Rheotoric

Thesis: Speakers employ rheotoric effectively to enhance persuasiveness to strengthen their

judgements and make their compositions resonate through the audiences minds provoking
greater thought into matters requiring recognition in order to instigate change.
Speeches
Martin Luthor King- I have a dream 1963
Concepts Pathos, Ethos and Logos
Themes Unity and Dreams, Hopes and Plans
Context
Steps of Lincoln Memorial- Kairos
200,000 audience and tv media
End of the Civil Rights Movement
Hundredth Year after Emancipation Proclamation
His father was a pasture at the church
10 year follow up to the speech
- May 1954 Brown v Board of education
- Dec 1955
o Rosa Parks Bus incident
o Montgomery Bus Boycott
Recent abolishment of slavery
Declaration of Independence
Noel Pearson Speech- 1999
Context

The Convention was very successful. In December 1999, blue prints of reconciliation
actions were drawn up based upon the speeches at the Convention.
1967 Referendum: 90% yes vote to include Indigenous Australians in the nations
population count and to allow Parliament to make laws to specifically benefit Indigenous
Australians. The 90% showed the strong support for indigenous rights.
Talkin up Reconciliation Convention, Wollongong in August 1999
Included 700 delegates across NSW to discuss future reconciliation
Bandler is a well known an Aboriginal activist for indigenous rights.
She is best known for being a lead campaigner in the 1967 Referendum.
 Her father was brought to Australia forcefully from the pacific islands

Main Ideas: Equality and Justice

Idea 1 (Equality): Inequality has existed within societies for centuries and is a core ideology that
has been minimized on a large scale as we approach the modern day. Segregation due to race,
gender, culture and other factors has caused widespread chaos within all communities, the level
of acceptance within societal attitudes of the present day reflect great improvements though it
still lingers within all aspects of day to day life.

She highlights how reconciliation has slowed since 1967 and expresses frustration through her
use of anacoenesis as she questions why is it so hard to find commonalities?. As such, she
alludes to an ethical responsibility that encourages a shift away from the contexts reality of
mistreatment. Those who sponsored racism excused some of their terrible utterances in the
name of free speech. This directly appeals the audiences sense of pathos as the stark and
disappointed tone emphasizes the attitudes of society to be a primary cause of inherent
tensions. As such, she positions the audience to agree with her need for peace as they observe
how such an equal characteristic can propagate such an unequal consequence.
They are crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination

Five score years ago [paragraph 2] refers to Lincolns famous Gettysburg Address
speech which began Four score and seven years ago This allusion is particularly
poignant given that King was speaking in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
All men are created equal

Idea 2: Many have challenged the notion of injustice and have been regarded as beyond
themselves and ludicrous, eccentric in their time they face great opposition in order to bring
about reform and awareness. Injustice is the unfair treatment and unjust acts or occurrences
and has been a major part of many societies as the instigator for many disputes and conflicts
which eventually result in changes in societal structures.
I have a dream and Let freedom ring has been repeated 9 and 12 times respectively helps to
push the speech to the climax, creating a strong rhythm and makes this speech and their
movement more memorable, making the speech more emphatic which strengths kings motif of
equality for all African americans.
Bandler builds on the free speech motif as she furthers her call for pacifism through the imagery
they are chained in their stubbornness...but we are free to go forward without them to
undermine effects of free speech. The metaphor of chain alludes to a history of injustice as well
as symbolically suggesting the primitive nature of racism and discrimination.
Friends what is reconciliation about?It is about the right of indigenous people. Its about those
rights being enshrined in legislation. It is about being watchful and remembering, and
remembering that governments only might implement or they might not. It is about violation of
the first peoples rights and its about valuing the cultures that make up this country.
Bandler sustains her argument of justice and equality through her use of clichs that become
shared cultural codes to bridge the gap between black and white. bandlers use of cliches and
idioms to find commonalities with her audience for e.g. set in stone, heal the wounds, he task is
yet to be tackled, handed on a platter, put on the back burner, it can move mountains.
Euphemism- It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity. Here captivity is
a kind of euphemism. As we know, many black peoples (now we call American African)
ancestors were captured to be slaves and lead a harsh life. Much to our surprise, never has King
mentioned slavery in the whole speech.
Metaphor- seared in the flames of withering injustice.
- Paradox- One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the
corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.
One hundred years later- Emancipation Proclamation