Comparing King's Gettysburg Address And I Have A Dream

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Analytical Essay Speeches have been used since the dawn of time as a way for one person to convey a message to a desired audience. In November of 1863, Abraham Lincoln would deliver a speech falling short of 300 words with the purpose of dedicating a cemetery to fallen heroes of war. One hundred years later, Martin Luther King Jr. would give a speech to a group of more than 250,000 people. Both Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and King’s I Have a Dream have lasted through the barrier of time as some of the most influential speeches ever given. Both men spoke at a time in which Americans were struggling for the right of freedom and both speeches were delivered at the turning points in these human rights movements. Abraham Lincoln gave hundreds of speeches during his term as sixteenth president of the United States. …show more content…
He uses ethos in his many references to well-known American documents. For instance, King is quoted as saying “This note was a promise that all men, yes black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Martin Luther King Jr. says this as a way to state the original freedom was and what is needed to mean in the future. King employs pathos in his passionate ending to this speech that resulted in emotion-filled applause from the massive audience. He also uses pathos in line 105 when he 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.” He gives the idea of a better life for the next generation, invoking many determined emotions from the country. Martin Luther King Jr. uses the third and final device, logos in his speech progression of beginning with the statement of the problem, explaining how it could possibly fixed and ending by motivating people to change the present