I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King was the most influential speaker, leader of the civil rights movement, and American Christian preacher. He was born in 1929 and was assassinated in the year 1968. In the video, he is delivering his “I Have a Dream” speech during the demonstration for freedom for the African Americans in August 1963. He was appealing for equality among all the American people, including the Negros, and the end of racism.
The historical background of the speech is what Martin refers to as the “emancipation proclamation” (King, 1999) that was signed 100 years ago to abolish slavery in America. However, Luther suggests that the Negro is not free. Therefore, Luther is appealing to the government as the primary audience to stop the inequality or unfair treatment of the Negro people.
Besides, Luther is also mobilizing the Negro people to conduct a peaceful demonstration against the injustices committed to them. Luther’s speech is arranged (Brummett, 2018) by beginning with the historical context, then the present backgrounds, and presents the appeals progressively down his rhetoric (Brummett, 2018). He employs symbolism by mentioning the emancipation proclamation and uses simile such as “as flames of wavering injustice” (King, 1999) to show the extent of the problem at hand. He uses facts such as the emancipation proclamation to appeal to the government and his audience.
Among the crucial strategies, he employs in his speech is using a hook. For instance, he begins, “I to join you today in what will go down as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation” (King, 1999). He also uses speech interventions such as pathos, ethos, and logos to appeal to the audience (Brummett, 2018). For instance, his language, such as “millions of slaves who had been seared in the flames of wavering injustice,” seems to create an emotional appeal.
The speaker is an African American activist, and therefore he is the voice of this minority group. Thus, his goals for this speech include attaining equality for the Negros, restoration of the Negro rights such as the right to vote, achieving justice and peaceful coexistence between the Negros and other races. Nevertheless, he advises his people that they must conduct their “struggles in dignity and discipline” (King, 1999). The multiple audiences that comprise the whites, blacks, and other minority groups are crucial for him because he is preaching peace.
The demonstration was one of the biggest protests in America that led to the African Americans gaining their rights, such as the right to vote. The speech also achieved justice and equality to some extent, although there is still inequality treatment against the Negros the contemporary American. The speaker used language to appeal to his audience, as demonstrated by the cheering and uproar of the audience.
Finally, although Luther is mobilizing people to demonstrate against this injustice, he, however, tells them to be civilized and avoid the use of violence. This is one of the best leadership qualities that I can take from him. Another important lesson is that we are all equal; hence we should not discriminate or allow others to victimize us.
References
Brummett, B. (2018). Rhetoric in popular culture. SAGE Publications.
King, M. L. (1999). “I Have a Dream” Speech—project Gutenberg.