This paper evaluates Dn Martin Luther King’s famous political “I Have A Dream” speech through rhetorical analysis. The driving heuristic will be the examination of the various paradigms and social constructions that this speech entails. Furthermore, what the rhetor is saying in relation to the historical context of the civil rights movement as well as what the rhetor is trying to persuade in both his black audience and white audience will be analyzed The speech’s timeliness, appropriateness, and probability as well as the three rhetorical forms of pathos, ethos, and logos will also be used as tools for analysis, In examination of King‘s speech, he uses all three rhetorical forms to persuade the public of the change towards racial equality that needs to be made Under this, he operates on the paradigm of social equality and the preservation of the country’s founding ideals.
A paradigm is a set of beliefs or assumptions that create a specific reality for a group. That reality contains our values and these values are, at least in part, socially constructed. Social construction is a theory that human values are created by humans for human purposes, The importance of social construction is that it permits for change to happen. The method for change is achieved through rhetoric Rhetoric is the ability to ascertain and analyze, in any given context, the available means of persuasion. Aristotle said there are three forms of rhetoric: pathos, ethos, and logos. Pathos uses emotional appealt Ethos operates on an appeal to charactert Logos is an appeal to logic. These appeals are only credible within the values of a paradigm, Analyzing the Speech in a rhetorical analysis of Dr, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech, his paradigms and what he identifies as social constructions are examined.
On December 1963, Dr. King delivered his speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial Center, speaking to thousands of individuals about the ongoing issues of racial inequality. Since it occurred in the midst of the civil rights movement and it was at the event of the March At Washington, the timeliness of King’s speech could not have been better. Moreover, his audience consisted of a mixture of black and white supporters of the movement, white opponents, extremists who believed in violence, and white opponents because of the violence. King’s speech was appropriate in that it recalled American history, the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bible, which touched on the variety of his audiences. Lastly, the probability of King’s call to action of racial equality that he speaks about is very possible.
Using history as proof, the goals of King were reached: segregation is no longer practiced, African Americans could own businesses, and ultimately there are equal rights for the races. Rhetorical Forms Greek philosopher Aristotle said that there are three different forms of rhetoric: pathos, ethos, and logos These forms use different methods, or appeals, to persuade the audience, It is important to note that appeals are only credible within the values of a paradigm. Pathos. The emotional appeal apparent in comes up in the very beginning of the speech: “One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination”. The strong imagery reminds the public of slavery and how, instead of being eliminated, it just transformed into segregation and discrimination.
By pinpointing segregation and discrimination, King is also declaring that they are both social constructs that the white majority is implementing on the black minority. Furthermore, King (1969) also says, “There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges”. In this, King gives a notice that the black civil rights movement will not stop until racial equality is received Through his diction, or specifically through the use of the word ‘granted’, King is explaining that rights are also a social construction The issue then becomes that the rights are only created for one demographic. Ethos. Martin Luther King, th gives an excellent appeal of character in his speech, He aligns himself under God, the Law, and nonviolence.
All three are aspects of society that his audience is concerned aboutt For example, King (1969) showed his religious affiliation when he says, “Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God’s children. In this, King groups both African Americans and Caucasians as God’s children, King (1969 also speaks on behalf of the Declaration of Independence: “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal’”. Using the law to uphold his ethos as a rhetoric exhibits that King is in support of the nation’s just ideals. Furthermore, in conjunction to the law, King (1969) also supports nonviolence and condemns those who use it as a means to protest: “We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force”. In these statements, Martin Luther King presents himself as a good character whose desire is to adhere to the American ideals of equality, for both black and white people. Pathos.
Lastly, pathos is an appeal to logicr King does an excellentjob of intertwining pathos and ethos alongside logos in a coherent manner, He does not just provide a front of himself as a speaker, nor dos he just spew emotionally stirring words His speech also makes sense, The main issue that caused a civil rights movement to occur is that, according to King (1969), “[The Constitution and Declaration of Independence] was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned”. King says forthright that America was created on these aforementioned ideals and the issue arises because these ideals are not present for all its citizens.
Martin Luther King‘s “I Have A Dream” speech uses Aristotle‘s three rhetorical forms as a way to persuade his multiple audiences. To the black audience, he is telling them to not lose hope in the fight for equal rights. To the white audience, he is explaining that the injustice is going against the true American ideals by Violating both the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. To the violent black audience, he is saying that violence is not the answer. To the religious audience, he announces that everyone, no matter the color, is God’s child, The paradigm he believes in and that his rhetorical forms operate on is the paradigm of racial equality as well as that a fair justice system can be reached. King’s speech entails that the issue of segregation, inequality, and discrimination are all social constructs that can be changed.
