Watch the video at http://www.history.com/videos/martin-luther-king-jr-i-have-a-dream#martin-luther-king-jr-i-have-a-dream
Listen to Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech and read the text of the speech below. Cite at least 3 rhetorical devices Dr. King uses and post your thoughts on why these devices were employed. Then, compare this speech with his "Letter from Birmingham Jail" in your 100 Great Essays book on p. 328. How does the rhetoric change from spoken to written word? What are the major differences? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text. Post your response to another classmates' post (if you are not first), and be sure to post by the end of the school day on Monday. Enjoy!
Hi ms. Piro! This video will not load for some reason.Im not sure if it is just my computer but Is there another video we can use?
ReplyDeleteKing’s most obvious use of a Rhetorical device is in the most famous part of his speech. He uses the anaphora to make his phrases particularly poignant and distinct. King repeats the phrase “I have a dream” successively at the beginning of eight phrases in order to convey his message of equality, respect, and cooperation. King also uses the word “negro” to mean the whole black population in America at the time (Synecdoche). Another interesting rhetorical device King cleverly employs is an allusion at the very beginning of his speech. King says “Five score years ago..”. This is a direct reference to the Gettysburg address made by Lincoln in 1863. I believe all these rhetorical devices were included because they further the points King is trying to make. The anaphora makes that particular part of his speech very distinct, the synecdoche makes his speech flow more smoothly (instead of stopping to say “the negro people”), and the allusion makes the comparison between Abraham Lincoln and himself, and between Lincoln’s great movement for change and King’s.
ReplyDeleteThe rhetoric between this piece and the letter from Birmingham jail changes immensely for a few reasons. The tone is different, this speech appealing to the black population in America to get excited for change, and the letter to the white clergymen in order for them to consider his points and why he protested and will continue to protest. Another thing that changes between the two is the rhetorical device. King uses anaphors considerably more in his speech, while in his letter he only uses one. On page 332, (100GE) King repeats the words “when you..” at the beginning of many clauses in order to display the injustice against blacks in America.
I could only find one anaphora, so there actually might be more in the speech.
ReplyDeleteIn his “I Have a Dream” speech, Martin Luther King Jr.uses many rhetorical devices, though he mainly uses anaphora. MLK's most notorious use of anaphora is when he says, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up... I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream...I have a dream...I have a dream...I have a dream... I have a dream... I have a dream...” Repeating the words “I have a dream” over and over MLK is essentially trying to excite the crowd and keep it interested, something any speaker must do. The second rhetorical device MLK uses are allusions. MLK refers to the declaration of independence, the emancipation proclamation, and “a great American,” Lincoln. Through his allusions to the document which holds the fundamental principles of the United States, MLK is arguing that, according to the founding fathers, colored people and white people have the same rights. I think that what Oren pointed out is really interesting. MLK opens his speech much like Lincoln opened the emancipation proclamation with “Five score years ago,” something I had not noticed. Through this allusion MLK is providing a new emancipation proclamation for the colored people, one that frees them from segregation, not slavery. A third rhetorical device MLK employs throughout his speech are metaphors. One example of a metaphor MLK uses is, “the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.” By using metaphors MLK is providing the audience with solid images of what he is portraying; in this case the image is of a dark, miserable island where the colored population is forced to live while the white population lives in the light enjoying relative prosperity. Meant to be spoken, the “Dream” speech is different from “A Letter From Birmingham Jail” in several ways. In the letter, MLK is trying to persuade a group of white men to see his position: his ideas are more abstract, the letter is longer, and he uses less anaphora. In his speech MLK is expected to work the crowd into a fervor, which he does through the repetition of words. In the letter MLK puts forth many questions critics might ask, such as “You may well ask, 'Why direct action? Why sit ins, marches, and so forth?'” (331). Through responding to the many questions he asks himself in the letter MLK breaks down his opponents' arguments, while in the speech he is talking to an audience that is largely already on his side - he only needs to get them excited.
ReplyDeleteI'm having the same trouble as Brendan right now.
