Logos in i have a dream speech
Moreover, King says that “all people are brothers” and there is no racial distinction. Thus, we can see that the speech is addressed to white people as well. …the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny (King 1963, n. He builds his speech so that it was meaningful not only for political activists and Negro people, but to everybody. The purpose of the author is to inform and inspire people for struggle and prepare them for changes. When emphasizing the word “we” he demonstrates that everybody who understands the problem and seeks changes is involved and the “problem” is not a concern of the particular individuals, but it is a common problem and everybody should make his/her contribution to solve it. He says “we” in order to show his concern and participation. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred (King 1963, n. Emotionally and with anticipation, he addresses the people of America and, especially Negro people to whom he belongs:īut there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. However, the author was intended to “touch minds” of all people, both black and white from all social layers. The intended audience was the government representatives. King also expresses the dissatisfactions with the policies and laws which discriminated African Americans and their rights. Thus, he prepared people for the second part of his speech in which he presented the results of the changes. He also inspired the listeners to rebel against these injustices claiming that “Now is the time” for changes, “now is the time to make real the promises of democracy” (King 1963, n. p.), then he provides the detailed description of the racial injustice and inequality that face Americans. In order to come to this subject, the author divides the speech into three parts: introduction, first part (American reality) and second part (the prospects of the future).įirst of all, he outlines the problem, “One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination” (King 1963, n. The key message of the speech is “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal” (King 1963, n. Thus, his speech was aimed at inspiring Americans to take actions and improve their lives. His words became a meaningful expression of the political and cultural situation in the country and “shaped” the idea for which every American should struggle. Passionately and powerfully, he claimed that reformation of the society is a task of the future.
#LOGOS IN I HAVE A DREAM SPEECH FREE#
The dream of the author was to live in a free society and make all people equal regardless race and social position. The main purpose of the speech is expressed in its name “I Have a Dream”. These demonstrations resulted in the passage in the Civil Rights Act of 1964.ĭuring one of the march demonstrations for Jobs and Freedom, King pronounced his famous speech. In 1963, the members of the conference led mass demonstrations in Alabama. He also is one of the organizers of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957. In 1955, he became a president of the Montgomery Improvement Association and gained a public recognition for his activities in the campaign. He attended the Morehouse College in Atlanta, and then studied theology at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania and Boston University. Marin Luther King was among the founders of the American civil rights movement. The speech had a great influence on minds and visions of all Americans and “forever “legitimized” civil rights in the minds of most Amricans” (Leff & Kauffeld 1989, p. As Leff & Kauffeld (1989) mention, “Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech won immediate and sustained praise and has become a moral compass in American political culture” (p. “I Have a Dream” is a representation of the “America Dream” about a free and equal society. The speech has become a symbol of a new era of freedom and symbol of the American civil rights movement. The speech is an excellent example of persuasive rhetoric filled with many expressive means and stylistic devices, such as metaphors, repetitions, allusions, epithets and persuasive constructions.