The persuasive techniques utilized by King Jr are aimed at making people think over the outcomes of Vietnam war and if it was not against Americas integrity. He believed that the Vietnam War diverted money and attention from domestic programs created to aid the black poor and would benefit only the banks who fund wars and the industries that supply the war. assume youre on board with our, Martin Luther King Jr. vs. President Obama, https://graduateway.com/rhetorical-analysis-of-martin-luther-kings-beyond-vietnam-a-time-to-break-silence/. Dr. King's purpose is . https://nolongerinvisiblemen.wordpress.com/2014/11/11/sparknotes-for-martin-luther-king-jr-s-a-time-to-break-silence/, https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkatimetobreaksilence.htm, Microsoft Corporation SWOT Analysis (2016), Zora Neale Hurstons Their Eyes were watching God: Analysis. Rhetorical Analysis of MLK's Speech "Beyond Vietnam" Widely known for his work in the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr eventually also gained momentum in the anti-war movement against the war in Vietnam. Acasestudy.com 2007-2019 All rights reserved. King wants his audience. By repeating the phrase, "for the sake," he creates a rhythmic flow that causes his audience to be more receptive to his idea. Dr. Kings purpose is to make the church leaders he is speaking to aware that the time has come for them to speak out loudly in opposition of the war in Vietnam. King makes the nation appears as hypocrites because Americans pretend to fight as a united nation whereas segregation is among the same schools, the same neighborhood, the same country. Just talk to our smart assistant Amy and she'll connect you with the best Rhetorical Analysis Of Beyond Vietnam A Time To Break Silence In the speech "Beyond Vietnam- A Time to Break Silence," by Martin Luther King Jr. he expresses his opinion on how the Vietnam war is unjust. In addition, his use of parallelism allows him to appeal to his audiences pity for the oppressed in order for him to express his call to action, a call for activism that goes beyond Vietnam. Rhetorical Analysis Of Beyond Vietnam: A Time To Break Silence, During the 20th century, the Vietnam War had a profound impact on Americans, but there was a side of the story that was less known- voices from the poor. Finally, Martin Luther King Jr. uses parallelism within his own reflection to evoke emotions in his audience to show that . Thomas 1 Javon Thomas Mrs. Yelton English 1301 - Period 4 14 September 2018 Beyond Vietnam Rhetorical Analysis Essay In Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech, Beyond Vietnam-A Time to Break Silence, King discusses his views on America's involvement in the Vietnam War. Registration number: 419361 In case you can't find a relevant example, our professional writers are ready (2016, Nov 14). Additionally, by constructing an optimistic view on the civil rights situation during that time period and immediately refuting it, King is able to establish a strong sense of, Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential leaders of his time and played a crucial role in the African-American Civil Rights movement. Instead, King chooses to use facts to show what an illness war is. In Dr. Martin Luther Kings speech Beyond VietnamA Time to Break Silence (1967), Dr. King asserts that the war in Vietnam is totally immoral and has far reaching negative implications not only for Vietnam, but for The United States and the rest of the World as well. King argues that all people are created equal and directly challenged the outdated and abhorrent views that upheld the false flag of racial superiority among White Americans. However, his speech is not filled entirely with only emotionally charged words and phrases or just with pictures of war and destruction or poverty. These arguments work because they point out that even though the war is not happening on our soil, it is having a devastating effect here, especially in poor areas where people cannot afford to be hindered any more than they already are. He also makes an emotional plea by vividly describing the conditions in Vietnam. In order to convince his audience that the civil rights movement in the United States should oppose the Vietnam War, the speaker appealed to their ethos, pathos, and logos. Rhetorical Analysis of MLK's Speech "Beyond Vietnam", Key Ingredients to Being a Successful Student. Martin Luther King notes that we have been repeatedly faced with the cruel irony of watching Negro and white boys on TV screens as they kill and die together for a nation that has been unable to seat them together in the same schools (King). Dr. King's purpose is to make the church leaders he is speaking to aware that Luther starts off by explaining that Vietnam heavily takes away valuable money of the US. to help you write a unique paper. There is at the outset a very obvious and almost facile connection between the war in Vietnam and the struggle I, and others, have been waging in America. Likewise, during this time period, America [put little effort into] rehabilitation of its poor