ReplyDeletei am also having the same problem as brendan and ziqi
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3P6N9g-dQg&feature=related
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQucZKToFXE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf4w03RqHzM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEVU90fZvr4&feature=related
Miss piro said these links worked as well
In Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech he uses many different types of rhetorical devices. Both Matt and Brendan have stated above, that his uses of anaphora are blatant, and I agree with their thoughts. He repeats the phrase “I have a dream” over and over again because it’s making his main point across as well as imprinting this vision of “A dream” coming true into the audience. He also reuses the word “satisfied” repeatedly as well; because he wants the people to know that they can and will one day be triumphant. Also, I agree with Brendan and Matt about the use of allusions King says. He talks about Lincoln without actually saying his name, as well as talking in front of the Lincoln monument. He talks about Lincoln because he signed the emancipation proclamation, setting all slaves free. Yes, they are free now, but there is unfinished business of colored people without rights. Another rhetorical device that King uses is his Tone. His tone and deliver is what gives the speech power. He isn’t just reading from a piece of paper, he is preaching it from his heart, which expresses the true passion in his voice. Comparing his speech to his letter, they are similar yet very different. In his letter, as I have already stated, his tone is preached with avid passion. His voice rises and falls on key components, “Let freedom ring from…!” for example. In his letter, you cannot hear his voice, but the word choice and other rhetorical devices make it just as powerful. “How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? (P.333)” I can picture him saying this with his deep and meaningful voice, by having the sentence be a question. His speech is much shorter when he says it out loud, where as it took me quite a while to get through reading the entire letter. Also a key difference for me personally is that, I knew exactly what he was implying in his speech, but his letter made me confused as to what he was main argument was.
ReplyDeleteAs I have said I agree with the rhetorical uses Brendan and Matt have said above. I think Matt made a great point about a key difference between the two pieces. “Through responding to the many questions he asks himself in the letter MLK breaks down his opponents' arguments, while in the speech he is talking to an audience that is largely already on his side - he only needs to get them excited.” I completely agree that yes, the people at the speech already support King, and he had the ability and courage to arouse them beyond words with belief.
MLK uses many rhetorical devices to convey his message to the audience in his “I have a dream” speech. One of the most obvious rhetorical devices he uses is anaphora. Other than his repetition of “I have a Dream,” another important phrase that he repeats is “that one day.” This phrase not only is complementary and backs up “I have a dream,” but it provides a sense that this is a goal that has not yet been accomplished, but surely must. It implies that the people must work together to reach this “one day.” MLK also uses allusions to apply to his argument. One of his allusions is to the Declaration of Independence. He uses the line “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal” to support his argument and to relate it to the goals of the nation. The last portion of his speech demonstrates Asyndeton. In the long sentence “And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we…” MLK continues the sentence on and on without conjunctions. This method helps to show how if the conflict of segregation is solved, all of these things will happen together.
ReplyDeleteI find that the rhetorical differences in between this speech and his letter from Birmingham jail are in result of the audience in which he is speaking/writing to. In his letter, MLK is trying to prove a point and uses evidence to support his ideas. In “I have a dream,” MLK is more trying to inspire the crowd. An example of his method to prove a point in his letter is when he is talking about unjust laws. He first talks about what and unjust law and states its definition. Then, he relates this definition to segregation by saying “All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality” (333). By this method he proves segregation is wrong. In his “I have a dream” speech his intentions are much different. He is trying to inspire the crowd more by saying things like “Let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York…” This type of tone is more inspiring and used to bring people together and to rise them up to a cause.
I totally agree with Matt in his reasoning for why the speech and letter were so different. How he mentions how the audience and the literature are directly connected really helps support his point. He says how because the audience in his speech were largely on his side, He just needed to get them excited, resulting in an inspiring tone. His letter was to neutral clergymen to the cause, resulting in his strong analysis and proving methods that help the reader to want to believe certain things.
Throughout the speech, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. uses many rhetorical devices in order to convince the crowd of his plans for the future of America. He starts with a phrase all too familiar to the American people: “Five score years ago”, an obvious allusion to another quite famous American speech known as the Gettysburg address. King knew that this allusion would appeal to the better nature of all Americans so he put it within is speech. There is anaphora in the speech as well. The most famous being King’s “I Have a Dream” quote. The other when king explains, “Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina” (King). He uses this Anaphora and heightens his voice to rouse the people and get more fervor out of the people. By the end, I was almost about to stand up and shout, “I’m with ya”! Another repetitive rhetorical strategy that King uses is polysyndeton. A good example is when he said, “and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the lord shall be revealed, and all flesh see it together” (King). He used polysyndeton in the same way that he uses anaphora; He does it to get the people more excited. He, of course, is steadily raising his voice while all this is happening.
