Rhetoric in Jfk and Mlk Jrs Speeches free essay sample

Provide a quote from each of the two speeches that best represent the use of each of the rhetorical devices. Keep response to a minimum of 1000 words. † In the 1960’s, civil rights were becoming a very present and evident concern to the people of America once again. Issues were being brought up to leaders that could and had the authority to actually help out and do something about these said issues. John F. Kennedy was elected in 1961, and the state our country was in was not as great as it could have been. In fact, it was not good at all. In North America, African Americans were discriminated against in many areas including education, work opportunities, and housing. In South America, African Americans were denied the right to vote, they suffered from insults, public humiliation and violence, and courts would also treat them unfairly. Martin Luther King Jr. was also a very influential, if not the most influential when it came to bringing awareness to the injustices his people were dealing with daily. We will write a custom essay sample on Rhetoric in Jfk and Mlk Jrs Speeches or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The people of America knew that it was time for change, and it was slowly coming along. Two people who left a legacy when it came to civil rights were John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. both rose up to the challenge of presenting the ideas of equality for all people around the same time, using great rhetorical strategies. In each of their speeches, you can point out the various uses of pathos, ethos, and logos. In John F. Kennedy’s Presidential Inauguration Speech, he uses rhetoric to capture his audience, and keep their attention as well. We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world. Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty. This much we pledge and more. † In this particular passage, Kennedy appeals to the audience’s pathos to sway their emotions with his talk of American values and views of freedom. He uses imagery also to help his audience feel the tone he is trying to set. A particular area we can see this in would be in the passage: the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans. This makes me think of the passing of torches in the Olympics. The Olympic games bring countries and nations together. Kennedy is also saying in the passage that we will lend aid to any country who needs it. Regardless of their alliances or feelings towards us. We will always be there to help those who are less fortunate. Kennedy also makes it clear in his address that he is a firm believer in God. This counts as ethos, such as in this passage: â€Å" let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth Gods work must truly be our own. This was just one of the many times he mentions God, and it really helps to make him seem more credible and trustworthy. Kennedy uses logos or appeals to logic when he mentions war and the reasons we should avoid it and make peace with the rest of the world. â€Å"Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us. Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms, and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations. Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, and encourage the arts and commerce. Let both sides unite to heed, in all corners of the earth, the command of Isaiah to ‘undo the heavy burdens, and [to] let the oppressed go free. ’† Here in this passage you can see Kennedy using the phrase â€Å"let both sides,† which entails all nations to rise up to the calling for world peace and prosperity. In Martin Luther King Jr. s â€Å"I Have A Dream† speech, King also uses rhetorical strategies to appeal to his audience. We can see pathos in the quote: 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. This is appealing to pathos because a dream deals with emotion and feelings that you wish to happen or carry out. E thos is present in King’s speech when he states: â€Å"We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. † It really says a lot when King can effectively communicate his ideas on peace while maintaining that he is against violence. We can see the logos Martin Luther King Jr. uses when he refers to Lincoln’s promise to our country that was left unfulfilled. â€Å"Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. 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. † This explains logically why he is making his concern for his people known. John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. were both very important contributors to the civil rights movement. They both had great and complex speeches that effectively communicated their ideas using rhetorical strategies: pathos, ethos, and logos.