There is no individual who used rhetoric better than Martin Luther King, Jr. He changed the world and started a revolution, all from behind a podium. Im sure we are all familiar with his speech, so I am going to pick out a few points where he kills the rhetorical game :)
Firstly, King uses alliterations often. At times in his speech, his words sound like a poem or a song, and those are the quotes people don't forget. Example: Rise from the dark and desolate…the marvelous new militancy…trials and tribulations…"
He also uses allusions, referencing common themes in American's pasts. These are things we all share and can relate to. For example, in I Have A Dream, King said "Five score years ago, a great American…signed the Emancipation Proclamation."
Finally, King states a lot of his points twice in a row. This also makes it stick in the mind of listeners, and it also makes the statement more intense. "America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.”
What do you guys think about rhetoric in King's famous speech? Can you find other examples of the techniques I presented above?
King's speech is one of my favorites. It has a way of transporting you back to the time and place of the issue. The rhetoric in his speech is outstanding. I don't think that I've met anyone who can say that they weren't affected when they heard that speech. It will go down as one of the greatest speeches of all time.
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