ReplyDeleteRhetoric of written does differ from spoken quite a bit in the case of Martin Luther King Jr. For one, I hadn’t noticed too much anaphora and polysyndeton in his letter but I found him using a great deal of it throughout his speech. The type of literature was also quite different. In his letter, there’s more arguments and refutes such as when he argues, “You may well ask, ‘why direct action...Isn’t negotiation a better path’ (331)? He then refutes by saying, “There is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension” (331). In his speech, there weren’t any arguments, but he expresses an idea and his dreams for that idea to follow through. King’s language also seems much more formal within his letter than he is talking. I think this is important because he knows that the audience of the letter and the speech are different. Some may be more knowledgeable than others.
Matt is right when he says that the letter and the speech are targeted to different people. The white people like it in the letter when he says that he agrees with their goal for change. However, King changes his rhetoric a bit when performs his speech. He starts talking about dreams and hopes, all of which are adorned by the Negro community. The one thing present in both his speech and his letter is the idea to get people onto his side. Though he had a lot support from a majority of people in the south, he knew that if he were to win, he would have to gain the trust of the white people. He had to make his letter somewhat like a miniature debate while making his speech like a protest. That way, he convinces more white people to join his cause, and elicits more fervor out of the Negro communities.
In Martin Luther King's Speech "I have a dream," he uses different rhetorical devices to enhance his speech. One of the devices he uses is repetition of words or anaphora. He repeats the the word " not satisfied" in the middle section of the speech. This enhances his idea and his point that they are not happy with their current situation. He also repeats the line "I have a dream," clearly reminding us the purpose of his speech, his dream for an equal world. Martin Luther King also uses apostrophe, referencing someone or something not present, to speak about Lincoln, and the allusion to signing the declaration of independence. And a third device is synecdoche. He refers to the african american population as We, and the white population as They. Comparing MLK's speech to his written essay, "Letter from Birmingham Jail," the language changes slightly in that he becomes more formal in the letter. In the speech it was almost like he was preaching it rather than reading a documented letter about his dream for a better future. He most likely chose to speak in a more preaching way for his speech because it would touch more people. It gave more emotion and passion behind his words. MLK uses reference to non-present people or stories, allusions, in both his speech and the letter. In the speech he references Lincoln and the signing of the declaration of independence, in the essay he references the Bible, "and just as the apostle paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco-Roman world" (329).
ReplyDeleteI agree with Claudia that his tone is very passionate in his speech. After reading her comment and I now realize MLK's voice would rise and fall in his letter. I could see how his letter could be passionate but I don't think it would have the same effect on the people. I don't think it would strike them so personally as if they were in church having a sermon read to them, it would be inspirational, but not as much so as his "I have a Dream" speech.
The first thing that struck me when comparing the two side by side is how much more repetitious the spoken one was. When speaking, he tended to use parallelism, and apostrophe. However, when writing, his rhetoric was more direct, subdued, and to the point. Although both were meant for the general public, they were subtly different in style and form. Compare
ReplyDelete“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.”
-- ("I Have a Dream", King)
To
" We who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive."
--( "Letter from Birmingham Jail," King)
The first quote is much more dramatic, using apostrophe (The red hills of Georgia) and polysyndoton (The sons of..), whereas the second quote is more matter-of-fact, a simple explanation. Despite the two examples having the same subject, and even many of the same stylistic choices (referencing the bible, and history.), they manage to each have their own style. I agree with others that "I Have a Dream" contained more passion. The letter almost seemed a trial run, something designed to catch attention, but not make anyone wary. I think the fact that he speaks "I Have a Dream" also played a major part. When you speak something, it it easier to impart emotion, convey your intended meaning. Sarcasm, accusation, and amusement are hard to get across properly in text, and can easily be misunderstood.
