Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr
Throughout our nation’s history, African Americans are consistently and involuntary forced to stand as an omnipresent representation of inferiority. Starved of a Negro consensus, white men—mostly European—began persecuting them and exalting their supposed mediocrity. Hundreds of years after this tenet hit America, an exceedingly astute preacher named Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. exemplified himself as the backbone of the Civil Rights Movement in the mid-1900s. Notwithstanding the omnipotent fear plaguing the Negro community, Dr. King apprehends the vindictiveness of classifying the black men and women as inferior and engenders a movement. One hundred years after the passing of the Emancipation Proclamation, Negros still encountered perilous suppression.
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Inopportunely, equality was a mere myth in the eyes of the inferior beings of the United States—and irrationally so. Amongst an archetypal American civilization, police brutality, unruly racism, segregation, and inequality beset the blacks. Moreover, the whites of America strived to thwart the African Americans from partaking in basic human rights, such as suffrage. Martin Luther King Jr., as previously identified, endured hatred and persecution for the sake of a societal revolution. To initiate the civil rights campaign, justify a nonviolent approach to oppression, and promote the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Dr. King presented his first speech at the Holt Street Baptist Church entitled “M.I.A” in 1955. Following hundreds of years of being branded as inferior when paralleled to the whites and the recent arrest of Rosa Parks, the Negro public falls under Martin Luther King Jr.’s leadership as they struggle to obviate the subjugation at hand. Ample acknowledgement of the unmerited acts against African Americans led Dr.
King to valiantly speak out to the MIA members at the first mass meeting of the Montgomery Improvement Association about Parks’ arrest, as well as the discriminatory circumstances in general. In Montgomery, Alabama of 1953, “M.I.A”—though devoid of chief rhetoric devices—embarks on the first stride towards equality amid the blacks and whites in the United States of America. King’s primary motive behind this speech is to comprehend that “there comes a time when people get tired of being trampled over by the iron feet of oppression” (MLK 9). Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. presents this guileless statement to vindicate the necessity of a social alteration. With the guidance of logos, ethos, and metaphor, the declaration at hand becomes incontrovertible. The white men’s “iron feet of oppression” will reasonably and morally become too demoralizing for a single person to bear, thus, the weariness is inevitable. In addition, it is unanimously recognized by the Negro community that when the Civil Rights Movement is taught in the future, “somebody will have to say, ‘There lived a race of [black] people (…) who had the moral courage to stand up for their rights’” (12). Although Dr. King lacks any solid literary device, he implements his application to pathos, due to the sense of hubris that can be gained from altering history for the better. The unadulterated determination to flourish in an equal civilization, as well as supplement the future history books with a major Negro uprising was enough to initiate the social revolution—and King was well aware of this. In order to solidify the call for action, King persuades the audience that “there comes a time when people get tired of being pushed out of the glittering sunlight of life’s July (…) and left standing amid the piercing chill of November” (9). Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was able to motivate his listeners through the brilliant use of
