about the need for equality and commemorating the fifth anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. Throughout his speech his tone was determined; he wanted to motivate not only African Americans but white people as well to peacefully fight for equality.
King, a minister, often used quotes from the Bible in his speech to connect with his audience. During this time people were very religious and by doing this he made them feel as if he was close to God. He included the quote from the book of Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” which reinforces the idea that all people despite gender, nationally, or religion are equal. This made the people believe that MLK’s ideology was ethical. He also captured trust of the people by creating an analogy to President Lincoln in his speech. Lincoln, a memorable and powerful president, ended slavery and was an authority figure of the progressive moment. By …show more content…
Dr. King uses these metaphors to connect with the audience’s emotions and logical thinking. He states,” With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood” (Jr.) this comparison connects with the audience and makes them envision a peaceful, united society. This quote also changes the mood of the speech to a more positive feeling by the diction used in the phrase “beautiful symphony of brotherhood”. He also compares the Declaration of Independence to a “signing a promissory note” that gave all men of all “races” equal rights. This is an ethical appeal because he is stating the promise was not kept. MLK’s metaphors were very effective and forced people to think and feel many
King, a minister, often used quotes from the Bible in his speech to connect with his audience. During this time people were very religious and by doing this he made them feel as if he was close to God. He included the quote from the book of Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” which reinforces the idea that all people despite gender, nationally, or religion are equal. This made the people believe that MLK’s ideology was ethical. He also captured trust of the people by creating an analogy to President Lincoln in his speech. Lincoln, a memorable and powerful president, ended slavery and was an authority figure of the progressive moment. By …show more content…
Dr. King uses these metaphors to connect with the audience’s emotions and logical thinking. He states,” With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood” (Jr.) this comparison connects with the audience and makes them envision a peaceful, united society. This quote also changes the mood of the speech to a more positive feeling by the diction used in the phrase “beautiful symphony of brotherhood”. He also compares the Declaration of Independence to a “signing a promissory note” that gave all men of all “races” equal rights. This is an ethical appeal because he is stating the promise was not kept. MLK’s metaphors were very effective and forced people to think and feel many