In Martin Luther King’s “ I have Dream” speech uses many rhetorical devices, using these is in part why the speech is famous. As Matt has said in his response one of the rhetorical devices that has come up repeatedly is anaphora. I agreed with Matt when he says that one of the most common use of anaphora is in his speech when he says “ I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up…I have a dream……I have a dream…… I have a dream…I have a dream….I have a dream” MLK is repeating the words “ I have a dream” making this phrase the important message he wanted to portray.
ReplyDeleteAnother rhetorical device that I found was allusions. For instance where MLK references the declaration of independence through his allusions he showed that it is was holds the U.S. together, he argues that from the beginning that coloured and white people have equal rights.
The third rhetorical device I found was Asyndeton. In the sentence where MLK says “ and when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet…..,” MLK continues this sentence without using any conjunctions, showing how all of these things could possibly happen all together if equality is agreed on.
Comparing MLK’s speech to his written essay, “Letter from Brimingham Jail”, the language chances from being casual to more formal written, this could also be a result of the different audiences that the speech and essay are meant for. The speech to me seemed to have a bit more emotions and exaggeration, possibly to reach out to the people a bit more. Whereas the essay was straight forward and to the point explaining to the white clergymen why he was protesting. On main difference that I saw between the speech and his essay was that there was only one use of anaphora in his essay when MLK says “ when you” (332). At the beginning of many sentences addressing the injustice towards the coloured. Where as throughout his speech there was multiple uses of anaphora for instance another phrase he uses quite often was “ that one day”, helping portray these certain ideas or beliefs to the audience.
MLK uses a lot of anaphoras in his speech "I have a Dream". I think this is because he is emphasizing his points by repetition. He is also connecting different thoughts together by using the same words at the beginning of each thought. Martin Luther King Jr. also uses a synecedoche when he says " 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." He is using this one example as a representation of a larger problem. He is talking about the general disadvantage that segregation has given to black children, but by using one specific example that most people who were listening to him could connect to. He also uses an asyndeton when he says, " Go back to mIssissippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities,". He omits the conjunctions in the phrase because he is connecting seemingly unrelated places to one another, and by doing that connecting every person who is listening to what he is saying, to each other.
ReplyDeleteI think that his rhetoric in "I Have a Dream" and "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is very different. When he writes he uses a lot less anaphoras than when he speaks. In his speech he says, "But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition" (MLK.) This is an example of when he uses an anaphora, but in his writing he doesn't do this so extensively. Also the tone of his speech and his writing are different. In his speech he is attempting to put peaceful hope into peoples mind, whereas in his letter he is attempting to reason with people who don't agree with him. When he makes the argument of how important the fight against segregation is in his letter he says, " Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the American Negro. Something within has reminded him if his birthright if freedom, and something without has reminded him that is can be gained" (MLK.) This is a statement about people who the readers don't know, and MLK is try do familiarize the readers with the what is truly happening. In his speech he says, " It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not and end but a beginning" (MLK). In this speech he is further strengthening people who already know the situation's beliefs about what is happening. Over all MLK's speech is much more once sided, and more of that of someone who is inspiring people to have freedom, whereas in his writing he is convincing an opposing party of something.
I think what Ziqi said was interesting because it is true that he is definitely trying to appeal to the audience, and support and idea that they already believe in, but in his letter he doesn't do that very much. I also agree with the fact that his letter and speech differ a lot. One thing I noticed about that was that he used a lot more metaphors in his speech that he did in his letter.