antithesis—which permitted the spectators to comprehend the immense dissimilarities that stand amid the whites and the Negros—and yet another allusion to ethos. In addition to the initial commencement of the Civil Rights Campaign, “M.I.A.” justified the need of a civilized, nonviolent approach to the African American persecution. The importance of a nonviolent response to the white man’s tyranny was essential in the struggle for equality among the Negros and the whites. If a Negro man aspires for parity, he logically cannot do so by demonstrating malevolence and subjugation back on to the original oppressor. Evidently enough, this would only cause a ubiquitous cycle of repression—luckily, Martin Luther King Jr. was cognizant of this aphorism. Preceding the cessation of King’s poignant speech, he proclaims the prominence of “[being] Christian in all of [their] actions” (11). Due to the shrewd preacher’s religious background, “[keeping] God in the forefront” (11), was indispensable in means of a nonviolent demonstration against segregation. This unmistakable ethical, logical, and emotional appeal governs the moral foundation of the imminent movement. Martin Luther King Jr. strove to attain the rudimentary human rights that colored peoples were deprived of in a way that still embodied the customary Catholic tenets. Secondly, King’s evocative diction elucidates the necessity of nonviolence by deciding “there will be no persons pulled out of their homes and (…) lynched for not cooperating” (10). Moreover, this selected excerpt depicts an overt allusion to the KKK, as well as white vigilantes that were omnipotent in this prejudiced era. Furthermore, although this speech presented a nonviolent approach to the white man’s oppression, it also promoted the city-wide boycott of the Montgomery Bus system. In Montgomery, Alabama, the town’s bus system fell under the laws of segregation rather quickly. On December 1, 1955, “a fine Christian person” (8) named Rosa Parks was immediately arrested for declining to give up her seat to a white person on a Montgomery bus. This particular deed of nonviolent defiance triggered an eruption of resentment from the Negro community and partially encouraged Dr. King’s “M.I.A” speech. Four days later, inspired followers of Martin Luther King Jr. contributed to the yearlong Montgomery Bus Boycott. Nevertheless, through an aphorism, King expressed that, “Unity is the great need of the hour” (10) for the entire Negro community if they craved the equality they justly deserved. Furthermore, Dr. King continues on and logically states “if [the blacks] are united [they] can get many of the things that (…) [they] justly deserve” (10). Without unity, the black society would involuntarily have to protest the racism at an immediate disadvantage, bearing in mind the dense populace of their white oppressors. King’s suggestion regarding unity as a key factor in the looming protests led the Montgomery Improvement Association members to instigate the first major demonstration devoid of overwhelming distress over the indefinite results. Overall, the Montgomery Bus Boycott would not have begun, nor successfully desegregated Montgomery buses, without King’s presentation of “M.I.A”. Unambiguously, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. notably understood the necessity of a societal revolution. In the mid-1900s, African Americans were abstained from the meekest of human rights and, indisputably, still are today in some aspects. Irrefutably, Dr. King would be disgruntled by the shadow of prejudice that persistently lurks in the shadows of our dysfunctional world. Although the Negro community gained rights such as suffrage, desegregated community life, the faculty to hold a job, and more, they still do not equal up to the average white man in any ethical state of mind. Roughly 60 years later, African Americans still unwillingly endure the pains of inequality. Indubitably, America is unable to grasp the solid concept of equality, as well as the notion of societal change. Therefore, a majority of people continue to practice the convention of discrimination that the preceding generations have bequeathed upon the nation.
Inopportunely, equality was a mere myth in the eyes of the inferior beings of the United States—and irrationally so. Amongst an archetypal American civilization, police brutality, unruly racism, segregation, and inequality beset the blacks. Moreover, the whites of America strived to thwart the African Americans from partaking in basic human rights, such as suffrage. Martin Luther King Jr., as previously identified, endured hatred and persecution for the sake of a societal revolution. To initiate the civil rights campaign, justify a nonviolent approach to oppression, and promote the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Dr. King presented his first speech at the Holt Street Baptist Church entitled “M.I.A” in 1955. Following hundreds of years of being branded as inferior when paralleled to the whites and the recent arrest of Rosa Parks, the Negro public falls under Martin Luther King Jr.’s leadership as they struggle to obviate the subjugation at hand. Ample acknowledgement of the unmerited acts against African Americans led Dr.
