Rhetorical Analysis (I Have A Dream Speech)

   Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a vision about what the future would be like. To portray his vision to an audience he used the rhetorical devices repetition. allusion, and alliteration.
     In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's I Have A Dream speech he uses repetition to fill the audience with determination and inspiration. For example, throughout a section of the speech King repeats the words "Go back to". By doing this it creates an atmosphere of determination. He is determined by faith that every person of color will get their share of equality and be brought out of suffering. Another example is when King repeated "Let freedom ring". These words opened up a window for inspiration to be poured out and heart to open. Here King addressed states by a famous landmark or physical feature that they are known for. Doing this provoked the audience to be filled with joy and confidence through the crisis they were experiencing.
   Throughout the speech King uses allusion. He alludes to the Gettysburg Address and the Declaration of Independence to spark attention to the fact that colored people were promised equality and rights just like every other citizen in America. The Gettysburg Address was a speech, given by former President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, was not just because of Lincoln motive which was preserve the union, but to bring equality to all citizens. King alluded to the Declaration of Independence to bring out the fact that the nation as a whole will live out the true meaning of equality. No matter the color of your skin, your heritage, or where you were born we will all be treated the same. Dr. King alludes to these two sources to prove that no one is superior than anyone else and that we all are citizens who should be treated the same.
   Alliteration is another device King used throughout his speech. He uses this device to show his passion for the subject and to emphasize specific points of his speech. At one point in speech. King uses the words "dark and desolate" to emphasize how people of color perceived segregation and how, as one, will go through what ever it takes to get out of the darkness. Another example of alliteration is when King stated the words "today and tomorrow". He said these words to prove that even through times like these he still believes that one day the nation will come together as one without hate and violence.
  In order to allow others to see and understand his vision Dr. King used these rhetorical devices.
   

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