Martin Luther King Analysis and Critique

User Generated

zfyvan781

Writing

Description

This is a two part assignment.

Assignment #1: MLK ANALYSIS & CRITIQUE. YOU MUST COMPLETE THIS PAPER FIRST IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO COMPLETE ASSIGNMENT #2: Persuasion Paper! Your paper should be, at minimum, 500 words long. Please put your word count at the top by your name! I encourage you to read through the full text transcript of his speech BEFORE you watch it.  You can read his words by clicking the attached document titled "MLK I Have a Dream Speech Transcript."

To complete the assignment you must watch the full/complete 17 minute version Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. I've provided a link below. Feel free to turn on "CC" or "closed captioning" so you can read along with his speech.  

Assignment #2: PERSUASION. You must complete assignment #1:MLK paper before you will be able to complete this assignment   

Unformatted Attachment Preview

MLK’s “I Have a Dream” Speech Analysis & Critique For this assignment you are to view and critique Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. I encourage you to read the full text of the speech a couple of times before watching it (I’ve posted a transcript of his speech for you to read over.) Here is some background/context for the speech. Most important events throughout history are marked by someone giving a speech. We can’t go back in time to 1963, but by watching Dr. King’s speech we can better understand our past, which helps us make more sense of the present, and hopefully will motivate us to work on improving our future. Don’t let the grainy footage of the video fool you, this is from a very recent part of U.S. history. There are still people alive today who lived through the civil rights movement. This speech was presented in Washington D.C. in August of 1963. 2013 marked the 50th anniversary of the speech. Dr. King presented this speech in front of the Abraham Lincoln memorial in D.C. He deliberately chose this location as his backdrop because of Lincoln’s work in signing the Emancipation Proclamation 100 years prior in 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation changed the federal legal status of more than 3.5 million slaves to “free.” It was the first step in the process of ending slavery. The US civil war between the Northern (Union) states and the Southern (Confederate) states took place from 1881-1865. After the confederacy lost the war the constitution was ratified to make major changes in the US. In 1865, the 13th amendment formally ended and abolished slavery. In 1868, the 14th amendment reinstated slaves with “full citizenship rights” and guaranteed equal protection of the law for former slaves. In response, the southern states passed “Jim Crow” laws that allowed racism to perpetuate. “Jim Crow” laws were state and local laws that legally enforced racial segregation in public places. Yes, they created laws that made it legal to segregate people based on their race. The justification they gave for this was that it was equal treatment, aka “separate, but equal.” There would be separate water fountains, restrooms, schools, hospitals, building entrances, elevators, cemeteries, etc. This is where you would see a label of “for whites only” or “colored” to indicate who was allowed where. Clearly, we all know that “separate but equal” is in no way actually “equal.” Dr. King, among many others, was a prominent civil rights leader and activist. He was speaking at an event taking place in Washington D.C called the “March on Washington.” It is estimated that there were between 200,000-300,000 people in attendance for his speech – not to mention all of the listeners at home hearing Dr. King’s voice booming out of their radio or TV. His approach to the civil rights movement was one of peace and non-violence. Notice that he never points the finger, yells, or displays aggressive anger during his speech. This could turn people off from listening and would undermine his goal. He was also a preacher and modeled his approach to Civil Rights after Gandhi, who helped to free India from the British rule. He was a Nobel Peace Prize winner. Dr. King begins his speech by alluding to Abraham Lincoln’s famous speech, “The Gettysburg Address.” That speech begins with “Four score and seven years ago…” Dr King states: “5 score years ago (a score is 20 years, so 5 x 20 = 100 years ago) a great American in whose symbolic shadow we stand today (Abraham Lincoln) signed the Emancipation Proclamation. but….100 years later…” In other words, this was supposed to be sorted out 100 years ago, yet look at where we are as a country. African Americans might not be slaves any more, but they are definitely not being fairly treated in the way the Constitution has clearly stated they should be – as full citizens with equal rights and protection under U.S. laws. Dr. King’s “dream” isn’t his opinion of how the country should be operating. He is simply asking America to honor what is spelled out for us in our most important texts – the Constitution and our Declaration of Independence. America isn’t upholding its most fundamental documents. Your paper should be typed, double spaced, standard margins on all sides, 12 point, Times New Roman font. No need for a title page. Simply put your name and your word count at the top. Make sure to number your answers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Write in complete sentences, not just words, bullet points, or phrases. Don’t re-write the questions. Proofread for major spelling/grammar issues. It is graded out of 4 points. Your paper should be, at minimum, 500 word count. MAKE SURE TO PUT YOUR WORD COUNT BY YOUR NAME AT THE TOP! IF YOU DON’T YOU WILL EARN .5 POINTS FOR DIRECTIONS. However, it can be as long as you need it to be. Please be concise. DO NOT REFERNCE OUTSIDE SOURCES DURING YOUR PAPER. THIS SHOULD BE YOUR OWN ANALYSIS AND CRITIQUE! 1. When your purpose for speaking is to persuade, you must take into account that there are listeners who oppose your position. One way to help build relations with people who have differing viewpoints is to establish common ground with them. In 1963 there were people in the United States who did not support MLK and the Civil Rights movement. In his speech he uses a metaphor about coming to the nation's capital to “cash a check.” This “check” promised that “All men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” He goes on to say: “But America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds.’ But we refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.” -Explain how/why MLK’s metaphor describing being given a “bad check” is meant to help establish common ground with all Americans. (*Think about a check from a surface level and a deeper level. What does this “check” really represent?) 2. An allusion is a reference to a well-known person, place, event, or literary work. MLK makes allusions to phrases and language from important texts such as the Declaration of Independence, the Gettysburg Address, and the song “My Country ‘tis of Thee.” -For what reason(s) do you think he made references to these texts in his speech? 