Robert F Kennedy Speech Analysis

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Words can be one the world’s most powerful forces due the intense emotion that they can make the reader or listener experience. Harper Lee and Robert F. Kennedy succeeded to inspire readers emotionally through their moving and inspiring words. Harper Lee evokes empathy when she writes about misjudged and misunderstood characters in her book, To Kill a Mockingbird. Robert F. Kennedy expresses a compelling form of empathy by stating how important integrity is in his speech regarding the immortal words of Martin Luther King Jr.. Both Harper Lee and Robert F. Kennedy both express socially crucial forms of empathy in their writings.
When reading, To Kill a Mockingbird, the reader empathizes with the characters that Scout empathizes within the novel,
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Kennedy’s powerful words influence his audience and mankind to improve their integrity and help them empathize with someone who also shares their emotional experiences. For example, when RFK addresses the fact that African-Americans may be seeking revenge after the tragic murder of MLK Jr. he says, “I would only say that I can also feel in my own heart the same kind of feeling” (Kennedy Par. 4). RFK’s empathy makes the audience feel less vengeance regarding the murder of MLK Jr. Without RFK’s empathy, African-Americans may have done something to gain revenge without some form of compassion or love to help them persevere through the racially difficult times. Furthermore, RFK solidifies his ideals by stating “We can move in that direction as a country, in greater polarization—black people amongst blacks, and white amongst whites, filled with hatred toward one another”(RFK Par. 3). RFK triggers his audience’s moral compass by saying that the path of revenge leads to the further polarization of our country. RFK states that it is foolish to go down the path of hatred and revenge and to instead empathize with and be compassionate toward one another to move forward as a nation. RFK’s speech helped the nation recover its emotional integrity by transforming vengeful, hate-filled, and divided citizens into empathetic, compassionate, and united citizens.
To Kill A Mockingbird and Robert F. Kennedy’s speech, “Statement on the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.,” perfectly describes what it means to care about another person’s feelings or to consider them before doing something that might hurt them. The feeling that words can make a reader feel can wildly change the reader's perspective on things in the real world for the greater good. Understanding how to empathize with friends, family, and even enemies is an indescribably vital requirement to being a compassionate human