Martin Luther King Jr’s famous “I have a Dream” speech uses different rhetorical devices. He alludes to Lincoln and the cause he fought for and to the declaration of independence. MLK points out that Lincoln freed blacks, but they are not yet truly free because they are still segregated. MLK also uses anaphora to great effect. “I have a dream”, “free” and “hundred years” are phrases that he repeats over and over. He uses “free” to help the people understand what it is to be truly free without chains of any sort left. “Hundred years” is repeated in the beginning to show how the “negro” still has no rights even after a hundred years has passed since Lincoln. The famous “I have a dream” is used to help the crowd see what the ideal and goal for the country is. A country where every man is equal and can hold their head up with pride. His pace, or punctuation I guess, is excellently placed. He pauses at the right places to let people think or to let his point sink in. He doesn’t speed up while he delivers his motivational speech. He talks at a steady speed during his speech which is helps the crowd to understand better. The pace helps to make the speech along with the tone. MLK’s tone adds to the speech. Throughout he speaks with thoughtful, hopeful, passion. He is intense without pushing the crowd. He uses his speech to encourage and rally the African Americans all over America. MLK references his children and others whom he loves which only adds to the emotion in the speech. The rhetoric changes from speech to writing. He uses more persuasive explanatory language in his writing to convince the readers. As I said earlier, his passionate, hopeful tone in the speech is meant to encourage and push the crowd forward. In his writing he is answering questions and proving actions. “I came across your recent statement calling my present activities “unwise and untimely”…I want to try to answer your statement” (328). MLK explains his actions in his writings so that the reader understands what he is trying to do. “The purpose of our direct-action program is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation” (331). The major differences are the audiences. The speech is mostly to African Americans and white favorable to their cause. The writing is directed to white moderates. In the former the audience is already on his side and ready to join him. In the latter he is trying to prove to and persuade the audience to see from his point of view.
ReplyDeletei agree with claudia and sammy about the tone/passion and said things along the same line as claudia. everyone who caught the allusions and anaphoras i also agree with. i definately agree with ziqi, matt, brendan and rita about the audience thing. the fact that what connected them was the subject and MLK's desire to get the audience on his side
ReplyDeleteIn Martin Luther Kings "I Have a Dream" speech he uses many rhetorical devices. On rhetorical device he uses is anaphora. He uses anaphora when he says "We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back" (King). King uses anaphora here to emphasize that it is a united effort, nobody has to do it alone and they will all be doing it together. This keeps peoples morale up and will make ti so they do not give up on their dreams of freedom. King also uses synecdoche when he says Negro to refer to all African American people. He uses this because every black man had been discriminated against and it shows how every single "negro" is in the same boat. Another rhetorical device King uses is metaphor. One instance in which he uses metaphor is when he says "But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt"(King). King uses this to show that justice can still be done. The metaphor puts freedom in tangible terms to show that it is a very realistic goal.
ReplyDeletein Kings speech the rhetoric is different than it is in his letter. When he is giving his speech, it seems like he is directly addressing you personally, like he is having a conversations with you. In his letter he is addressing many people of a certain class, the white moderates. In Kings speech he is addressing the african american community and during his speech I could hear people saying amen and cheering King during his speech. King was definitely more passionate during his speech and got emotional and drew people into his words. In his letter he was very straightforward and logical, stuck to facts and did not draw the reader in, he presented his argument. Conversely, in his speech he inspired listeners with lofty language and passion.
In Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech he uses the rhetorical device of repeating the same words or phrase over and over again. This rhetorical device he is using is anaphora. Throughout the speech Dr. King uses the phrase “I have a dream” hence the name of the speech. He employed this device to get across to his listeners that this is his main point and is very important to what he is saying. Everything that he believes in is at this point a dream so he repeats it before each new dream.
ReplyDeleteAnother rhetorical device Martin Luther King uses throughout the speech are metaphors. He says, “every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together”. The use of metaphors such as this are used to show the listeners what MLK is dreaming of and what he wants the future to look like.
MLK also uses allusions in his speech as a third rhetorical device. He refers to the authors of the Declaration of Independence, but doesn’t directly say who they are, but calls them “the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the…”. He also alludes to Abraham Lincoln without actually addressing him by name. It is also no coincidence that he is giving his speech at the Lincoln Memorial and then talks about the Emancipation Proclamation
The major change in rhetoric from the audio to the text is the way it is said. MLK says it with tons of emotion and puts in pauses between thoughts which enhances the emotion attached to what he is saying and it gives the listeners a chance to take in what he saying. There is no real spot in the text where this can be cited because this happens basically throughout the entire speech.
I agree with what Matt said about the use of metaphors throughout the speech. What he said about King trying to show his audience what he is trying to portray by using metaphors I think is accurate. To inspire the crowd he needs to give them idea of what he wants the future to look like and that is what he does with these metaphors.
