Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. is
arguing for the freedom and equal rights of all African Americans. He is saying
that even after 100 years later African Americans are not free. He goes on to
say “One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by
the manacles of segregation and chains of discrimination”. Dr. King is saying
that even after a long period of time the life of an African American is no
different today as it was one hundred years back. He just wants the African
Americans to get the freedom that they rightfully deserve.
In this argument Martin Luther
King Jr. is being very logic because he is saying how all people should be
treated equal. In this speech he goes on to say” I have a dream that my four
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 is saying that
it is not right for one to judge someone by how one looks like but to see
within them and know them as a person. Another thing is that Dr. King is
showing is pathos by explaining how hard it is for the African Americans to go
day by day and live in separation and be treated differently when they should
all be treated the same. In his speech he goes on to say “that all men, yes
black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable right of life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This shows that all he wants is for his
people to be treated the same as a white person and to get the freedom they
rightfully deserve. Dr. King is showing ethos. He shows it when he says “I have a dream that one day on the red
hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners
will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood”. He is showing
ethos by this because he just wants to get the equal rights and for no one to
have hate towards one another.
What is the
historical significance/relevance of this document?
This speech is very significant
and relevant because it was a change that occurred in history. This was the
last speech ever to be given by the civil rights leader before he was killed.
It showed us that because of his speech and determination we were able to
change history and many colored people did get the rights that they deserved. If
it was not for this speech many people maybe still today would not have the
rights that they rightfully deserve.
I found the authors argument very
convincing because no one should be judged by how they looked like. The African
Americans have the same rights as the whites and they should be given them.
Dr.King had many great points in his speech and why everyone should be treated
differently. If our constitution and declaration of independence said that
everyone should get the fair rights than they should be given those fair
rights. Just by how one appears does not say how they are as a person.
Thank you for your post! I really enjoyed reading your post because it covered a lot of key points of King's speech. In King's speech he uses a large amount of pathos. Though him including his children in his speech is and can be considered to be as logic, it can also be used as pathos because he states that he has dreams about his kids being equally treated and "judged by the content of their character," because he is reaching out to parents and potentials parents in a way that is emotional by possibly questioning their own children's life and how they will be perceived. I really enjoyed the speech because King really was fighting for something that was supposedly settled a hundered years ago. He was fighting for REAL freedom. His statement of "1963 is not the end, but the beginning," the way that he states it, makes you really believe it and it did happen. Through this speech and King's fightings, we all have the freedom that he dreamed of.
ReplyDeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteI really agree with your answer to the third question. He was indeed very logical in his arguments that skin color is no reason for maltreatment and inequality amongst men, and he was very passionate in appealing to the emotions of the people, especially when he mentioned his own personal life (his children.) I feel like he also did an excellent job of maintaining a strong, appealing image in the eye's of this supporters. We were able to listen to an audio of this speech, and I think in actually being able to hear the speakers' voice we gain insight into how people (and how we would) respond to the speaker. While the content and words in a speech are very important, presentation is also a key element. Martin Luther King Jr. has excellent control over the volume and tone of his voice and this helps to emphasize the meaning of the words he speaks. His fervent feelings on this subject are evident in the way he speaks as well. He comes across as very charismatic, an important trait in a leader. From his speech the people are also able to clearly see that he shares many commonalities with them, mainly their discontent and need for action because of their oppression and segregation. He shows this by making promises of actions and warnings that are almost threats, should no action be made by the government to give them their rights and fair treatment.
He also makes it obvious that in attaining these rights, he intends to be peaceful and nonviolent, and he fully expects that of his supporters as well.
Good job on this analysis of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. `s speech. I also found this speech to be very logical since he is emphasizing why freedom and equality needs to be given to African Americans. When he states “Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy”, he is making it clear that America is supposed to be the land of the free, where democracy is supposed to be widespread among people of all races. In addition, regarding historical significance, Dr. King`s speech brought even greater attention to the Civil Rights Movement, which had been going on for years. This speech was also part of the March on Washington, which consisted of over 250,000 people in the nation’s capital. Dr. King gave his speech in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial because he wanted to call attention to how things were so terrible during the civil war, and how things have not changed even 100 years later. He makes this apparent when he says “But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free.” Furthermore, it brought Martin Luther King and his message of non-violence to a nation and worldwide audience since it was on the radio, and was reprinted in newspapers and magazines all over the US and the world. I also agree that this speech was very convincing since segregation and racism are one of the reasons for the American dream to feel like a lie. After his speech, Dr. King`s name was known to many more people than ever before. It made Congress move faster in passing the Civil Rights Act. This set of laws was finally passed the next year, in 1964. Many of these laws gave African-Americans more equal treatment than they had ever had in the past.
ReplyDeleteGreat analysis! You did a great job; Dr.King has a great impact on the african american society He tried his best to make sure they had equal rights. He said “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood" He was making sure that he tried his best for African Americans to gain their rights. Even after 100 years African Americans were being treated poorly Dr.King said “One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and chains of discrimination”. He said this because african americans were still being treated poorly Dr king was one of the main reasons for the Civil rights act this law wa spassed in 1964 and it gave afircan americans the right to be equal to whites.
ReplyDeleteGood analysis!
ReplyDeleteI agreed that Dr.King's speech was very convincing. He always stood up for what he believed in.He fought for everyone's rights to be treated fairly. I also agreed with your answer to question number three. I also felt like this was very significant because he impacted the world so much today, and it sucked that he wasn't able to see the changes he created.
I thought his speech was just amazing because he said what he had to say to get his point across without worrying about the consequences. In my opinion this was the most impacting speech anyone has given to help fight for the lives of americans.
Thanks for your Text Analysis Manpreet! This speech is so significant; it must have been really challenging to hit all of the points in so few question responses. It occurs to me that MLK was arguing for freedom and equal rights. He was seeking rights not just for black people, but all people. The basis of his argument was simply that where there was injustice for some, there would injustice for all. He “refused to believe that the bank of justice was bankrupt. [He] sought the security of justice for all” His speech made efforts to align us in our humanity even if there wasn’t racial similarity. He references those in the audience who realized the human basis of his argument, when he pointed out that there were ‘white brothers and sisters.’ His argument was freedom and equality for everyone without using destructive means and in a non-violent way. He argues for change that’s insistent and isn’t failing to be constructive. He asserts that this must be the fight that doesn’t end until we can all say “free at last, free at last, than God almighty, we’re free at last!”
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