Pathos In Dr. Martin Luther King's Speech

Words: 303
Pages: 2

Abigayle Zimmerman Of the three presented persuasive devices, i find pathos to be the most effective. Pathos is the device which appeals to the individual’s emotions. We are an emotional people, reverting more to the emotions than to the mind when making a decision. Authors who want to get their message to stick with the reader may use pathos. Pathos writing usually uses personal accounts of a circumstance. Some of the most influential speeches ever given have used the device pathos. An example is the speech given on August 28th, 1963 by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His extraordinary speech on racial segregation made the reader feel the emotions he spoke of. In his speech Dr. King instructs the listener to do the following: “Continue to