Running head: A TIME TO BREAK THE SILENCE “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence” by Martin Luthe King Jr. (1967) Monae Reed History context section Comm 3325 A Time To Break The Silence 9-25-20 1 A TIME TO BREAK THE SILENCE 2 Martin Luther King Jr was trained as a Baptist minister. He sought to end racial segregation and discrimination in the US and raise public awareness of racism. King arranged a series of precise objectives that entailed grassroots-level campaigns for African-Americans' equal rights. His first notable campaign was in Montgomery Alabama against racial segregation of buses. King was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1929. In the era, Atlanta had several accounts of racial segregation. He leveraged both his religious and secular education. He graduated from Boston University with a philosophical degree in systematic theology in 1955. As a pastor at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church (Montgomery, Alabama) he was involved in civil rights movements. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a speech by the title Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence on the 4th of April 1967. The speech may have led to his assassination a year later. King's speech was a denunciation of the involvement of the US in the South Asian conflict (King Jr, 2013). He began the speech conventionally by thanking the Clergy and Laymen Concerned About Vietnam for hosting him. King was labeled a pro-communist in the Cold War era from a similar anti-war speech he had given in February 1967. Two months later, in his speech, he emphasized his position by quoting the organization's statement. King Jr. strategically elaborated historical concepts on the involvement of the US in Vietnam. He described the overthrow of the Japanese and French from Vietnam by Ho Chi Minh in 1945. Also, he recounted America's support for the effort by France to retake its former colony. King also narrated of the assassination of the dictatorial president Ngo Dinh Diem in 1963. Lischer, (2019) expresses concern by King on the number of American soldiers in Vietnam that kept growing over time. The author expresses that King Jr. was aggrieved by the high expenditure on the military as opposed to domestic programs against racism and poverty. A TIME TO BREAK THE SILENCE 3 He said, young men of African-American descent, crippled by society were sent to Southeast Asia to guarantee liberty. Liberty that they could not find in East Harlem and Southwest Georgia. In his speech, King condemned the state's decision to abandon the war on racism and poverty to fund the Vietnam War. Through plenty of imagery and figurative speech, King Jr. illustrates the irony drawn from the war. He insists that in the position, it is imperative to break the silence since tolerance is sin. He describes the injustice and instability that has been developed following the Vietnam War. King Jr. draws a connection between operation in Vietnam and civil Liberty efforts in the US. According to Fomukong (2015), the speech by King Jr. disputes the war as a political game to have fun and satisfy egos. Immediately after his speech, King Jr received criticism from individuals both outside and inside the movement. Newspapers faulted him for associating civil rights and peace. Smith & de Velasco, (2018) mention a New York Times column that warned against the indistinct Vietnamese moral issues. Life magazine termed his speech as a demagogic slander scripted for Radio Hanoi (Smith & de Velasco, 2018). King highlighted the inconsistency of the individuals that support violent approaches in Vietnam while seeking non-violent approaches to Black Freedom. He was compelled to air his opinion despite massive criticism. In summary, A Time to Break the Silence has a literal meaning as much as an abstract meaning. It called on Americans of all color and life to come together to end racial discrimination. King had for a while asked for solidarity against societal vices that should have ended with the 19th century to no avail. A Time to Break the Silence was provocative as it was infuriating to those that were offended. The speech touched many to the extent that King paid with his life. However, the message had been passed. A TIME TO BREAK THE SILENCE 4 References Fomukong, S. E. A. (2015). Biblical Allusions, Antithetical Structures and Triads: A StylisticsRhetoric Appraisal of Some Speeches by Martin Luther King Junior. International Journal of English Linguistics, 5(6), 11. King Jr, M. L. (2013). A Time to Break Silence: The Essential Works of Martin Luther King, Jr., for Students (Vol. 10). Beacon Press. Lischer, R. (2019). The preacher king: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the word that moved America. Oxford University Press. Smith, J. M., & de Velasco, A. (2018). Martin Luther King Jr., WEB Du Bois, and Attitudes Toward Change. Journal of Contemporary Rhetoric, 8(3). A TIME TO BREAK THE SILENCE 5 Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence Monae Reed A TIME TO BREAK THE SILENCE 6 Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech at the Riverside Church in New York On April 4, 1967, to address the Vietnam War, which has been going on by that time. Due to the invitation by the clergy and laymen of the church, and after expressing his intention to join the continuing antiVietnam war march, this was the first time he publicly shared his opinion because he avoided conflict with President Johnson's policies due to their relationship. He delivered the speech to congregants of the church, where he had given sermons on several occasions before. For a long period, he avoided discussing the matter and making a stand on the same. However, he received pressure from the public and the media, asking him questions about his opinion on the subject. It had become quite difficult to dodge the questions any longer. In his speech, he said he is not addressing the Vietnamese but rather the American people, and he speaks for the former party because they are suffering and helpless. Martin Luther Jr. criticized the American government for having a large share of the budget for defense and military