To install StudyMoose App tap and then “Add to Home Screen”
Save to my list
Remove from my list
Martin Luther King Jr., January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968, was seen as a leader of change in the world. He was a civil rights activist, which was a leader of the political movement dedicated to securing equal opportunity for members of minority groups. Along with this he was one of the most redound speech givers of all time. Martin Luther King gave many speeches throughout his life to help persuade his audience and beyond that about an important social ill that was going on around the world.
He was a strong believer in equality for all. He believed in all protesting in nonviolent ways through love and it was in this way that he knew change would come about. On April 3, 1968 Martin Luther King gave his last speech at the Bishop Charles Mason Temple on Memphis, Tennessee, before his assassination the day after. This speech was named, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop”. It contained Martin’s thoughts on the matter at hand, which was the Memphis sanitation strike as well as his continuation to speak about his further views in the Civil Rights movement.
Verified writer
Proficient in: Biography
5 (234)
“ Very organized ,I enjoyed and Loved every bit of our professional interaction ”
This contains the structure of different appeals all over, such as ethos, pathos, and logos. These rhetorical appeals are used to help build up and sway through the argument and claim he is making about how he believes they should go about this situation.
When giving this speech, Martin Luther King spoke strongly about the Memphis Sanitation Strike. This strike began in February of 1968. This is because the following years were full of poor pay and dangerous working, which was provoked by the crushing death of workers in compactors.
In addition this caused many to stop showing up to work. This whole strike was the reason Martin Luther King made his presence in Memphis and presented his speech. King spoke strongly about human rights and freedom. He explained how his audience, whom were mostly African Americans inside the Memphis Temple on strike, should come up with a way other than marching to get there message across. He believed it was everyone’s responsibility to help everyone. The purpose of his speech was for Martin Luther King to express that he wanted people to join together in those terrible times and help each other regain the rights they deserve.
Martin’s argument given in his, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech was to set out his statement on why he believed that the audience in whom he was speaking to should reflect on his thoughts about should remain and be committed to nonviolence activism. To encourage the overall social change his main goal was to resist violence in any type of protest. Martin Luther King explained, “And that’s all this whole thing is about, we aren’t engaged in any negative protest and in any negative arguments with anybody. We are saying that we are determined to be men. We are determined to be people… We don’t have to live like we are forced to live” (King 1). They should be able to live equally and not like they’re just dragged along. In this speech Martin calls out for “economic actions to be made, unity for all, boycotts, and nonviolence protest, all while trying to challenge the United States to live up to its ideals and expectations” (Wikipedia 1). He makes this argument and provides all of his claims with reasoning through rhetorical appeals.
When one is trying to build their credibility on a topic they are speaking or writing about, they begin to catch the attention of the listeners. Ethos is used to quickly help create and build connections between their readers or listeners. Almost immediately King states his credibility in this speech. Martin Luther King states, “But I wouldn’t stop there. I would go on, even to the great heyday of the Roman Empire. I would see developments around there, through various emperors and leaders. But I wouldn’t stop there” (King 1). He continues to go on further explaining how he would never stop or give up on anything. This convinces his listeners that he has integrity and devotion to any case or situation he is given. He continues to help build his credibility beyond this by stating, “Somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech” (King 1). Many people there in the audience in front of him have had their freedom stripped from them and he wanted to change that. This helped build his trust and connections between himself and his listeners because he stood up strong in what he wanted to do to make things right and they are all wanting to fight. As Martin starts to gain trust of his listeners, it allowed him to make his claims of authority in what he believed.
This speech was mostly focused on the appeal of emotion, which quickly helped the audience receive all of Martin Luther King's claims that he made throughout his speech. Pathos helped strengthen his claims because it caused the listeners to feel connected. In order to put the issue aside King says, “Force everybody to see that there are thirteen hundred of God's children here suffering, sometimes going hungry, going through dark and dreary nights wondering how this is going to come out” (King 1). This description is supposed to make the audience image this and feel the injustice. They should feel they need to work to stand and help each other. King continues to try to make his own views connect with the audience at an emotional level, “If you allow me to live just a few years in the 20th century, then I will be happy” (King 1). He explains how he would want to be alive as there starts to be a change in. This appeals to pathos because this allows listeners to feel the need to do something and make the changes quick. The appeals of emotions Martin gives all help make his claim stronger and causes the people to create a connection in why they should listen and do as he explains.
Logos is the appeal to facts and reasoning. It is what makes a speaker or writer's claim make sense and adds reason and logic to it. Martin Luther King's claim is to protest, stand up, and get the freedom they deserve through nonviolence. King demonstrates his intelligence by stating, “I would come on up even to 1863, and watch a vacillating President by the name of Abraham Lincoln finally come to the conclusion tam the had to sign the Emancipation Proclamation” (King 1). This helps demonstrate the logic and how aware he is of the nation's progress and history. To convince his audience of their economic power, he explains, “We have an annual income of more than thirty billion dollars a year, which is more than all of the exports of the United States, and more than the national budget of Canada” (King 1). This is stated to show the audience their power they could gain if they unite. He has many claims with reasoning in this speech to show the nation's overall potential and why it would be logical for his audience to agree or listen to him.
All in all, Martin Luther King's speech, “I’ve been to the Mountaintop” meaning he’s reached his top and he wants the nation to reach there’s, shows plenty of rhetorical devices. He used the structure of all three appeals ethos, pathos, and logos throughout his speech to help make his argument as well as persuade his audience to listen and trust in him at the same time. These helped his speech get more people to listen and believe in him and his ways. His claim was to overall help the nation get their rights, freedom, and equality. Martin Luther King clearly and thoroughly did so through this speech with all forms of rhetorical appeals.
Life and Work of Martin Luther King Jr.. (2021, Feb 04). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/life-and-work-of-martin-luther-king-jr-essay
👋 Hi! I’m your smart assistant Amy!
Don’t know where to start? Type your requirements and I’ll connect you to an academic expert within 3 minutes.
get help with your assignment
