It all began with an educated man; this man is a hero in every American's heart and a leader to America being the true land of the free. Martin Luther King "I have a dream," speech made the greatest change in America to date. Martin Luther King is an idol of American history; his speech opened the door for true America land of the free. Growing up as a 90s kid, I never knew that men where not always treated equal. About the fourth grade in a history lesson my teacher played an old black and white film. I wasn't paying any attention to the speech, due to the fact that it was old and in black and white, but when I heard Martin Luther King say, "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"(King, 1963).
Years later I learned to understand the meaning behind those hopeful words. Today, as I sit at my laptop hoping not to wake my son, reading Martin Luther King speech over and over, think, WOW! I wish I was born to see the day when he delivered that great speech, known to man kind. I wondered what it would be like to see the speech live on TV and be an African American. What hope went through their minds? Did they cry with belief that one day this will happen? Did they look away and say that man crazy?
History is written and studied for many reasons. I love reading history and I always wondered what it would be like to live on that day. I think of Martin Luther King speech as the ultimate speech in history. I feel that he uses Ethos, Logos & Pathos in all the right spots. There are so many reason why Martin Luther King "I have a dream," speech is one that went down in history.
Ethos are used when explains that he, himself is making him happy and taken the steps to make the changes needed to make a America better tomorrow, with "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal’” (King, 1963). It truly shows what a great man, Martin Luther King was. He was always looking to the future and saw nothing but a great new beginning. Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream," speech made him the most respectful man of his historic time. The speech let the world see what kind of character Martin Luther King was.
Logos are the reason for the speech, which Martin Luther King "I have a dream," speech is all about the right reasons. He uses the black separation at the time for the reasons of his speech. The reason he explains as "We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until 'justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream'"(King, 1963). Those are the reason that made the speech so historical and the true hurt behind those reason.
Pathos are the emotion used in the speech, I have read and listened to Martin Luther King "I have a dream," what seems like a million times. You can feel the emotion oozing out of the speech just by reading or hearing it once. Those words will bring tears to your eyes "But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition"( King, 1963). To think of the day I truly understand the meaning behind those words. I think that the King will never be forgotten and his work will never die, due to this great emotion he put in his speech.
Martin Luther King is a household name from his speech "I have a dream." I feel that all great writers and politicians look to this speech and hope for only ten percent of the success this speech has had. This speech will remain in all Americans hearts forever. Martin Luther King is truly great and for millions of years human will be looking to this speech for inspiration. I hear speeches today that quote Martin Luther King and it always gets my full attention. Martin Luther King "I have a dream," will never die!
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