Emma Duffy

Sandra Alden
English 102-003
09 May 2014

Major Revision: MWA 1 Rhetorical Analysis
On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. stood tall in the blistering summer heat.
Standing at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. he prepared himself to give a speech that
later would change America. In the 1960s the discrimination of the free black man was
evident almost everywhere and Martin Luther King Jr. wanted an end to it. By giving the famous
I Have a Dream speech, King hoped to display the severe inequalities black Americans faced
through the philosophical methods of Mohandas Gandhi and the use of the rhetorical arguments
ethos, pathos, and logos.
King was born into a financially stable African American family. Though the family was
financially stable, King faced many brutalities of racial discrimination. At a fairly young age
King rode a bus with his fellow classmates and was shocked to see that the black men and
women had to stand while the white people got to sit (Wilson). This was one of many incidents
to ignite the fire in Martin Luther Kings heart to fight for equal rights among race. At age 15
King attended Morehouse College in Atlanta Georgia. Following that he attended Pennsylvania
and Boston University to get his P.h.D. Not only was King an educated man, but he was also a
spiritual and philosophical man. King was a minister which helped him gain extra credibility
with his audience. Also King used many of Mohandas Gandhi's philosophy techniques to help
him gain respect from the people that supported his ideas of equality (Moritz 221). Something
that made Martin Luther King Jr. a respectable activist was his non violent approach which was
influenced by one of Gandhis philosophies. Because of his strong philosophical beliefs along
with his history of black discrimination, King went on to give one of the most influential
speeches of all time; I Have a Dream.
Gazing upon thousands of civil rights marchers, Martin Luther King Jr. waited at the
podium to give a speech that would later change America as he knew it. As he began to speak
about the withering flames of injustice that black slaves have suffered through, he gave off an
undeniable sense of power. His voice shook with anger at the lack of change in American since
the Emancipation Proclamation, but filled with hope when he talked about freedom ringing from
coast to coast. Kings nonviolent ideas and undeniable sense of power continued to make the
audience intrigued with every word. Part of the ethos appeal used in I Have a Dream was the
unspoken credibility King had as a speaker. He gained credibility throughout his years by having
a P.h.D. and and gained respect by his approach to the situation.Like gandhi, he believed in
fighting for non-violent protest (Rosenberg 1). While he was outraged by the lack of
understanding some whites had towards blacks, he wanted to go about the issue in a respectable,
non-threatening way. King verbally displays ethos in this speech while following Gandhi's
tactics by saying,
...And that is something that I must say to my people who stand on the worn threshold
which
leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be
guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking
from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high
plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into
physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting
physical force with soul force. (King).
In that statement King openly says that he wants justice to be served, however he wants it to be
earned with dignity and discipline opposed to violence. This nonviolent appeal is an ethos
argument because it shows his morality. He promotes his ideas that suggest nonviolent protest by
showing a great deal of character. King knows that the black Americans are being treated is
unfair, however he doesnt want to fight back unfairly.
Martin Luther Kings voice fluctuated throughout this speech matching the emotions
behind his words. One second Kings voice was flooded with anger and the next it would be
filled with hope and passion. His voice would fluctuate the most when he used pathos arguments
to sway his audience. For instance, when he says,
I say to you today, my friends, though, even though we face the difficulties of today and
tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have
a
dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We
hold these
truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal(King)
it plays at the audiences emotions. This pathos appeal is an attempt to instill hope in the
listeners. Even though times were tough for those not of the white race, King wanted everyone to
stay optimistic for the future, like he did. He wanted everyone to know that he was trying to
promote a dream that he had for America in the 1960s, a dream that would unite all races as
one.
This pathos based idea is relatable to a philosophy of Gandhis. Gandi states, If we
could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his
own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. Martin Luther King wants
everyone to see his dream, and be filled with hope as they envision working towards a racism
free future. King wants civilians, both black and white, to advance towards equality as he is by
giving the speech and participating in nonviolent protests. By giving off a positive ora along with
positive ideas, King hopes to get positive results for race equality.
Emotions and ethics can gain the audience's attention by pulling at their heart strings and
confirming their own beliefs, but putting facts into the equation is a foolproof way to get the
audience thinking. Facts are unarguable. Martin Luther King incorporates facts throughout the
speech to help the audience really understand the injustice black people are facing in America.
For example King says, We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the
unspeakable horrors of police brutality.(King). This is a fact King chose to tell his audience in
order to display the severe the inequality among race. Being a man of nonviolent ways, police
brutality goes completely against his Mahatma Gandhis like morals. King goes on to say, We
can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their
dignity by signs stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in
Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote.
This logos appeal takes the facts that blacks are not allowed in certain places. They are free, but
not equal. Martin Luther King Jr. wants blacks to be able to take part in the democratic systems
of America, and will not stop his protests until justice is served.
Again, this mindset is relatable to Mahatma Gandis. Gandhi worked his entire life to
make even the poorest citizens of India equal to those of britain (Rosenberg 1). He overall
wanted to better the lives of others and end the embarrassment of discrimination, much like
Martin Luther King.
Martin Luther King Jr. Changed America with his uniting speech. By using the
philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi and the rhetorical elements of ethos, pathos, and logos appeals,
he gained the respect of his massive audience. A year later he won the Nobel Peace Prize. What
started as a plea for racial equality, resulted in the acceptance of blacks in America. Martin
Luther King Jr.s influential speech is still alive and aspiring generation after generation to fight
respectively for what they believe to be right.
Work Cited
King, Martin Luther, Jr. "I Have a Dream." Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. 28 Aug. 1963.
Speech.
Rosenberg, Jennifer. Biography of Mahatma Gandhi, in Who Was Gandhi? pp.1. Web. Dec. 4.
2006
Wilson. H.W. "Martin Luther King, Jr.", in Current Biography Yearbook 1965, ed. by Charles
Moritz, pp. 220-223. New York, April. 21. 2001.