Lorenzo A.

Rosales
Writing 2010
Erin Rogers
February 24, 2015
Rhetorical Analysis Final
Logos, the appeal to reason, means the reason behind the certain article or speech you are
talking about. Ethos, the appeal to character, means how the person is and his or hers beliefs.
Pathos, the appeal to emotion, means how the certain speech or article you are using affects the
audience emotionally, whether it makes them angry or sad. In Martin Luther King, Jrs famous I
Have a Dream speech he speaks about a country he envisions in which everyone is equal. A
country without segregation that contains equality and freedom in each state. His speech was
directed towards not just African Americans but every person in attendance and around the
country that supported the civil rights movement and for people who would read and hear his
speech later on. His speech had many examples of ethos, pathos, and logos. His main purpose for
this speech was to motivate his people and give them a sense of hope. That there were white
people out there that day that came to realize that all people should be treated equally and have
the same rights. He used pathos by speaking of the events that have happened to his people and
how it made them and him feel. He spoke about his dreams and goals for the future and how he
wants it to be and that would be how he uses logos in this speech. Martin Luther King, Jr himself
is an example of ethos because he has his own beliefs and speaks about them and was one of the
public figures of the civil rights movement.

Pathos, the appeal to emotion, can be felt throughout Martin Luther King, Jrs speech. In
the beginning of his speech he speaks of a great American who freed the slaves, Abraham
Lincoln, he says 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. It
came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. (pg. 1). He speaks about how
Lincoln had finally freed the slaves that day from the shackles of hell. How it gave hope to
African Americans across the country, finally free from pain, poor conditions, and ruling. Their
happiness was short lived though, because a century later Martin Luther King, Jr has seen no
freedom as he says in his speech, But 100 years later the Negro is still not free. One hundred
years later the life of the Negro is still badly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the
chains of discrimination. (pg. 1). Hes saying that even after the Emancipation Proclamation
was signed and all the slaves were freed, they still werent free on that day, June, 1963. One
hundred years later there has been no change. African Americans were treated just as bad as they
were in slavery. He uses pathos here by explaining the life of a Negro and how they were treated
every day and the people in attendance agreed that there needed to be a change. The events that
have happened to African Americans had made them feel emotional, making them tear up
thinking about the pain from the horrible memories. He also spoke about his dreams and goals
for the future later on in his speech and made then audience cheer with excitement and hope that
one day they will be treated equally.
Ethos, the appeal to character, appears because Martin Luther King, Jr was a public figure
and played a big role in the civil rights movement. These things give him credibility because he
has actually been treated like this; hes actually been through what his people have been through.

Hes also African American and has been part of the struggle his people have been through so he
knows how his people feel. So, he led them in marches and said Now is the time to make real
the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of
segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the
quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. (pg. 2). Hes saying its time; its
time to rise up and fight for their rights and equality they deserve. He had the power to actually
do something and make a change because he had crowds of people behind him supporting him.
He believed that everyone was created equally and therefore everyone deserved the same rights.
His ways to gain equality were not violent, his marches and sit-ins throughout the country were
capable of way more than what people thought they could be.
Logos, the appeal to reason, can just be known from the title of the speech, I Have a
Dream. Martin Luther King, Jr had a dream of equality for his people, as he says in his
speech:
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will
not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a
dreamI have a dream that one day in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its
governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one
day right there in Alabama little black boys and little black girls will be able to join hands
with little white boys and little white girls as sisters and brothers. (pg. 5).
The consistent message throughout this speech is equality. The logic behind his
reasonings was to get his audience to understand why he is giving this speech. He uses his past

experiences to support his speech. Here he uses logic by his experiences from Alabamas racists
and how it affected him and his people.
Martin Luther King, Jrs I Have a Dream speech was intended to spark a country
wide movement. To gain support from every race to help end the pain and suffering of
segregation. To help end racism and create a brighter future for every race. It affected many
people who heard and witnessed the speech. It gave them a new sense of hope and gave them
strength to get through another day, because they knew that one day everybody will be treated
equally. This speech will be remembered as one of the greatest in history. This speech has many
examples of ethos, pathos, and logos. Each part with a meaning thatll affect you wishing you
were there to witness it. It was the start of something new, a new day, a new beginning, and
eventually segregation was finally put to and end.