I Have A Dream Rhetorical Analysis

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On August 28th, 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a speech was given to an estimated two hundred fifty thousand Civil Rights supporters. That speech was "I Have a Dream" delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The "I Have a Dream" speech called for an end to the segregation of and discrimination against African Americans that had been taking place for many years. Since 1963, the speech has become one of the greatest, most prominent speeches in history because of its colossal impact. It showed the world that African Americans would not take discrimination and segregation lying down. After the speech was delivered, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were…show more content…
Logos is about logic, consistency, and clarity of the thesis. Martin Luther King's overall thesis is "the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land. And so we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition." One might assume his thesis means African Americans want to be officially free and put an end to oppression and segregation. All parts of his speech point back to this thesis. For example, this excerpt: "And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. 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." shows that Martin Luther King wants freedom for Africans Americans everywhere in the United States. Martin Luther King also demonstrated logos through metaphors when he stated, "America has given the Negro people a bad check; a check which has come back marked 'insufficient funds.' But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt." He compares African American discrimination and lack of freedom to something most people are familiar with: a bad
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