affairs. Still, he neglected to give more attention to the experiences of its citizens and improve their livelihood. He challenged the thought that people should remain loyal to their government during the war. Instead, he encouraged people to be more aware of the situation's morality and oppose the government for engaging in an unnecessary war. He winded up his speech by using the words of john. f. Kennedy suggested that the US has made peaceful revolutions violent by interfering and attempting to stop them. Luther, being a Christian and part of the clergy, spoke against the war because it was against his strong beliefs on Christianity. To quote him, he said, "Could it be that they do not know that the good news was meant for all men -- for Communist and capitalist, for their children and A TIME TO BREAK THE SILENCE 7 ours, for black and white, for revolutionary and conservative? Have they forgotten that my ministry is in obedience to the One who loved his enemies so fully that he died for them? What can I say to Vietcong or Castro or Mao as a faithful minister of this One?" (King Jr, 1967). He said that God's wish was to be sonship and brotherhood, and these values spoke against violence and killing. He also criticized sending black men to the war, putting them in the front line, therefore having more of them killed. He referred to his government as "the greatest purveyor of violence," taking advantage of the poor and disadvantaged in the society to advance its agenda. According to him, fairness was not exercised when picking troops to go for the war because the ratio of black men was significant to that of the whites, which undermined African American society since they were disadvantaged and not in a position to speak up on the same. His address had a negative impact, with some people questioning his capacity to address international war matters, whereas he was a civil rights leader. He defended himself by saying that the war resources would have been more instrumental if they focused on improving African Americans' livelihood back home. The speech strained his relationship with the president and other white allies that he had, including Billy Graham, who helped him navigate the United States' political world. This, coupled with the attacks waged on him by the media, gave him a hard time pushing for agendas in his civil rights activities. References King Jr, M. L. (1967). Beyond Vietnam: A time to break the silence. speech, Riverside Church, New York, NY, April, 4. A TIME TO BREAK THE SILENCE 8 Rhetoric Analysis of ‘A Time to Break the Silence’ by Martin Luther King Monae Reed 11-20-20 A TIME TO BREAK THE SILENCE 9 Rhetoric Analysis of ‘A Time to Break the Silence’ by Martin Luther King The main interpretive argument that arises from Martin Luther’s speech is that America’s participation in the Vietnam War is a wastage of resources, an ignorance of more pressing concerns and that war is never a means to achieving peace. In driving his point and convincing his audience, he puts into consideration various perspectives and addresses several counterarguments to prove the futility of war as a means of addressing economic, political, and social problems. Martin Luther applies several strategies that significantly convince the listener or reader that indeed war is a tool of ruining lives, society, and economy, while keeping quiet means an endorsement of the war. Luther, in his speech, is convincing and the listener finds themselves siding with Luther that indeed war is largely an inhuman and barbaric undertaking that is not in human interest. The main strategies that Luther uses are elements of pathos, logos, and ethos, which are critical tools that help in driving his points home and drawing the listener to side with him. These strategies are critical in drawing the listener to the rhetorical situation of the American and Vietnamese War that is claiming lives and is not beneficial to both parties involved. These strategies are analyzed in detail in the next section. Section I: Pathos This term refers to a writer’s appeal towards his audiences’ emotions (DeGrasse, 2017). In this speech, Martin Luther is able to establish a very effective pathetic appeal to his listeners and is able to draw their attention to what he is saying. He does this by first making the listeners care about what he is saying, and this means they can then actively engage in the argument he makes against America’s participation in the Vietnamese war. In piquing the interest and eliciting the pathos of his listeners, Martin Luther says; ‘Americans are sending their sons and their brothers and their husbands to fight and die in A TIME TO BREAK THE SILENCE 10 extraordinarily high proportions relative to the rest of the population.’ He then goes on to say ‘...I knew that America would never invest the necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor so long as adventures like Vietnam continue to draw men and skills and money... (King, 1967)’ Martin Luther is cognizant of the fact that among the audience, most of them have a relative, a friend, or spouse who is involved in the war and can be potentially killed or has been already killed. The feeling of losing someone close to them evokes emotions in the audience, and they are inclined to believe that the Vietnamese War would serve no good purpose. He then says America prefers going to war, which he describes as ‘adventures’, to helping the needy in the society. The audience is immediately drawn to the plight of the poor, which should ideally be the main point of concern for the government. The audience then fell angry and disappointed at the government’s misplaced priorities. This section demonstrates how Martin Luther used emotional appeal on the audience for them to see sense in his side of the argument and side with him. He draws relevant examples that stir the audience's emotions which then helps when he delivers his arguments. In the next section, I demonstrate how he used logic and reason to convince his audience. Section II: Logos This term refers to a writer’s appeal to the audience’s logic and reason (DeGrasse, 2017). Martin Luther uses a successful logical appeal through