Every work of literature, speech, or essay has a motive. The author, or speaker in the case of speech, must appeal to the audience and have them attracted and attentive to their presentation, whether in writing or verbal. Speech is an art whose skill not many can possess. A speech requires fully understanding the audience’s likes and dislikes, beliefs, and culture. One also needs to know what the audience would like, entertain, and what they are also likely to reject. Language is the tool, but speech needs more than that. Even the ability to skillfully use language and various stylistic approaches would add that taste. I closely analyzed Martin Luther King JR.’s speech on 28 August 1963, and I witnessed a great speech that has remained in history. The speech is central to several political, sociological, philosophical, and literature studies. Martin Luther always has a place in nearly every pedagogy for the many aspects of greatness borne in his speeches and activities. Luther King’s speech has remained under study not only for its captivating aspect and the multitude it attracted but also for its great style of articulation and the rhetorical aspects I seek to analyze in this article.
When invited to address the massive crowd that had attended the anti-racism rally on 28 August 1963, Martin was not new and already understood his crowd and what was expected of him. He stands up as a prepared speaker, not only vibrant and eloquent but with the artistry of speech to fully impact his listeners. His tone keeps rising along with the weight of emotions and the message he intends to deliver. Every statement seemingly comes with an intonation that best suits its delivery to the masses. He mastered the skill of evoking empathy and pity in his audience. Martin Luther was known in his area of address and advocacy, and the audience did not expect any topic other than racial equality and advocacy for the Negro. He took the stage, and amid the applause, he began to give the short but great oration that has remained in history, just as he mentioned that the day would remain in history. He did not have to introduce himself, for he was recognized far and beyond for his position in faith and politics. Martin went straight to giving his speech and outlined his dream to the people. He ensured that he had the full attention of the audience, as applause came from all over as he spoke.
In exhibiting pathos, Luther King Jr. reminded the people first of the place where they stood and the person under whose shadow they had their gathering. He reminds his audience how the Negro has long been in bondage. Being mistreated and undermined in the whole of America. Mississippi was one of the areas where the blacks had suffered most, and he could not forget to mention it. As they stood under the symbolic shadow of a great activist for the emancipation of black, he rekindled the suffering of African Americans to get the audience moved by the atrocities committed against Negro (Shcherbak 4). He spoke of all the major cities and states where blacks had been subjected to prejudice and persecution for no crime other than black. The hatred that spread across America was so immense that whenever he mentioned it, he was sure to achieve the emotional attention evocation of his audience. This is one way he could attack their feelings and have them realize the importance of their meeting and the ongoing activism against apartheid and white imperialism worldwide.
He showed the audience that he was together with them and sharing in the suffering of racial segregation. As he says, “…it came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity…” he reminds the audience that the struggle has been long enough, but the suffering has been longer. He would use this to touch the audience’s feelings and emotions and make the message sink deep into them. In William J. Clinton’s speech: “Racism in the United States” on 16 October 1995, he bears the same skill of identifying with the people’s problem. He was not so outspoken on racial discrimination because he was a politician who sought election in a country where white conservatisms still dominated. Open advocacy for the blacks would mean losing, if not tremendously so. (Weber 11). But on this day, he had the chance to persuade his people without much fear. The former president takes on the stage and persuades the audience about his concern about racial rifts in the country. He says, “I was reminded, as I talk about this thorny subject of race today…” he intends to capture the audience’s emotions into the subject matter and the core of what he seeks to address. The two speeches have the same topic and are given by different people in the same spirit. Their likeness in how they appeal to the people’s emotions makes their speeches some of the most touching among the many speeches on racial segregation and the freedom of African Americans.
Martin Luther’s speech also has a strong aspect of ethos. While he sends out a strong message to a vibrant audience, he stays within ethical principles and conveys the same morality to his listeners. He indicates that, whether black or white, all are human and deserve to be treated equally. The issue of whites demeaning blacks is evil, but he does not indicate that the vice verse would be better. He advocates for social and racial equality, not any race being above the other. Both Martin Luther and President Clinton understand and admit that America has a spirit of love. They cannot afford to spread that hate of racial differences as a nation. Luther says, “…this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed…” (King Jr. 00:02:05). He is confident that America has a strong passion for being united as that is what they all believe in, and it cannot be taken away from them. He appeals to the audience to be aware that the war against racial segregation will not bring America down. Still, instead, they should take it as a real issue and come unitarily to fight it and have a united America, which they believe in.
As great orators, they are bound to also be logical. Oftentimes great speakers, especially those with large crowds of followers, tend to be deceitful. Politicians always want to use what would please the people, even if it is false. However, in Martin’s speech, there is logic. He gives a speech full of undisputable facts- matters that affect everyone who believes in a united America. He attacks the real problem as it is and does not seek to transfer the problem to another group of people or another time in the future, but instead appeals to the audience with a lot of logical reasoning to come together and put an end to racial segregation. He explains that there is no greater race than the other and there would be no better America than one which has been united by its people regardless of racial and social identity. In President Clinton’s speech, he also shows aspects of logos while addressing the matter of racism in the United States of America. He expresses how happy he is to see blacks amid the audience wearing federal badges and how having America speak in one accord against racial oppression would do the country a greater good. Both speakers use different words and skills to exhibit rhetorical appeals to their audiences despite sharing a common goal in their speeches.
In conclusion, the two speeches analyzed above were from different people and at different times in history but are likened to how they were delivered to their audiences. Both speeches are some of the most outstanding ones in the history of America and in the struggle for the emancipation of African Americans from racial slavery. Rhetorical aspects in these speeches help the speakers to capture the attention of their audiences and keep them interested for as long as they speak. They also try to keep logical reasoning so that they don’t have to exaggerate or mention impossibilities. They have to persuade their audiences using logical reasoning, reliability, and credibility while at the same time capturing the emotions of the listeners so that the message can reach them with some significant impact. If the message in a speech is conveyed without including the skill of rhetoric persuasion, then most listeners would not feel the impact of it. They may not even listen to the whole speech. Both Clinton and Luther had a skill in appealing to the audience and driving their agenda in the best way ever. Both speeches discussed are persuasive, as evident in the above discussion, and that could possibly be part of the reason the speeches are still impactful and fresh in people’s minds around the world.
Works Cited
King Jr, Martin Luther. “I Have a Dream Speech, 28 August 1963.” Negro History Bulletin 31 (1968): 16-17.
Shcherbak, Yuliia. “I have a dream: speech analysis.” Львівський національний університет імені Івана Франка, 2020.
Weber, Jill M. “William Jefferson Clinton,” Racism in the United States”(16 October 1995).” (2006). 208-229
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