Martin Luther King Jr Essay - 1,021 words

Martin Luther King Jr. is a well-known person in history. He is know for his work in civil rights, and is known for his I Have a Dream Speech. King's speech not only change history for the black community it gave hope to black through out the world.


King's speech was so successful because he was able to arouse his audience to their feet and get them mad at society. In his speech, he uses different types of language. One type is from Burk and Burk called charging of language. This is using strong powerful words to influence a listener's opinion. Another type of language he uses is called glittering generalities, which is the use of words to make a listener agree with what the speaker has said. Finally, King uses argumentum ad popular, which is to tell an audience what they want to hear.


King's speech uses all of these types of language to tell his fellow Negro's how they have been promised things and not received them, and the life they live should be better because of this. Martin Luther King Jr. opened his I Have a Dream speech by mentioning the Emancipation Proclamation. He tries to set the stage that Negro's have been lied to, and the lives they live were promised to be better than what they are.


When referring to the Emancipation Proclamation he states, "this decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. " Yet, after one hundred years later, the Negro is still not free. The lives of Negro's are still tortured by today's society. He goes on to say how all the Negro's, because of the Declaration of Independence, were promised "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. " Again, the Negro was lied to by society. King then says to his listeners, "America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds. " King says to the Negro's that this bad check needs to be cashed, and they should demand that it be cashed. King uses charged language in the beginning to fire up his listeners. He wants them to see that the Negro has been pushed away by society.


King wants to have his listeners angry and upset toward the American people in order that they will rise up and defend their race and go get what they have been promised. King's next appeal to his listeners is by the use of glittering generalities. He tells his fellow Negro's that now is the time to rise form the dark, now is the time to make justice a reality, and now is the time to lift racial injustices. He tells them, "There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. " He explains they are victims ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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Essay Tags: dream speech, martin luther king jr, negro, emancipation proclamation, one day

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