Martin Luther King Literary Terms

Literary Terms in “I Have a Dream”

Martin Luther King Jr... He was a man of words, and not only words, action. Being one of the greatest leaders of the civil rights movement, he wrote a speech that inspired millions of Americans against segregation. He was an extremely powerful speaker, having a way with words that made people want to listen. King lost his life working to better the lives of his fellow African Americans, promoting equality.

Pathos is a literary term in which the writer’s goal is to inspire emotion in the audience. This emotional connection can vary from pride, humor, joy, anger, passion, but is most commonly a deep suffering. Martin Luther King Jr. Portrays pathos is many different areas throughout his “I Have a Dream” speech.

One example of pathos in the speech is, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged be the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” When Martin Luther King says this, he says it with passion, and meaning. That statement can be related to a man of any background, no matter their ethnicity.

“Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” This appeals to the crowds emotions, giving them hope for better days. It is not only what he says, but how he says it. Martin Luther King Jr.’s tone of voice plays just as important of a role as the content. He says those words with hope, and passion.

Martin Luther King Jr. takes a different approach, and addresses the audience with pathos portrayed in a deep, thoughtful, and sad emotional connection. Such as “But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free”, and “The life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.”, and “The Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.”, and “Finds himself an exile in his own land.”, and last but not...