I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King, Essay Example

Martin Luther King, Jr. uses a number of rhetorical devices in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. He utilizes pathos by appealing to the emotions of the audience with lines such as “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 uses ethos by presenting himself as a credible and knowledgeable leader; and he uses logos by making a logical, reasoned argument about the problems of racial injustice. Among his specific rhetorical strategies is the repetition of the phrase “I have a dream.” Another device used in the speech is parallelism; some examples include the lines “we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together” and “go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina.” This device gives the speech a sense of rhythm that draws in listeners. King makes strong use of imagery and metaphor, such as the way he connects the imagery of the word “light” with the concept of “freedom.” The speech also includes references to things such as Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, the Declaration of Independence, and lyrics from “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” as a means of evoking the memories and emotions of the listeners.