I Have a Dream
“I Have a Dream” is a public speech that was delivered by American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963, in which he called for civil and economic rights and an end to racism in the United States. This speech was important in several ways: It brought even greater attention to the Civil Rights Movement, which had been going on for many years. …
After this speech, the name Martin Luther King was known to many more people than before. It made Congress move faster in passing the Civil Rights Act. The reason Dr. King’s ‘I Have A Dream’ speech is so moving is because he spoke what he BELIEVED was the truth regarding racial injustice in the U.S. The 1963 speech took on the sound of a higher power. Dr. King’s words stopped people in their tracks….and forced them to recognize the plight of others. The speech was given at the right time in the right place, which resulted in a heightened sense of awareness among many Americans.
After Dr. King refers to America’s past, he transitions into current America and dramatically tells Americans to take action immediately. Dr. King says, “This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.” Martin Luther King has such a strong ethos to his audience that he can easily convince them to follow his ideas. His ethos comes from his heavy involvement in the black communities of America. From his protesting to his preaching, many people knew who he was. Many times he refers to how America was supposed to be created on these ideals, so with his ethos he motivates people to reform America into a true democracy.
Martin Luther King Jr. uses logos in his “I have a dream speech” in order to prusade his audience to agree with what he is saying.. King appeals to reason in the speech by mentioning facts and using logical arguments which support his views on racial discrimination. For example, he lists several real situations in which African Americans are discriminated against, using these facts to support his claim that the problem is significant, and that African Americans have a legitimate reason to be angry and protest: We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. (ll. 82-87) Note that this quotation also appeals to pathos, both because of the injustices it describes and because of the strong choice of words (e.g. “unspeakable horrors”). Furthermore, King points out that discrimination against specific groups is logically inconsistent with the message of the Declaration of Independence, which argued for the unalienable rights of all men.
Pathos is used in Martin Luther King Jr’s speech to support his argument by appealing to there emotions of the history of how they have been treated as a class of people. Dr. King utilizes pathos be relating his speech to his dreams and beloved family. Martin Luther King says, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” This famous quote is so emotionally inspiring that it brought tears to so many members of his audience. Dr. King gets very personal in his speech to relate to every American with a family. He knew this would most likely make his ideas more credible. Another reason is it is emotionally appealing is that he makes his own audience think about their own children. The parents in the audience do not want their children to go through the experience of segregation in America. The only possibility to fix this problem would be to follow Dr. King’s advice. Through becoming personal with his audience, Dr. King is able to convince and inspire people.