Preview

Why We Can T Wait Rhetorical Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
557 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Why We Can T Wait Rhetorical Analysis
In the introduction to Martin Luther King's book Why We Can't Wait, he persuades his readers to seek change. His introduction tells of the hardships that African Americans face during his time. King uses imagery, pathos by using examples from history, and tying them all together in a final section that provides his hopeful vision of the future. Because king used these rhetorical strategies, the introduction to his book gave the reader a desire to achieve equality.

In the first section of his introduction, King draws his audience in by giving two realistic examples of how African Americans struggle in the U.S.. He talks of both a young boy and girl to try to make a connection to his audience. By making them both young, his audience feels sympathy for the two kids. He put the children in a real life case scenario to make the reader truly realize their suffering. By asking, "Why does misery
…show more content…
He uses the story of the young boy and girl throughout his introduction. In the final section of his introduction they are standing up the issue. King uses parallel structure listing the hardships that African Americans facing in the present to make it clear that there is not just one reason that they want equality. Altogether, these strategies King purposefully used combined to make the final section of his introduction clear and strong to the reader that the wait for desegregation is over.

In the passage, Martin Luther King proved to his readers that African Americans were done waiting for equality. King used imagery by illustrating a realistic story, pathos and a final section to his passage that combined the two making it clear to the reader that they were done waiting. Because Dr. King skillfully used these strategies, he created an introduction to his book that truly proved that the wait for civil rights to come is

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” was written in 1963; during the time African Americans were fighting for equality among races. We can tell this by the vocabulary used in his writing such as “Negro,” which was used at one time, and is no longer considered, “politically correct. “ The purpose for the letter is that Martin Luther King Jr. was trying to convince the white clergymen that him and his “People’s” actions were completely unnecessary for the situation. When doing this, he uses critical and persuasive tones to try to influence the reader to agree with him. Martin Luther King Jr. provides a valid argument using logos, pathos, and ethos throughout his letter.…

    • 774 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Martin Luther King, was a man of equal and respectful treatment. In 1963, with a frustrating yet respectful tone, King gave a speech “I have a Dream” which had the intriguing purpose to inform the nation on how African-americans should be granted the same freedom with no violence. This speech was presented in front of 250,000 people, mainly those who were for King’s cause. While listening to this speech the main rhetorical device, metaphor, is presented.…

    • 405 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr. uses rhetoric to persuade readers into supporting his cause. His letter addresses white men questioning his actions, though his message is for gaining supporters throughout America. Addressing the criticism of white men questioning and criticizing his recent behaviors, he begins explaining the motives behind his actions, their justification, and his next endeavors to rid America of its social injustices.…

    • 185 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Why Cant We Wait

    • 593 Words
    • 3 Pages

    “Why We Cant Wait” is Martin Luther King Jr.’s third book. He told of all the problems African American activists faced in 1963. “Why We Cant Wait” stresses the change African Americans wanted NOW. This book showed an unique personal look on non-violence protesting that was so important in the 60s to all “negro” communities. This book features aspects from MLKs other writings including Letter From Birmingham Jail. “Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say, ‘Wait.’ But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim…when you see the vast majority of twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky…when you take a cross-country drive and find it necessary to sleep night after night in the uncomfortable corners of your automobile because no motel will accept you…when…your wife and mother are never given the respected title ‘Mrs.’…when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of ‘nobodiness’—then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait. There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair.”(Letter From Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963)…

    • 593 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most influential civil rights activists and paved a path for many African-Americans in his lifetime. In “A Letter from Birmingham City Jail”, Minister and Civil Rights activist, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. conveys the unequal treatments of African-Americans and how he and the African-American community are trying to change it. King Jr.’s Purpose is to explain how the African-Americans are working towards racial equality and to explain the racial inequality that is happening. He adopts a didactic tone in order to describe how poorly African-Americans are treated and how it needs to end. He uses a didactic and disgruntled tone, pathos and ethos, and repetition and listing.…

    • 786 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The key phrases that I have identified are Negro and America from the beginning sentences. The correlation that I notice with the use of these phrases is that he is expressing to the public that a change needs to occur for America to create unity and equality for the Blacks to be included in society. In the following sentences from his speech, he expresses how no change has happened over the course of time towards the Black population. “But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still 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.” These key phrases express the main objective in his speech and that is the division between the Whites and Blacks in society. Mr. King is emphasizing that Blacks are still not free in society even though slavery has been abolished. He addresses the segregation that still exists which is promoting a form of discrimination among society. The end goal of his speech was to open the eyes of the nation to identify the problem and to act on this issue of discrimination by not engaging into the problem anymore.…

    • 649 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    On April 16th, 1963, during the peak of the Civil Rights movement, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote to a collection of clergymen in regards to his beliefs and protests. In his “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” King aptly wrote to the clergymen about their concerns in a respectful manner, while maintaining his dignity and explaining his purpose. In order to validate his points, he first built his credibility, and from there flowed into a plethora of other strategies. His emotional anecdotes and insight are strong points in his letter, appealing to the clergymen’s sense of compassion and justice. The imagery that accompanies his writing creates vivid and horrifying scenes meant to encourage the reader to join King in his civil rights endeavors. Logically, King presents his values in a manner that becomes inarguable against, which furthers the persuasive value of his writing. His…

    • 1284 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King Jr, responded to a letter by clergymen that were claiming Dr. King’s movement was untimely, extreme, and violent. In King’s response, he addresses their commentaries by quoting known religious figures to appeal to the clergymen's religious ties. He mentions that many talk about how this nonviolent movement is “untimely’, and that that has been the case for centuries. Dr. King alluded that for many years African Americans have been told to wait for their rights. White moderates being the greatest “stumbling block” for African Americans stride to freedom; not because they reject the idea of equality, but on the account that they believe they “can set the timetable for…

    • 883 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    King’s argumentative, and narrative effect persuade a surge of Pathos which descriptively discusses about the brutality that the Negro’s has experience, and provides a natural support the idea of regaining freedom of rights through peace not violence.…

    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the entirety of this essay, King pleads with the community and society as a whole to stand back and look at the situation he finds himself in. A society that is crutched by the injustice of segregation. Weakened by the laws that are established in places such as Birmingham. Beaten down by the commonality of police brutality to the African American man and women. A society that is far from the ideals of “all men are created equal”. King writes this essay to persuade individuals to change their thinking, or change their actions. He lays out what he thinks of society, and where it should go. He identifies misconceptions people have and how actions need to be taken. Martin Luther King Jr. Realizes heavily on public reason in hopes that they will understand his point of view and polarize their thinking in his direction. Only then, can a society be built on true justice and morality.…

    • 1822 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the letter King utilizes metaphors to influence his readers. Go back 55 years to the 1960’s, everything was segregated from restaurants, to water fountains. African American people were tired of being brushed aside “I guess it is easy for those who have never…

    • 416 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Lewis further argues that he will not wait and be patient like his forefathers before him and all the brothers that he stands with at the moment, he wants to be free, and he wants his people to be free now, a saying that does not go unheard by all the audience that is listening to him. Lewis illustrates to the audience once more, “We are tired. We are tired of being beaten by policemen. We are tired of seeing our people locked up in jail over and over again.”(para 7) In summary, Lewis is saying that he is worked up as well as all the African Americans of being treated as second-class citizens, that they are treated as animals, caged up so the world won’t see their malcontent. Lewis is again repeating his rhetorical technique of anaphora, in which he puts to good use as he repeats being tired time and time again of seeing people of color locked up and in jail for no particularly good reason, even if they didn’t commit a…

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    One hundred years after the signing the Emancipation Proclamation, Martin Luther King Jr. firmly expressed his opinion about the prejudice facing African Americans at the time in his inspirational I Have a Dream Speech. King is able to state his viewpoint so solidly through his allusions to the past, use of figurative language, formal and informal voice, and his picturesque diction. Kings purpose for giving such a powerful speech was to give hope to the individuals who were able to gather together, and listen to his remarkable speech given on the Lincoln Memorial steps. The community united together were able to be aroused by King because of his colorful word choice; such as, his allusions to the past.…

    • 998 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The speech “I have a dream” by Martin Luther King is acknowledged as one of the best speeches ever delivered. His escalated rhetoric demanding racial justice and an integrated society became a slogan for the black community. King’s words proved to be the basis for understanding the social and political upheaval at the time and gave the nations people a voice of their own to express what was happening. The key message King hoped to get across in his speech was that all people are created equal and that it must be the case for the future of America. King’s speech was by no means improvised, it was well researched and in preparation he studied the Bible, The Gettysburg Address and the US Declaration of Independence as he alludes to all three in his address. The speech can only be described as a political work of poetry and a well delivered, unintentional, yet beautiful, sermon full of biblical language and imagery. As well as rhythm and frequent repetition, alliteration is a key device, used to hit home major points.…

    • 1332 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    I Have a Dream

    • 1126 Words
    • 5 Pages

    - Explore how King expresses in this speech how the black Americans feel towards the discrimination.…

    • 1126 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays