MLK

Author

Martin Luther King Jr

Genre

Political rhetoric and persuasive essay

Historical context

Civil Rights Movement 1950s to 1960s

Purpose

To expose injustice and demand equality

I Have a Dream

A 1963 speech calling for racial justice and unity

Letter from Birmingham Jail

A 1963 letter defending civil disobedience and moral urgency

Occasion of I Have a Dream

Spoken at the March on Washington at the Lincoln Memorial

Occasion of Letter from Birmingham Jail

Written while jailed for nonviolent protest in Alabama

Central theme of I Have a Dream

Hope justice and racial harmony

Central theme of Letter from Birmingham Jail

Moral responsibility and the fight against unjust laws

Tone of I Have a Dream

Hopeful visionary urgent

Tone of Letter from Birmingham Jail

Calm rational morally forceful

Devices in I Have a Dream

Anaphora metaphor allusion parallelism

Devices in Letter from Birmingham Jail

Ethos pathos logos allusion analogy

Structure of I Have a Dream

Builds from critique to hopeful vision

Structure of Letter from Birmingham Jail

Logical progression of counterargument and moral appeal

Key metaphor in I Have a Dream

America’s promise as a bad check

Key allusion in I Have a Dream

Constitution Declaration Bible patriotic songs

Repetition in I Have a Dream

I have a dream repeated to emphasize vision

Ethos in Letter from Birmingham Jail

King’s identity as a pastor and leader builds credibility

Logos in Letter from Birmingham Jail

Citations of history and legal precedent to argue justice

Pathos in Letter from Birmingham Jail

Emotional appeals to injustice and suffering

IB themes

Power protest identity justice communication

Relevance today

Continues to address systemic racism and activism

King’s legacy

Symbol of peaceful protest and rhetorical power