Communications Essay DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. SPEECH “I HAVE A DREAM”
Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15 , 1929 and died on April 4, 1968. He was born Michael Luther King Jr. but decided to change his name to Martin. Both Martin Luther’s grandfather and father were pastors of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. Martin Luther carried on the tradition and served as pastor from 1960-1968 (Nobel Prize, 1). He was a big part of the civil rights movement for his race. In fact he was the most important voice in this movement. Dr. King is know for his nonviolent resistance to overcome injustice. Throughout his life he tried his hardest to make people understand that “all men are created equal”(American
called for racial equality and an end to discrimination (Mlk, 4). This speech was a defining moment of the American Civil Rights Movement. It was ranked the top American speech of the 20th Century by the 1999 poll. King’s speech wasn’t just a speech it was motivating, persuasive and inspiring. He didn’t only inform the crowd in front of him but rather all the people of America. Instead of using violence he peacefully protested therefore he was able to inspire the citizens of Americans.
Martin Luther King’s speech “I Have a Dream” was so successful because it affected so many people on such a personal level. His speech came from his heart and it touched the people greatly enough to change their ways. He explained to the crowd that African Americans are the same as white people and that they also have feelings. The only differences is the skin color, therefore they should be treated equally because they are still humans. This era was in desperate need for change. Martin Luther King Jr. was brave enough to take a stand and fight for the rights of his people. The people saw this as courageous act and were inspired greatly by this. His speech was heard all over the world on television , the radio and by word of mouth.
The reason for the success of his speech was due to the use of rhetoric in his speech. “Rhetoric is the practice of communication to target audiences that persuades, informs, inspires or entertains in order to change or reinforce beliefs, values, habits