Essay on Rhetoric Analysis

Speakers give speeches for a reason. Information access and distribution are some of the basic needs of human life. We cannot thrive without knowledge acquired through communication Speakers are not just speakers without meeting some standards of meaningful discourse. Speeches serve specific purposes such as persuading, educating, and warning. We have globally known speakers, among them Martin Luther king. We are going to use his speech about a dream he had to analyze what rhetoric is.

What is the rhetorical situation?

Martin Luther the King addressed the Americans in 1963 when he felt that the Black Americans had been discriminated against much. He complained about the injustices that happened in the judicial systems and even in daily society. The whites were favored over Blacks, and there was no respect for the dignity of the African Americans. He urged the Americans to make the promises of democracy real and avoid acting against what they had written as national policies. He continues by saying that he is foreseeing whites and blacks coming together and talking in one voice. He envisions an African America leading the United States. This happened two centuries after America attained its independence and promised to abolish the slave trade.

Who is the author/speaker?

As mentioned earlier, the I have a dream speech was given by Martin Luther King. He acts as the speaker and the author of the address. He establishes and maintains ethics throughout the lesson by respecting the country’s constitution and using clean language to address his worries. Although he talks harshly about the Alabama governor, he indeed used to discriminate against Blacks. His capacity and reputation convey authority that would guarantee him the credit he deserved. He was a social activist and Ministered with the Baptist church.

His profile made him the most visible speaker in the civil rights movement until his assassination, as his speech reveals the values of equality and respect for human dignity. He also calls for unity in America. He admits that the matters outlined above are not held in the country at the moment, and there is a need to. Throughout the speech, Martin Luther portrays mastery of problems facing America without consulting any reference. He has language mastery and uses analogies to explain real issues. He is a patriotic individual who respects all humans under diversified capacities and is against any injustice. He is very bold as he used harsh words to condemn the Alabama governor for discriminating against African Americans.

What is the speech’s purpose?

The speech is meant to inform and persuade. Martin Luther is informing the authorities of the existing injustice and persuading them to rectify it. He, therefore, passes a prophecy to the Americans that one day all the whites and the blacks will be united, and the Black Americans will once lead the country. The speaker is attacking the whites for the discrimination they have shown against African Americans. His tone is bitter as he calls for the stop of the injustices and enslavement of the African Americans.

Who is the audience?

Martin Luther speaks to the authority of America and the Americans in general. The Americans have been divided in terms of race, and therefore Martin warned the Whites to stop the discrimination. Although he directly speaks to the White, he also talks to the African Americans by delivering a prophecy that would positively affect them in the future. By warning the Alabama governor, he speaks to the wider audience globally that practiced discrimination of race. Local, national, and international governments are addressed too.

Does the speech fulfill the speaker’s intentions?

The speech comes at the right time when America had gone too deep into racial discrimination. The circumstance fitted the timeliness of his speech, and the majority of his physical audience were African Americans. Leave alone the United States; the whole world was at a time of African enslavement even after official abolishment. Governors of the States in America mishandled the Africans, deprived them of their rights and liberties. No other time was better to deliver his speech than this. The audience, as mentioned earlier, was majorly composed of African Americans who applauded him anytime he made a convincing fact.

According to me, the speech was excellent and convincing. The speech portrayed the boldness that Black people lacked for decades. It was delivered professionally, and the topic was something to keep you attentive. Using bitter words to condemn discriminative leaders and making a prophecy to the African Americans were items that every African wanted to hear by then. They had been exposed to severe discrimination and enslavement, and a savior of Luther type was all they wanted. The purpose of the speech was achieved, although full success was achieved many years later when Barrack Obama became the American President. The local and national leaders started changing the perspective of African Americans and gradually embraced them. African Americans understood their worth and fought for it.

References

American Rhetoric. (2020, August 20). Martin Luther King I Have a Dream Speech – American Rhetoric. Americanrhetoric.com. https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm