Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream

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I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King was delivered on 28 August 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. The speech delivered more than fifty years ago, is still one of the greatest speeches in the history of America. The content of the speech was by much far inspiring becoming one of the defining moments of American Civil Rights Movement. The speech incorporates various techniques that makes it to be magnificent. The words in the speech has proved to be a reference point in understanding the political and social upheaval and giving the country a symbol to express what was happening during that time. Luther King’s passionate and powerful main message in the speech was point to out that all Americans were created equal. It was a message …show more content…
At the beginning of the speech he references the Emancipation Proclamation that came to rescue Negro slaves from injustices (King, 2012). He wonders why one hundred years later the black community is not yet liberated. Luther also references the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence as the key cornerstone that would treat each American fairly. This references give his speech credibility and weight to convince his audience. In addition, he quotes from the bible for instance from the book Isaiah brings in the element of emotional that makes his speech more satisfying and compelling. Referencing this sources made a resonating speech speaking both heart and head connecting the audience very …show more content…
The materials reinforced the main points by providing crystal clear instructions making the words of the speech more stirring. King utilizes appropriate quotations by evoking both literary and historic references. He clearly state that the Constitution and Declaration of Independence that was signed by the founding fathers did granting all men equal rights is not yet fulfilled (King, 2012). Furthermore, there are several biblical allusions that have provided the moral arguing basis for the speaker.
In conclusion, the I Have a Dream speech can be considered as something that was well researched on and masterfully delivered. The main points of the speech are well articulated and referenced giving it credibility. The message of the speech is repeated many times throughout the speech proving that he wanted to get into people’s