King to valiantly speak out to the MIA members at the first mass meeting of the Montgomery Improvement Association about Parks’ arrest, as well as the discriminatory circumstances in general. In Montgomery, Alabama of 1953, “M.I.A”—though devoid of chief rhetoric devices—embarks on the first stride towards equality amid the blacks and whites in the United States of America. King’s primary motive behind this speech is to comprehend that “there comes a time when people get tired of being trampled over by the iron feet of oppression” (MLK 9). Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. presents this guileless statement to vindicate the necessity of a social alteration. With the guidance of logos, ethos, and metaphor, the declaration at hand becomes incontrovertible. The white men’s “iron feet of oppression” will reasonably and morally become too demoralizing for a single person to bear, thus, the weariness is inevitable. In addition, it is unanimously recognized by the Negro community that when the Civil Rights Movement is taught in the future, “somebody will have to say, ‘There lived a race of [black] people (…) who had the moral courage to stand up for their rights’” (12). Although Dr. King lacks any solid literary device, he implements his application to pathos, due to the sense of hubris that can be gained from altering history for the better. The unadulterated determination to flourish in an equal civilization, as well as supplement the future history books with a major Negro uprising was enough to initiate the social revolution—and King was well aware of this. In order to solidify the call for action, King persuades the audience that “there comes a time when people get tired of being pushed out of the glittering sunlight of life’s July (…) and left standing amid the piercing chill of November” (9). Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was able to motivate his listeners through the brilliant use of
antithesis—which permitted the spectators to comprehend the immense dissimilarities that stand amid the whites and the Negros—and yet another allusion to ethos. In addition to the initial commencement of the Civil Rights Campaign, “M.I.A.” justified the need of a civilized, nonviolent approach to the African American persecution. The importance of a nonviolent response to the white man’s tyranny was essential in the struggle for equality among the Negros and the whites. If a Negro man aspires for parity, he logically cannot do so by demonstrating malevolence and subjugation back on to the original oppressor. Evidently enough, this would only cause a ubiquitous cycle of repression—luckily, Martin Luther King Jr. was cognizant of this aphorism. Preceding the cessation of King’s poignant speech, he proclaims the prominence of “[being] Christian in all of [their] actions” (11). Due to the shrewd preacher’s religious background, “[keeping] God in the forefront” (11), was indispensable in means of a nonviolent demonstration against segregation. This unmistakable ethical, logical, and emotional appeal governs the moral foundation of the imminent movement. Martin Luther King Jr. strove to attain the rudimentary human rights that colored peoples were deprived of in a way that still embodied the customary Catholic tenets. Secondly, King’s evocative diction elucidates the necessity of nonviolence by deciding “there will be no persons pulled out of their homes and (…) lynched for not cooperating” (10). Moreover, this selected excerpt depicts an overt allusion to the KKK, as well as white vigilantes that were omnipotent in this prejudiced era. Furthermore, although this speech presented a nonviolent approach to the white man’s oppression, it also promoted the city-wide boycott of the Montgomery Bus system. In Montgomery, Alabama, the town’s bus system fell under the laws of segregation rather quickly. On December 1, 1955, “a fine Christian person” (8) named Rosa Parks was immediately arrested for declining to give up her seat to a white person on a Montgomery bus. This particular deed of nonviolent defiance triggered an eruption of resentment from the Negro community and partially encouraged Dr. King’s “M.I.A” speech. Four days later, inspired followers of Martin Luther King Jr. contributed to the yearlong Montgomery Bus Boycott. Nevertheless, through an aphorism, King expressed that, “Unity is the great need of the hour” (10) for the entire Negro community if they craved the equality they justly deserved. Furthermore, Dr. King continues on and logically states “if [the blacks] are united [they] can get many of the things that (…) [they] justly deserve” (10). Without unity, the black society would involuntarily have to protest the racism at an immediate disadvantage, bearing in mind the dense populace of their white oppressors. King’s suggestion regarding unity as a key factor in the looming protests led the Montgomery Improvement Association members to instigate the first major demonstration devoid of overwhelming distress over the indefinite results. Overall, the Montgomery Bus Boycott would not have begun, nor successfully desegregated Montgomery buses, without King’s presentation of “M.I.A”. Unambiguously, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. notably understood the necessity of a societal revolution. In the mid-1900s, African Americans were abstained from the meekest of human rights and, indisputably, still are today in some aspects. Irrefutably, Dr. King would be disgruntled by the shadow of prejudice that persistently lurks in the shadows of our dysfunctional world. Although the Negro community gained rights such as suffrage, desegregated community life, the faculty to hold a job, and more, they still do not equal up to the average white man in any ethical state of mind. Roughly 60 years later, African Americans still unwillingly endure the pains of inequality. Indubitably, America is unable to grasp the solid concept of equality, as well as the notion of societal change. Therefore, a majority of people continue to practice the convention of discrimination that the preceding generations have bequeathed upon the nation.