Not many people can influence a crowd of people like Martin Luther King, Jr. He was one of those speakers who would make people stop what they were doing just to listen to what he had to say. When King had a message to bring to the people, he would not disappoint. People would leave his speeches having gained new ideas and would want to make change happen. King’s powerful speeches and writing style would make believers out of non-believers. Martin Luther King Jr’s use of a strong tone, deep voice, repetition and emotional appeal makes his “I Have a Dream” speech truly renowned and legendary.
The purpose of the “I Have a Dream” speech was an emotional appeal to bring attention to the plight of the African America people as it was at the time of his speech on August 28, 1963. Another purpose was to expose the audience of the economic struggles and the inequality of the African American. He wanted to use his influence to try to get more jobs and to try to obtain the same work opportunities as the white people had.
His audience was composed of political people who could help make the changes that he was hoping for. He wanted higher wages, equal rights and an appreciation of the plight of what the African America had to go though. The majority of his audience was the African American community and some Whites that sympathized with his cause and concerns. This speech gave hope to those people that someone was on their side and was doing something in the right way to help them. He was using a peaceful process instead of the riots and demonstrations that others were doing.
The setting of Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech was in Washington DC on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. This setting was symbolic because it was Abraham Lincoln who in 1862 freed the slaves after the Civil War. Martin Luther King Jr. made reference to Abraham Lincoln’s emancipation proclamation speech at the beginning of his “I Have a Dream” speech. Martin Luther King Jr. used a similar...