Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Speech

Martin Luther King Jr. uses a metaphor in his speech when he explains that, “The bank of justice is bankrupt.” He compares a “bank of justice,” to the American government and “bankruptcy” to an insufficient amount of justice in America. Bankruptcy is filed when there is inadequate resources to support an organization. This insufficiency is being compared to injustice for the Black people of America. Furthermore, King Jr. wants to acknowledge that equality and justice can and should be given to the Blacks. King Jr. utilizes imagery when he depicts a scene of, “Sweltering summer of [...] discontent.” His usage of the words “sweltering” and “invigorating” helps paint an image of the Blacks’ struggles in his audience's mind. The word “sweltering”
induces an image of oppressive heat. King Jr. wants his audience to register that the injustice is suffocating and very cruel. Furthermore, the thought of sweltering heat creates an image of an intensely heated environment, which any human would struggle in. King Jr. includes plenty of anaphoras, such as, “I have a dream,” in his speech. Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase. Repetition help a speaker or writer prioritize a message. He wants his listeners to recognize the difficulties that the African Americans have gone through and understand that it will can be changed. King Jr. successfully engages his audience because the repetition gets them to anticipate the next line. Furthermore, the anticipation gives his audience a sense of participation.