Dr. Martin Luther King, Essay Example

Martin Luther King

The Champion of introspection is Dr. Martin Luther King and his ” I have a dream speech” . Dr King inspired a nation in his non violent advocacy for human rights and equality of all African Americans:

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed. “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal.”   (Edwards, 2010). King used biblical references and appealed to Christians to acknowledge the plight of the African/Americans.  The most noted civil rights leader was the voice of Dr. Martin Luther King.  It was King who promoted a nonviolent approach to the civil rights movement; having spent time in India, with the followers of Gandhi.  He believed that dialogue was the most powerful weapon in order to end the oppression of the people in their struggle for freedom.  Dr. King compiled many leading academic works on the civil rights movement, but his most famous “I have a dream” speech inspired a nation. (Chew, 1995).

It was in 1963, that Martin Luther King’s letter from a Birmingham Jail, reached out to the growing civil rights campaign.  His goal being to end once and for all time.  The segregation of black people in every aspect of American public life.  In the same year, King led a huge rally to Washington DC.  It is here that he delivered his famous “I have a dream”  speech.  He inspired a nation and placed the civil rights movement clearly at the forefront of the nation’s national agenda.

On April 4th, 1968 King was assassinated by James Earl Ray in Memphis Tennessee.  King was 39 years of age, and he never wavered in his belief that one day African-Americans would attain equal rights in the American justice system.  The real aim of the civil rights movement was to convince the federal government to act against the oppressive Southern states.  The segregationists who controlled the southern states had brutally oppressed any who stood against their views.  This position, had stood firm for over 50 years.  Although the civil rights movement was essentially violent nevertheless, it was an insurgency designed to bring about reform and change.  The key issue being ” significant change was never going to occur within the political system: To be forced”  (Scheier, 2009).

Monroe’s Motivated Sequence

This is a technique that is used for organizing persuasive speeches. It was originally developed at Purdue University by Alan H Munroe. It essentially consists of the following five steps ( See Table below).

The aim of this approach is that it clearly identifies what the audience can do in the participation and resolution of a problem.  The reason that this method is so effective in persuasive speeches is because it achieves a number of key events. The first, is that it grabs the audiences attention and makes them acutely aware of a specific problem. Second, it makes them stop and listen to the problem that needs to be addressed.  Third it questions why have we not found a solution to this problem – the question picked directly at the audience; they are now focused in and receptive to the solution. Fourth a solution is presented and this might be presented in the fashion of ’cause and effect’ illustrating the consequences if the proposed solution is not implemented.  Ultimately the plea of action to the audience – how can you help me to resolve our problem ( note transfer of ownership).

Works Cited

Edwards, S. (2010). Analysis of Martin Luther King’s . Retrieved 6 4, 2010, from Presentation Magazine: http://www.presentationmagazine.com/martin-luther-king-i-have-a-dream-speech.htm

Presentation Magazine. (2010). Analysis of “I have a dream” Martin Luther King. Retrieved 7 27, 2010, from Presentation Magazine: http://www.presentationmagazine.com/martin-luther-king-i-have-a-dream-speech.htm