Martin Luther King, Jr. is the speaker and rhetor of the iconic “I Have A Dream” speech given in 1963 in Washington, D.C. Dr. King remains one of the most appreciated civil rights activist to embark on the quest for justice and freedom. Not only was Dr. King an activist and a speaker, but he was also a minister who had a substantial influence on his supporters within his personal circle. He used personification to reiterate the importance of fighting for civil rights: “the whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.” Dr. King intended to bring forth conscious awareness of the oppression and injustice that people of color faced in a nation where every man was supposed to be equal. He spoke to the people with confidence using modes of persuasion and other rhetorical devices.
At the beginning of the speech, Dr. King uses repetition to emphasize certain issues: the stagnancy of innovation and the lack of unity. For example, he states, “one hundred years later” a total of four times. The number four represents values such as loyalty, devotion, and justice. In that same manner, Dr. King says “we cannot be satisfied” seven times. According to numerology.com, the number seven is the seeker, the thinker and the searcher of truth. Lastly, he claims “I have a dream” a total of 11 times. This number symbolizes fulfillment, vision and purity.
For the purpose of unifying blacks and whites, Dr. King’s intended audience is those who suffer from racial injustice. He says, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” He was intending not only to seek freedom for blacks but also to inform blacks that not all whites have the same motives: "the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.” Dr. King also reveals how important walking in love is when he states, “let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”
Correspondingly, Dr. King incorporates the three modes of persuasion: pathos, logos and ethos. First is logos when he stated the Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abe Lincoln. Equally important, his response starting with “but one hundred years later” exhibits his use of pathos. He reveals the distress and disappointment the oppressed endured after having to face injustice. The despondency resulting from the lack of change: “This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.” Third, he uses an example of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence to enforce ethos. He proclaims: “this note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Dr. King’s use of rhetoric devices acts as an aid to connect with the American people. In addition to the modes of persuasion, he also includes many other rhetoric devices such as personification, metaphors and metanoia for clarification purposes. Peter C. Meyers from the Heritage Foundation believes that “Martin Luther King, Jr. was a champion of great principle.” Martin Luther King, Jr was martyred for his beliefs on injustice and leaves behind a legacy that will inspire generations to come. As MLK said, 1963 was not an end, but a beginning