ReplyDeleteKing uses numerous rhetorical devices throughout his “I Have A Dream” speech, the most notable of which being anaphora. He famously repeats the words “I have a dream” many times towards the end of his speech, but uses it many other times as well. Another example of a rhetorical device is when King opens his salute to Pres. Abraham Lincoln for signing the Emancipation Proclamation, with an allusion to the latter’s Gettysburg Address by saying “5 score years ago. ” One more of the many devices he uses is synecdoche. King refers to the entire African-American population and the struggles they face as “the negro.” I think King employs these devices to connect with all of his listeners. His repetition of “I have a dream” visibly raises the excitement of the crowd. Each time he uses the phrase there is more power in his voice and correspondingly more feeling in the crowd. His allusion to the Gettysburg Address makes people remember another very influential speech made by an advocate for their freedom, and forms a conjunction between the previous speech and what King was saying at the time. Lastly, his referral to the entire African-American population as “the negro,” brings what he is saying to a very personal level for everyone listening, making them feel even more deeply what he is saying.
ReplyDeleteKing’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” has a much more formal tone than his “I Have A Dream” speech. The reason or this being that in his speech he is speaking to his fellow advocates for equality, while in his letter, he is addressing his adversaries. Both work to promote equality and desegregation, but in the letter King has to phrase his opinions differently so as to not offend his readers to the point of closing their minds. He states where they are doing things correctly then goes on to point out the flaws in their reasoning, all the while remaining very polite. Despite these differences, very similar rhetorical devices are used in both pieces. There are several cases where he uses anaphora like when he says, “Yes, I Love the church…Yes, I see the church” (340) or in saying “Before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth, we were here. Before the pen of Jefferson etched the majestic words of the Declaration of Independence across the pages of history, we were here” (341). Like the speech, he also alludes to other great leaders who fought for minorities, or who gave insight to moral issues like St. Thomas Aquinas and Gandhi.
I agree with Brendan that King uses his speech to inspire his audience. All of his language is very poignant and tailored so that anyone could understand what he is trying to say. This is a necessary tool, because many of his supporters may not have been able to understand the full meaning if they had for instance only read his letter, due to a lack of education. I also agree with Rita about the direction he is coming from to address different groups of people; his speech strengthens people’s faith while his letter persuades people to find faith in his cause.
It wont let me post my whole piece so I will post it in sections.
ReplyDelete#1 In his “I Have A Dream” speech, Dr King’s mastery of public speaking and of the incredible ability to capture the hearts and minds of a crowd, is shown in King’s effective use of several powerful rhetorical devices including anaphora, synecdoche, and metaphor. Anaphora is the repetition of a word or words at the beginning of two or more successive verses. King is very famous for his use of this as he repeats the phrase “I have a dream” in his inspiring speech. He begins several lines with this phrase, and in each line, establishes a wish that will bring rights and equality to all. in repeating this phrase, King builds emotion, and creates a sense of dramatic excitement. He does this, again, because of his understanding of how to capture a crowd. When listening to this part of the speech, even I, separated from the speech and the movement by almost 50 years, still feel a sense of mounting awe and excitement. Synecdoche is a tool where a part is used for the whole or the whole for a part, the special for the general or the general for the special. For example, one might say, “as I write this blog response, Boston in tied in the 14th inning” (true), and by Boston one would mean the Boston team rather than the actually city of Boston. This tool is often used to preserve flow, reduce wordiness, and eliminate extra syllables. King uses this tool when he referees “the negro” when he means the whole black population. This, as said, reduces the wordiness of his speech, and preserves his intended flow. However, in the circumstances, I believe it also serves the role of unifying the people in the crowed and across the word under a single name which King hopes to bring freedom and equality to. A third tool that King uses is metaphor. King says “the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity” to convey that in America, where money and wealth are abound, and few go hungry, or cold, shelter-less by global standards, the black people are isolated and alone in the terrible locking arms of poverty. King’s use of this metaphor clearly illustrates to me the situation which faced the black people at that time in the US. I believe King uses this metaphor for these reason, to highlight the poverty in the black community and the unfairness that such things can happen in a nation with so much. The metaphor is concise but powerful. His entire speech is powerful because it excites those who believe in his cause and strengthens the momentum of his movement.
#2 The speech is very different from King’s letter “From Birmingham Jail.” In this letter King has very different motives and goals than in his speech. The difference is clearly understandable because, in both cases, King is making an argument, but in both cases, King is speaking to a very different audience. He needs to cater his arguments to each. In his speech, King is, well, speaking, and thus uses spoken English, with dramatic pauses, rhythm, and simple structure. In his speech, King is also speaking to a crowd that is largely already in agreement with him. He is not trying to convince them, but rather to motivate and excite them. In his letter, however, King is writing, and thus uses written language and structure. His letter is longer, more complex, and more structural sound, with support evidence for logical arguments. In the letter, King is also speaking to people who do not agree with him, and thus he must provide thoughtful, logical reasons for his opinions and stands. In the letter, King uses less anaphora and rhythm to convey his points. Instead, as Matt said, king asks potential questions that his opposition could ask, confronting his opposition head on. “You may well ask, 'Why direct action? Why sit ins, marches, and so forth?'” (331). He then tackles these questions head on and in doing so, and definitively answering these questions, he defeats his opponents and their points. I agree with matt and I think he makes very good points in his comparison between the two examples of writing and speaking from King. I also agree with Oren that the use of anaphora helps create an incredibly powerful piece of writing.
ReplyDeleteIn order to give a great speech, one must use rhetorical devices to enhance the meaning of his or her speech. This is exactly was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did in his, “I have a Dream” speech. The most common and obvious technique King uses is Anaphora. Dr. King constantly repeats sections of his speech such as, “I have a dream,” “let freedom ring,” and “now is the time.” Every time he uses this technique, he is attempting to place emphasis on the words he is repeating, to make them more meaningful. For example, Dr. King repeats the words, “now is the time,” to emphasize that Negroes must solve racism immediately. When Dr. King refers to “five score years ago,” he is making an allusion to the Civil War. By using an allusion to the Civil War, Dr. King is helping his audience recall how hard people fought to end racism. Finally, Dr. King employs metaphors. One of the many examples of this would be when he referred to “the disease of racism.” By comparing to racism as a disease, Dr. King is conveying the message that racism is a deadly force that spreads quickly, much like a disease.
ReplyDeleteOne major difference between King's speech and his letter from the book is his tone. Dr. King speaks in an enthusiastic cheerful tone in his speech, in an attempt to get people excited enough to fight for freedom. In his letter, however, this is not the case. In order to persuade his audience, white moderates, King must demonstrate that his argument is correct. For example, when King was accused of breaking the law, he stated that, "One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws." He is using a serious tone to persuade his opponent that he is correct. Dr. King doesn't have to do this when he gives the speech at the rally because the people attending already agree with him. Instead of proving the opponent wrong, he needed to call people to action.
I agree with what Brendan said about Dr. King’s allusion to the Declaration of Independence. Dr. King hopes that this allusion will cause people to see their cause as being similar to the founding fathers. He hopes people will realize that they are standing up against unjust treatment the same way Americans did when they created this government. I also agree with Oren and Matt’s comments about how the speech is intended to be much more exciting. Dr. King wants to get people excited enough for action.
I agree with Bethany when she said that Kings thoughtful tone kept the audience with him. He spoke very slowly and emphasized every sentence, he did not rush through it so people missed lines here and there. I also agree with Bethany that he was very passionate about what he was talking about and this also helped inspire the crowd.
ReplyDeleteAfter listening to one of King's most distinguished speeches, I found there were many rhetorical devices used to pull the audience into the message being said. While conveying the message to the people, King's candor and passion strengthened what he was trying to say. One rhetorical device that he used most often throughout the speech was anaphora. The most grasping, was the statement "I have a dream" that King frequently used throughout the speech to really declare not only his feelings, but the feelings of those around him who endured the same injustices. Metaphors were also common during the speech like when it is said "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream". King not only uses metaphors to look back to the past, but also to the future and how the people should be unified; in a brotherhood. Lastly, he uses apostrophes to personify and make the thing he is talking about seem even more real. "that Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination". These devices were employed by this genius because of how he wanted the message to come off to the people. He wanted to lift the spirits of the people and encourage them to take a stand. To tell them that they are unified and that they can fight for what they want and deserve.
ReplyDeleteWhen comparing the two, I found that King's works differed because his speech was more detailed and his letter was more simple and straightforward. Like I said before, the difference was that he was speaking to an audience and meant to send a message that was enthusiastic and implied freedom. "But more basically , I am in Birmingham because injustice is here". However, in the speech King implies that they are all there because they need to take a stand. There is more emotion and more force in the speech compared to the letter.
