Martin Luther King Jr. Dedication Speech by Barack Obama

1. Martin Luther King Jr. Dedication Speech by Barack Obama By Jacinda Gomez

2. August28th, 2013 Barack Obama delivered a speech for Martin Luther King Junior’s 50th Anniversary Related to King’s speech Allusion Diction Propaganda Rhetorical Appeals Schemes Tropes

3. Ethos and King Reference • Automatic Ethos • Most trust the president • King opened his speech by referencing their location

4. Allusion (continued) • Referring to Declaration of Independence • King also cited D.O.I. in his speech “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…”

5. Allusion (Continued) • Refers to Abraham Lincoln and Emancipation Proclamation • Mentions King’s speech

6. Mix of Formal and Informal Diction • Blends high vocabulary and informal grammar and slang • “subjugation of others,” “testimonies of justice” • Refers to races as “blacks” and “whites”

7. Personification and Glittering Generalities • Personification: “Awaken America’s long-slumbering conscience” • Glittering Generalities: “Hope,” “salvation,” “power,” “prophecy” ‘Murica

8. Pathological Appeals • Appeals to sympathy • Describes lives of people who suffered • Neglect, ignored, living in fear

9. Anaphora andAllusion • “In the face of hatred...In the face of violence…” • Mentions “God” • Frederick Douglass once taught: that freedom is not given…”

10. Anaphora, Epistropheand Personification • “That was the spirit….” • “Because they marched…” • Examples of “change” • America changed

11. Obama’s Argument • Country has fought for racial equality • All races joined together • Succeeded and moved ahead

12. Allusion • Iron Curtain • Divided Europe after from 1945 to end of Cold War

13. Analogy and Allusion • “That is the transformation that they wrought with each step of their well-worn shoes.” • Holocaust reference • Battlefield of justice

14. King Reference • “…judge one another by the content of our character in this greatest nation on earth.” • Living together blindly

15. Epistrophe and King Reference • “Live together…learn together…walk together…fight alongside one another…love one another…judge one another…” • Emphasis on unity • King declaimed, “we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together…”

16. Obama’s Argument • We are not done • Still numerous steps until we reach equality • Other issues need to be solved

17. Pathological Appeal • Appeals to nationalism and pride • We have the potential to make progress • Fair people, fair country

18. Assertion • Requires constant vigilance • Have to work together for just laws

19. Glittering Generalities and Rhetorical Question • “Victories,” “justice,” “opportunity” • “For what does it profit…to sit at an integrated lunch counter if he can’t afford a meal?”

20. Allusion and King’s Speech • “Pursuit of Happiness” • Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation • Mentions King’s description of American dream

21. Ethological and Logical Appeals • African American unemployment twice as high as Caucasian employment • Includes Bill Clinton’s ideas • King’s dreams will not be accomplished

22. Mix of Formal and Informal Diction • Utilizes high vocabulary, but also informal slang • “Substandard,” “Inadequate,” “perennial” • “Blacks,” “White”

23. Anti-Thesis • “Even as the pay of a fortunate few explodes, inequality has steadily risen over the decades.” • Money is not worth it • We need equality

24. Assertion • Too many people live in poverty • Must deal with inadequate schools, faulty health care, and violence • Though we measure the amount of success, we need to continue

25. Pathological Appeals • Appeals to Nationalism • Test of change in society • Progress gained • Civil rights and improved treatment

26. Pathological Appeals and Counter-Argument • Appeals to guilt • Personal decisions caused horrible economy • It will be difficult to do fix it

27. Analogy • “…message of unity and brotherhood was drowned out…” • “gears of this great democracy grind to a halt…” • “not trapped by mistakes of history…masters of our fate…”

28. Pathological Appeal and Anaphora • Appeals to unity • “Reignite embers of empathy” • Repeats “I see it when…” for emphasis

29. False Dilemma • Examples of discrimination in everyday life • Relatable experiences • He has sympathy

30. Anaphora andepistrophe • “With that courage” • Repeats consistently • Uses “courage” for emphasis

31. Obama’s Argument • Capable of changing America • Have the spirit, but aren’t using it • Difficult, but worth it

32. Pathological Appeals and Anaphora • Appeals to urgency • Need to change to make progress • Similar to King • He’s/she’s/they are/you are marching

33. Anaphora and false Dilemma • “That is how…” • Explanations of the process • Actions of laborers in America

34. Pathological Appeals and King Reference • Appeals to hope • “people who love their country can change it.” • Stole from King’s speech • “mountain will be made low…rough places will be made plain…crooked places, they straighten out…”

35. Allusion • Pledge of Allegiance • “One nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

36. *Waits for Applause*