clearly organized information and evidence that supports his arguments against the Vietnamese War and America’s participation in it. This has the effect of making his arguments sensible and having substance. Martin Luther evokes logic and reason in a key part of his speech when he says; ‘during the past ten years we have seen emerge a pattern of suppression which has now justified the A TIME TO BREAK THE SILENCE 11 presence of U.S military advisers in Venezuela. This needs to maintain social stability for our investments accounts for the counterrevolutionary action of American forces in Guatemala’ (King, 1967). In this part of the speech, he wants the audience to think about why there is a need for the American invasion of Vietnam. He describes a series of events that demonstrate that America’s invasion of other countries is not to foster peace but as an act of suppression to protect their own interests. This then means that his argument that war is never a means to peace is true and therefore justifies his assertion that war signifies destruction, barbarism and is against humanity. The main takeaway from this section is that Martin Luther in his speech was able to successfully use logos in making the audience see reason. He identifies why America invades other countries, which is the same reason they are participating in the Vietnamese war, and this reason is to protect their investments. The next section demonstrates how Martin Luther establishes credibility, which inclines the audience to agree with him. Section III: Ethos Ethos is a term of Greek origin that is used to refer to the character of the writer or speaker and gives an insight into their credibility. A writer with more credibility is easily trusted by his audience and this means they can be persuaded to adopt his side of the argument (DeGrasse, 2017). In this speech, Martin Luther establishes a great ethical appeal, which makes the audience take his arguments seriously and can therefore side with him. Luther shows he is knowledgeable on the detrimental effects of war as demonstrated by the clear explanations of issues and the presentation of information in a straight forward manner. In addition, his viewpoint against the Vietnamese War is consistent throughout the text and adopts an objective tone that displays him as an honest speaker. His ability to address counterarguments on the A TIME TO BREAK THE SILENCE 12 benefits of America’s participation in the war adds to his credibility and makes him more convincing to the listener. A demonstration of Martin Luther's appeal to ethos occurs in this part of his speech. ‘Since I am a preacher by calling, it is not surprising that I have seven major reasons for bringing the Vietnamese War into my field of my moral vision. There is at the outset a very obvious and almost facile connection between the war and the struggle I, and others, have been waging in America.’ The second part of his speech that demonstrates ethos is when he says ‘I speak as a child of God and brother to the suffering poor of Vietnam’ (King, 1967). In this part of his speech, Martin Luther asserts that he is a preacher by calling. This then means that he has a moral responsibility to comment on any ills that he perceives in society. When the audience perceives him as a preacher, he gains a higher moral standing in their eyes. This then makes his opinion more credible since his morals are above questioning. When he refers to himself as a child of God, the audience is inclined to believe he has no ulterior motives but had the best interest of the poor at heart, which makes the audience more likely to adopt and side with his arguments against the war. The main point that emerges from this section is that Martin Luther successfully established credibility by referring to himself as ‘a child of God’ and ‘a preacher by calling.’ This then gives him the moral right and high ground to question the relevance of the war. In the next section, I provide a conclusion on the strategies used by Martin Luther and their effectiveness. Conclusion In his speech, ‘A time to break the silence,’ Martin Luther employs different rhetoric strategies to convince his audience. These strategies are effectively used by him and indeed A TIME TO BREAK THE SILENCE convinces the audience that America’s participation in the Vietnamese War was not in the best interest of both parties. He appeals to the audience’s emotions, reasoning, and relies on his credibility to successfully support his argument and convince the audience that the war portended dire consequences to all the parties involved. 13 A TIME TO BREAK THE SILENCE 14 References DeGrasse, C. (2017). Rhetorical Analysis Peer-Review Handout. King, M. L. (1967). American rhetoric: Martin Luther King, Jr: A time to break silence (Declaration against the Vietnam War). Retrieved from https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkatimetobreaksilence.htm Final Course Project Rhetorical Analysis of a Historical Speech For the final paper, you will choose a historical speech to analyze in depth. This analysis will involve both academic research and close textual examination of the speech itself. We will build up the paper throughout the semester, as a full draft of each segment will be due at different times. BELOW are the sections of the paper in the order we will write them in this class. Biographical / Historical Context •Length: 2 pgs. •Content: Description of biographical and historical events that help us understand the speech •Sources: 3 academic journal articles Rhetorical Situation •Length: 2-3 pgs. •Content: Analysis of audience, exigence, and constraints for the speech •Sources: 3 academic journal articles Rhetorical Analysis •Length: 4-5 pgs. •Content: Analysis of rhetorical choices as evidence of overall rhetorical strategy •Sources: the primary speech Introduction + Conclusion •Length: 2 pgs (total) •Introduction: preview main ideas, introduce topic •Conclusion: summarize main ideas, offer final thoughts Total •Length: 10-12 pgs. (double-spaced, one-inch margins) •Sources: 6 academic journal articles •Must include works cited in APA style
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