Article written by: Wayne Fortin

Rhetorical Analysis

On August 28, 1963 one of the greatest speeches of freedom had occurred on the

steps of the Washington memorial. Around this time African Americans in society were

not considered equal as the whites. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came to encourage the

American people in hopes of setting forth equality for every man and woman in the

nation with his “I have a dream.” The Social activist constructed a speech to demonstrate

his cause by peaceful means. One hundred years earlier before Kings “I have a dream”

speech our former president signed the Emancipation Proclamation. The Emancipation

Proclamation was a United States document that was never granted, within the document

stated that blacks were to be set free from captivity and equal. Even though the document

was signed the passages in the Emancipation Proclamation were never granted to the

black slaves.

The “I have a dream” speech by social activist Martin Luther King Jr. was very

well constructed and King stated himself in the beginning of his I have a dream speech “I

am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest

demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.” King earned a degree in theology

and learned to be a master communicator. In his speech I have a dream King uses perfect

structure, organization and tone as well as the Greek terms ethos, pathos and logos which

are persuasive appeals to character of the speaker, the emotion and logic or reasoning to

the context.

The structure in Kings Speech starts off with the introduction of Abrahams

Emancipation Proclamation, then follows with how the African American are enslaved
and ends with his dreams and how this country could be if we were all treated equal.

King uses a preacher like tone as if he is talking to his disciples. King uses a lot of visual

descriptions as well as unique analogies. An example of a visual analogy in King’s

speech goes as “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we

stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a

great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames

of withering injustice.” Within that passage he uses “beacon of light” and “flames of

withering injustice” as very good visual words.

Analogies also play a key role in Kings I have a dream speech. King states “In a

sense we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check.” Then he goes with “This note

was a promise to all men, yes, black men as well as white men, and would be guaranteed

the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that

America as defaulted on this promissory, note insofar as her citizens of color are

concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro

people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds.” When

King uses the words “promissory note” he refers to the Emancipation Proclamation

document. When he goes on to state the “bad check” and “insufficient funds” we take

that as the emancipation proclamation holding no or meaning in America, that is until

King goes to “cash” the check or bring back the rights and meaning held within the

emancipation proclamation document because he refuses that the bank of injustice is

“bankrupt” because this is the land of the free and equal opportunity “in the great vaults”

of this nation.
 Repetitions of words make Kings Speech communicate effectively to the public

causing those words to put a staple in your mind. Among the most actively used words

was “Now is the time,” and “I have a dream.” For example “Now is the time to rise from

the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the

time to lift our nation from the quicksand’s of racial injustice to the solid rock of

brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of gods children.” And “I

have a dream today! I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every

hill and mountain shall be made low.” In addition to Repetition King also uses rhetorical

questions, for example “when will you be satisfied? We will never be satisfied as long as

the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.”

Last but not least is King’s use of Greek persuasive appeals such as ethos pathos

and logos. Ethos is the character of the speaker. King organized and demonstrated his

context in a very professional manner, using non violence. “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” says King. I hold this last passage a

highly prized persuasive appeal when it comes to showing ones character or ethos. Pathos

is an appeal based on emotion. When King states “I have a dream. A dream deeply rooted

in the American dream” pathos plays a big role within that sentence when he says the

word “dream.” To dreams lead to feeling which are also tied in with emotion.

Last but not least is logos and logos refers to ones logic or reason which brings up to the

begging of the play and to look at Kings purpose for delivering this demonstration to the

nations capitol. A text example of Logic and reasoning is when Dr. King describes
Lincolns Promissory note and how what was once promised never had lived through to

its full potential. King describes how the blacks are not equal in society and how he has a

dream to someday see the equality among the black and the white community.

In conclusion after looking through I have a dream’s structure, organization, tone

in association with ethos, pathos and logos we find that the great social activist known as

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the best communicators in the world. His single

speech through effective and persuasive communication changed the world forever.