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‘I’ve Been to the Mountaintop’ by Martin Luther King Jr. is a remarkable moving speech that emphasized the fight for racial equality and the unfortunate reality of society. On April 3, 1968, he delivered what would be his final speech, ‘I’ve Been to the Mountaintop’, in Memphis, Tennessee, at the Mason Temple (Church of God in Christ Headquarters). Most of Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches were centered on peaceful ways to change the unfair treatment and segregation of African Americans. His hope and overall objective were to use these methods of nonviolent protest so that the people of America, blacks and whites included, would unite and treat each other as equals. The King was able to deliver his powerful message of peace by using metaphors and different analogies that people could easily relate to. By doing this, he created an intense call to action that successfully accomplished his objective. Dr. King’s speech eventually led to the gradual acceptance of African Americans, but it also gave new freedom to those who were once discriminated against.
Martin Luther chose his words very carefully, creating a sense of pathos in his audience. He used words such as ‘freedom’, ‘victory’, and ‘rightful place’. I certainly assert that all people across all types of society would fight for those. These idealistic words create a dream that is shared by his entire audience. However, the words would have less of an impact if not for his use of pauses. Dr. King spoke slowly and with great passion, making his words sink in and become that much more significant to his audience. One quote Dr. King used that stood out to me: “If you allow me to live just a few years in the second half of the twentieth century, I will be happy”. This quote is effective because he is saying that he would like to live long enough to see America change. But ironically, Dr. King is assassinated just the day after the speech is delivered. This quote explains that not just he wants to live long enough to see the country change, but all blacks would like to live long enough to see the country change.
Upon starting his speech, Dr. King immediately dives into the issues that he planned on addressing. He explains how he would want America to be by using metaphors such as: “I would take my mental flight by Egypt and I would watch God’s children in their magnificent trek from the dark dungeons of Egypt through, or rather across the Red Sea, through the wilderness on toward the promised land. And despite its magnificence, I wouldn’t stop there”. The sanitation workers were the lowest of the low, mocked as ‘walking buzzards’, King acknowledges the difficulties of the sanitation workers. King immediately elevates them by including them in a great sweep of history and implicitly linking them to the biblical Exodus, making them God’s chosen people.
Martin Luther King wants to convey that he has strong hope for America to change its prejudicial ways. He believes that with the help of everyone in their local communities, we can all come together to obtain equality for people of all races. Dr. King uses an abundance of poetic techniques throughout his speech. His repetitive phrase, “If I had sneezed”, gives his speech a personal style while conveying his metaphor for death. Since death is a very common occurrence in people’s lives, Dr. King was able to relate himself and his personal memories to the memories of others.
Dr. King explains to his audience that when the Pharaoh wanted to prolong the period of slavery, all he had to do was keep the slaves fighting among themselves. But when the slaves united, that was the beginning of getting out of slavery. Thus, the civil rights community must stay unified to achieve what they want. Basically, Dr. King’s message here is a phrase that we have all probably heard before: “United we stand, divided we fall”. Still, in the past, King next reminds his audience of their success in Birmingham, Alabama. Through these remarks, King restores their faith, telling them that they had done it once, so there was no reason why they couldn’t successfully protest again. To explain his intentions for how they should go about protesting this time, King first deems it necessary to reassure his audience of the First Amendment privileges that they should receive for living in the United States. To do so, he uses the rhetorical device of repetition for the third time by saying that “Somewhere I [he] read” about certain freedoms that all citizens should be granted – multiple indirect references to the Constitution’s Bill of Rights. In the end, he says, “Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for right”, brilliantly adding a play on words that further embellishes the rhythmic manner of his speech. He is simply appealing to logos again in this instance by recalling words from one of the most important documents in the country’s history, he is providing factual justification for the nonviolent protests he is about to share.
Doctor King uses logos and the momentum from his speech to urge his audience to do something. He gives careful guidelines, such as remaining nonviolent and patient, while encouraging unity. He gives an in-depth description of what it means to care more about your brother than yourself and leaves his audience with a message of hope. Dr. King uses this appeal to persuade those who believed in him. “For 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 thing is going to come out” – is a quote that appeals to rational thoughts. People more interested in logic are most likely moved by this quote because it exposes the truth behind segregation. Children are going hungry every night, and more are dying of starvation because white people don’t bother to feed or pay attention to these children. This quote was a powerful call to action.
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