Analysis of I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King

1. I HAVE A DREAM ANALYSIS
I. Subject/Theme
The subject/theme of “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr. is about equality. His
speech was a demand for equality for all Americans regardless of skin color. In his
speech he dreamed that America will soon “rise up and live out the true meaning of its
creed: that all men are created equal.” He passionately told his audience that in the future,
he hopes that there will be no racial discrimination anymore and that “the sons of former
slaves and sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together in the table of
brotherhood.”
II. Rhetorical Appeal/s Usedin the Speech
Ethos
In King’s speech, he established himself as a reliable source. As he delivered his speech,
he analogized Lincoln’s speech in his speech, “Five score years ago a great American in
whose symbolic shadow we stand today signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This
momentous decree is a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had
been seared in the flames of withering injustice.”
From this text, the audience can conclude that Martin Luther King Jr., is well-versed on
the history of African-American and has a well-founded opinion on the topic based on
facts and historical evidence.
Pathos
King used the bible to provide a belief and faith in what he is saying is truth. He
established himself as a friend and a peer who is assisting people who have been denied
rights. He instilled anger at injustice in the African-American community for the
promises that were broken. It stirred the audience’s emotions to rise up and fight for what
is rightfully theirs. He also used the appeal that he is a father who wants more for his
children. This is allowing the listener to relate to him as a father with aspirations for his
children.

2. Logos
King used logos to appeal to his audience. When he stated, “America has given the Negro
people a bad check, a check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds.” His
analogy is using logic as a form of reasoning. He reasons that everyone understand
money and the listeners are able to relate being handed a bad check. He also established
the demands that must be met, made up of demands that logically come from the list of
"inalienable rights."
III. Figurative Language used
Metaphor - A comparison or analogy in which an one thing or idea resembles another
thing or idea.
“With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our
nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.”
Simile - A comparison or analogy between to ideas or things using the words 'like' or 'as'.
“I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, little black boys and black
girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters
and brothers.”
Metonymy - When an object is referred to, not by its name but by something closely
associated with it.
“But not only that: Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.”
Synecdoche - When an object or idea is referred to by one of its parts, not by its whole.
“Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.”
Allusion - When reference is made to another text, event, person or place. An implicit
relationship is made between what is presented and what is known.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”