3. MLK repeats phrases such as: “now is the time,” “I have a dream,” and “let freedom ring” a number of times. -Why do you think he chose to repeat and emphasize parts of his speech? What effect does repetition of a message have? 4. Describe the speaker’s nonverbal delivery. Discuss the use of his BODY - Personal appearance (How is he dressed/groomed? Why?) - Eye Contact (Beginning vs. ending - What kind of change do you notice? When does it happen? Why do you think it happens?) - Posture/ stance (any distracting movement or mannerisms?) - When do you see gestures show up? What form do they come in? - Facial expressions (what kind of look/expression does he have?) 5. Describe the speaker’s nonverbal delivery. Discuss the use of his VOICE. NOT his words! - Volume and rate (Examine the differences between the beginning and the ending of the speech.) - Pauses (When does he use them? Why does he use them?) - Tone/emotion (What kind of emotion do you hear in his voice?) 6. As MLK speaks, he is steadily building toward his powerful ending. -What is the effect of building towards and ending on such a strong note? Why do you think he ended the speech in this way? -How did he want his audience to feel upon concluding his speech? How did you feel? ***Sadly, sometimes when you stand up for a cause as big as Civil Rights you become a target for people trying to stop you. Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee is 1968. His legacy, however, lives on. One year after his 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. This landmark federal legislation made it illegal for individual states to discriminate on the basis of age, sex, race, religion, and national origin. This helped to finally put an end to the Jim Crow style behavior of the Southern states. I encourage you to check out other speeches of Dr. King’s online. Quality/Quantity- Reflects understanding of the material, includes relevant content, is well organized and easy to follow. How thoroughly do you answer the questions? Do you meet the minimum word count requirement? 2 Good – Thorough in both quality and quantity 1 Fair – Issues with quality and/or quantity 0 Poor – Major issues with quality and/or quantity Directions – If you don’t include your word count you will earn a zero for directions. 1 Follows all directions 0 Doesn’t follow all directions Spelling / Grammar 1 Free from error 0 Errors Persuasion 1. FROM YOUR TEXTBOOK: briefly define “informative speech.” Then briefly define “persuasion.” ***Please read Chapter 17: Methods of Persuasion DO NOT SEARCH ON THE INTERNET FOR THE DEFINITIONS – THEY ARE NOT CORRECT. YOU WILL BE TESTED ON THE DEFINTIONS FROM YOUR TEXTBOOK! 2. Briefly define and explain what “ethos” is. 3. Reflect back on Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Dr. King is viewed as possessing “ethos” in regard to this speech topic. Please tell us why, objectively, Dr. King is viewed as “competent,” “trustworthy” and having “good character” to speak about racism, segregation, and the civil rights movement. Feel free to incorporate what you know about him as a person/his background and his approach to the civil rights movement. 4. Briefly define and explain what “pathos” is. 5. Provide an example(s) of how/where in his “I Have a Dream” speech Dr. King appeals to the audience with pathos? 6. Briefly define and explain what “logos” is. 7. Reflect back on Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and provide an example(s) of logos Dr. King uses to help back up his claim and persuade the audience. Your paper should be double spaced, standard margins on all sides, 12 point, Times New Roman font. No need for a title page. Simply put your name and your word count at the top. Number your answers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6. Write in complete sentences, not just words, bullet points, or phrases. Don’t re-write the questions. Proofread for major spelling/grammar issues. It is graded out of 4 points. Your paper should be, at minimum, 350 words. However, it can be as long as you need it to be. MAKE SURE TO LABEL YOUR WORD COUNT BY YOUR NAME! Quality/Quantity- Reflects understanding of the material, includes relevant content, is well organized and easy to follow. How thoroughly do you answer the questions? Do you meet the word count requirement? 2 Good – Thorough in both quality and quantity 1 Fair – Issues with quality and/or quantity 0 Poor – Major issues with quality and/or quantity Directions If you don’t label your word count you will lose .5 points. Spelling / Grammar 1 Follows all directions 0 Doesn’t follow all directions 1 Free from error 0 Errors Martin Luther King, Jr. I Have a Dream Delivered 28 August 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. 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. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition. In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. 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. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children. It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges. But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. 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. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."1 I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends. And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. 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." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. 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 dream today! I have a dream that one day, down 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 black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today! I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."2 This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning: My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, From every mountainside, let freedom ring! And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that: Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
Purchase answer to see full attachment
Explanation & Answer:
800 Words
User generated content is uploaded by users for the purposes of learning and should be used following Studypool's honor code & terms of service.

Explanation & Answer

View attached explanation and answer. Let me know if you have any questions.

Surname 1
Student's Name
Instructor's Name
Course Name
Date:
Analysis and Critique
1. Metaphor
The term check can mean rights and privileges that all Americans were entitled to enjoy
by virtue of being citizens (LogistiKHD). By referring to the term bad check, it symbolizes that
some citizens were still encountering some problems despite promises that were made on the
rights that each of them was supposed to enjoy. The rights of liberty and the pursuit of happiness
were guaranteed in the constitution and were compared to the scenario where a person was
entitled to "cash a check." Therefore, the opportunities in America would give everyone the privilege to
enjoy the rights that they had been guaranteed. However, they would not be able to get what they had
been promised afterward, which he compared to the check coming back due to insufficient funds.

2. References used in speech
Martin Luther King used various allusions in his speech to help him get his message to
the audiences in a manner that resonates with them (LogistiKHD). The allusions gave support to
the main point that MLK was advocating for in his speech. The Declaration of independence
acted as a document that guaran...


Anonymous
Really great stuff, couldn't ask for more.

Studypool
4.7
Trustpilot
4.5
Sitejabber
4.4

Related Tags