Along with Claudia, I agree with Bethany that the way he speaks attracts the audience and is extremely grasping and emotional. He conveys his message in a way that makes the people want to take a stand right then and there. The tone he uses persuades the audience to listen to him and see what the negros have endured.
ReplyDeleteIn Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech King uses his talent for public speaking to inspire the crowd. King uses different rhetorical devices to strengthen his speech and make it more powerful. The most prevalent strategy is his use of anaphora throughout the speech. King uses anaphora when calling the people to action. “Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and 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 uses synecdoche when speaking of the African American culture as a whole. He uses the word negro to represent the entire black population in America. “But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free.” King’s use of synecdoche helped the crowd identify with him because they identified with the word negro. It was what they were called on a daily basis. If King had used more formal words they wouldn’t have felt such a strong emotional connection to what he was saying. The third rhetoric strategy MLK uses is allusion. He alludes to the Gettysburg Address, the Emancipation proclamation, the Declaration of Independence and to passages from the bible. King uses these famous and powerful works from the past to further substantiate the fact that he deserves freedom.
ReplyDeleteWhen contrasted with his letter from jail, MLK’s “I have a dream” speech is somewhat simple. The speech was written not to convince and not to prove but simply to inspire and to caution against the danger of violence. His rhetoric in the speech is much more informal and much more passionate. He repeats himself, he wants to be heard from the rooftops. In the letter he wants discourse, he wants the respect and the consideration of people who give him neither. In his letter he address’s his critics politely and calmly. “But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are set forth” (328). Whereas in his speech he does away with pleasantries and speaks from his heart with passion. ‘“I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of ‘interposition’ and ‘nullification’ -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers”’(I have a dream).
I disagree with Matt that in his letter he is more abstract. I think that in the letter MLK is very specific and addresses every possible question and problem with detail. However I do agree with Matt that in his speech he is trying to work the crowd into a fervor. He uses anaphora to inspire them and get them going.
In Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech many different rhetorical devices are used. The most prominent, as many people have already said, was the use of anaphora. His repetition of the phrase "I have a dream" holds the listener and continuously reminds them that peace if achievable. This is not the only form of repetition though, and King's point is helped by every one of them. He repeats phrases such as "Now is the time," "With this faith," and "Let freedom ring." Each of these phrases emphasizes that he wanted people to rise up and act right now, not wait for more violence. These phrases also emphasize peace, while still, as Henry said, hold the crowd's attention.
ReplyDeleteKing also uses repetition of singular words in this speech, not only the full phrases which are anaphora. He reuses the words "freedom," "justice," "negro," and "nation" to carry on the themes of his speech, which are to act now and rise up as a nation against the evils of segregation and racism.
When comparing his Letter From Birmingham and his I Have a Dream speech, I found many differences. First of all, I agree with Elise when she said the writing in the Letter From Birmingham was more simple and to the point. You can tell that in his letter, King was trying to calmly speak out against the injustice forced upon himself. The writing is much more calm then his actual speech, and I feel that the speech moved the people to a much greater extent than his letter ever could.
In MLK's "I Have A Dream" speech, rhetorical devices are used to strengthen his point. Similar to what Lilian said, the use of anaphora is the most common device that is used. "I have a dream" is repeated multiple times by King to help him be more stronger and to embed the point of this speech into the millions of people who watch or listen to this speech around the world. Each and every time King repeats the phrase "I have a dream", he emphasizes those four words more. The use of allusion is another device that he uses to prove his point. The Emancipation Proclamation and Declaration of Independence are referred to in the speech. He talks about how the Emancipation Proclamation was made so that colored people were treated more fairly in the future and that 100 years later colored people are still mistreated. The words "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" are also alluded in his speech. That reference to the Declaration of Independence helps him show his bravery and knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Henry, when you compare his speech to his Letter From Birmingham Jail, they are somewhat different from each other. His speech is more powerful than his letter. It may be that it's because it was spoken in front of many people. Even if King had recited this poem in front of the amount of people that he recited his speech to, I think that the speech would still be much more powerful than the letter.
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