Rhetorical Devices In I Have A Dream Speech
In his “I Have a Dream” speech (1963), Martin Luther King, Jr. conveys the fact that the Negro is still not free despite their freedom for over one hundred years. King supports this conveyance about the Negros bondage by stating tragic facts and then challenges his brothers and sisters to “continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive” (Paragraph 8). His purpose is to put an end to discrimination in order to give African Americans the freedom and equality they deserve. He employs a message of hope not only to the Negro population, but to all those who wish to live amongst others freely. King uses repetition throughout his speech in order to put an emphasis on ending discrimination. For example, in paragraph two, he
repeats the phrase “one hundred years” to emphasize the amount of time Negros have been discriminated. By repeating the phrase, the reader gets a sense of the hardship African Americans have endured. This phrase also tells the reader the amount of time since the Emancipation Proclamation freed all men. He also uses the word “now,” in paragraph four, repetitively in order to show the haste America must take to create equality. King repeats this word in order to make a clear point that discrimination must stop. The emphasis of the word “now,” emphasises that this shift in society's attitude must begin immediately. Towards the end of the speech, paragraphs ten through eighteen, he repeats his recognizable phrase “I have a dream” to establish pathos. By reiterating this phrase he makes the audience know that this dream can be achieved. This remarkable phrase is also a message of hope for people of all races and colors. King uses repetition to emphasize the need of racial equality and the steps a nation must take in order to achieve it. Through out his speech, King also uses many allusions to address the issue of racial inequality. For example, the beginning of his speech reads, “Five score years ago... Emancipation Proclamation” (1) to make an allusion to Abraham Lincoln. He assumes that his audience knows and understands who Lincoln is and what he did. Beginning with a reference to the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed millions of slaves in 1863, King observes that: "one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free." He also alludes to the Declaration of Independence by stating, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” (3) This excerpt helps make the connection that his speech is based on give people their rights. By stating this King observes that all men have not been guaranteed the unalienable rights. In his tenth paragraph, he alludes to the idea of the American dream. He observes that every American “dreams of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” By stating this he implies that every American has this deep, unrooted dream of making life better. By using allusions, King helps his listener remember the values and goals Americans have always sought for.
King’s speech is riddled with rhetoric, and for a good reason too! With it, his readers and listeners came, and still do come, to a better sense of why there must be an end to discrimination.
repeats the phrase “one hundred years” to emphasize the amount of time Negros have been discriminated. By repeating the phrase, the reader gets a sense of the hardship African Americans have endured. This phrase also tells the reader the amount of time since the Emancipation Proclamation freed all men. He also uses the word “now,” in paragraph four, repetitively in order to show the haste America must take to create equality. King repeats this word in order to make a clear point that discrimination must stop. The emphasis of the word “now,” emphasises that this shift in society's attitude must begin immediately. Towards the end of the speech, paragraphs ten through eighteen, he repeats his recognizable phrase “I have a dream” to establish pathos. By reiterating this phrase he makes the audience know that this dream can be achieved. This remarkable phrase is also a message of hope for people of all races and colors. King uses repetition to emphasize the need of racial equality and the steps a nation must take in order to achieve it. Through out his speech, King also uses many allusions to address the issue of racial inequality. For example, the beginning of his speech reads, “Five score years ago... Emancipation Proclamation” (1) to make an allusion to Abraham Lincoln. He assumes that his audience knows and understands who Lincoln is and what he did. Beginning with a reference to the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed millions of slaves in 1863, King observes that: "one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free." He also alludes to the Declaration of Independence by stating, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” (3) This excerpt helps make the connection that his speech is based on give people their rights. By stating this King observes that all men have not been guaranteed the unalienable rights. In his tenth paragraph, he alludes to the idea of the American dream. He observes that every American “dreams of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” By stating this he implies that every American has this deep, unrooted dream of making life better. By using allusions, King helps his listener remember the values and goals Americans have always sought for.
King’s speech is riddled with rhetoric, and for a good reason too! With it, his readers and listeners came, and still do come, to a better sense of why there must be an end to discrimination.