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Carson Jolly

Martin Luther King Jr. uses rhetorical devices in his speech to convey his message by
using pathos, ethos, and logos to get his audience to rally behind him and his words. Martin
Luther King Jr. was the most famous black rights activist and is best known for his “I Have a
Dream” speech. MLK uses pathos to make his audience feel enraged and stand for a change.
He uses ethos to use his credibility to get his audience to trust him and stand with him. And he
uses logos to provide facts and experiences to fuel his speech and have something people can
stand for. MLK uses pathos to engage to emotions of his audience. In his speech he says
“...the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of
discrimination.” and “Now is time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the
sunlit path of racial justice.” These are examples of pathos because they get his audience
enraged about them being treated so poorly and influencing them to take a stand and make a
change. He wants his audience to be unified by his speech. He uses ethos to gain his
audience’s trust. In the speech he says, “we,” to get the audience to trust him, because he
knows their struggle and has gone through what they have. He says, “We have also come to
this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now.” And, “We cannot be
satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one.” This
shows the audience that he has gone through what they have, all of the discrimination and
segregation. He uses his to get his audience to listen to him and stand for change. Throughout
his speech, Martin Luther King Jr. uses rhetorical devices such as ethos and pathos to help
persuade the audience to take a stand and rally behind him. He wants his audience to feel
enraged about the discrimination of their race. This shows that MLK is highly invested in this
cause, this investment helps gain the trust of his audience. The message that he conveys is that
something must change, and change can only happen if everyone stands for this cause.