Rhetorical Analysis Of Dr. Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream Speech

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most influential figures in American history. Born in 1929, Dr. King was a reverend, and the most ambitious African American Civil-Rights activists during the early 1930’s to the late 1960’s. His I Have a Dream speech, is considered by some, to be the greatest argument ever written. Dr. King addressed his audience at the Lincoln Memorial August 28, 1963, one hundred years after Abraham Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address. It was about how the Black population was still under oppression, even though slavery had been abolished over a hundred years ago. Although the speech was directed to white’s that persecuted black’s, the compassionate, determined tone touched thousands around the country. The compelling symbols Dr.King used throughout his lecture were the most influential because not only did he receive his intended result, but Dr.King’s symbols also had a deep, lasting effect, and informed his audience about his opinions.…show more content…
The dark, desolate valley showed how bad the segregation really was, and used imagery to help do so. Meanwhile “the sunlit path of racial justice,” helped Dr.King get his desired effect by also using imagery that showed how far America had to go, before getting out of that dark desolate valley. It makes sense that Dr. King would use a feature, such as the one quoted above, because of the fact that it would show the hardships that the people had to face during the times of slavery and racial discrimination. However, the symbols in Dr.King’s speech had other effects on his

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