I Have a Dream Speech Analysis Essay Example

The “March on Washington” protest was one of the most prominent protests for the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s. This revolutionary protest was where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have A Dream” speech. In MLK’s “I Have A Dream'' speech, he creates a persuasive argument by using many rhetorical devices. Some of the devices used were pathos, repetition, and parallelism.

MLK often uses pathos throughout his speech to connect to the emotions of his audience. Towards the middle of his speech, MLK discusses the effects that segregation has on African American children.“We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: “For Whites Only” (King 263). With this statement, MLK explains the suffering, torment, and oppression that African American children experience. This provokes a feeling of compassion in the listener for the daily struggles that these people go through. MLK’s use of pathos in this example is effective in persuading the audience to create change.

To continue his argument, King uses parallelism to create emphasis. MLK encourages his listeners by urging them to rise to accomplish their goal of abolishing segregation. MLK also uses charged language to further create emphasis. As a result, this line captures the attention of the audience. “Now is the time to rise from the dark desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood” (King 262). Because this quote is so powerful, MLK inspires his listeners to act.

At the end of “I Have A Dream”, MLK uses repetition many times to encourage his audience to take action.  Declaring freedom he says, “Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California…” (King 264). By saying this, King stirs up emotion in his audience and causes them to focus on the goal of what they are fighting for. As a result of his use of repetition, MLK is successful in motivating and encouraging his audience.

In Martin Luther King Jr‘s “I Have A Dream” speech, he uses many rhetorical devices to persuade successfully. He uses parallelism, pathos, and repetition to create emphasis and stir up emotion in his audience. Overall, MLK effectively convinces his audience to never stop fighting for equality until it is achieved.