creating an even harder life for them (Source A). First of all, King makes his point clear by appealing to the reader's common sense, beliefs and values (logos). While his words clearly deliver his disappointment over the path American government had chosen, it also expresses a clear intention to not be with the wrong and instead listen to ones inner voice. It allows them to imagine what might happen if America were to keep fighting in the war. cite it correctly. An Analysis of Martin Luther King Jr's Beyond Vietnam Martin Luther King Jr. builds an argument to persuade his audience that American involvement in the Vietnam War is unjust. His speech emphasizes at transitioning from war to peace and from violence to a nonviolent and peaceful society. "The Speech Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence by Martin Luther King, Jr: Rhetorical Analysis." King is effectively able to convey his point about his topic by using rhetorical devices such as logos, ethos, pathos. report, Rhetorical Analysis of Martin Luther Kings Beyond Vietnam: a Time to Break Silence. In 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his speech Beyond Vietnam-A Time to Break Silence. In the speech, King argues against American involvement in the Vietnam War and explains why he cannot remain silent. King, Martin Luther Jr. Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence. Church Meeting, 1967, Riverside Church, New York City. 1. Martin Luther King Jr proves to all throughout his speech Beyond Vietnam --- A Time to Break Silence that the Vietnam war was unjust by his use of emotional diction, the allusion of Jim crow, and repetition. He also says the war is further crippling the poor in the United States by sending a disproportional number of them to the front lines to die. However, he wishes that they would have lived up to his respect, and continues to hope that they will do so in the future. In addition, his use of parallelism allows him to appeal to his audience's pity for the oppressed in order for him to express his call to action, a call for activism that goes beyond Vietnam. Also, if you have a comment about a particular piece of work on this website, please go to the page where that work is displayed and post a comment on it. Dr. King plainly states his purpose near the beginning of his speech. He calls the situation some idle political plaything of a society gone mad on war. Kings letter is a response to those in the church who have critizied him, Yet, instead of apologizing, he stands strong for his cause and turns it around on them stating his own critisim. Martin Luther King Jr. disagreed with the way the war was being handled, and thought nonviolent demonstrations would be more efficient. He specifically mentions a poverty program that was looking promising before the United States became involved in Vietnam. Beyond Vietnam: A Rhetorical Analysis . His passionate tone flowed through these strategies, increasing their persuasive power on the people and encouraging them to follow/listen to his message on racial injustice. In a similar light, King addressed the speech I have a dream to a peaceful mass gathering in Washington asking for change. Martin Luther King Jr is an African American preacher and civil rights activist that along with every other African American male and female in 1976 was waging a war in America for their not-so-natural born rights. While pathos elicits an emotional response from the audience to make them more accepting of Kings ideas, repetition structures the speech and emphasizes key ideas for the audience to take away from listening. As a civil right mover he gave this great speech to all Americans (black and white) so that he could give off the idea of equality on the same level. May 4, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/the-speech-beyond-vietnam-a-time-to-break-silence-by-martin-luther-king-jr-rhetorical-analysis/. He changes his tone from passive to passionate. His pleas are first to the audiences sense of logic and their immediate concerns for their own country. Encompassed within this quote is pathos because the harsh accusation leads the reader to think poorly of the government while pitying the poor. King's criticism of the war as "broken and eviscerated," allows him to establish a disappointed tone that conveys the idea that the war is immoral and by doing so his precise word choice lets him to attack it as such. Get original paper in 3 hours and nail the task. For example, King says, We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God given rights (2). Not to mention, many young people protested because they were the ones being drafted while others were against the war because the anti-war movement grew increasingly popular among the counterculture and drug culture in American society and. It also reminds people of inequality through images of everyday life in the United States. During the final years of . Martin Luther King was a determined activist for equality for all. In this way, he tries to stress that even if we have progressed, we have grown nowhere better than the ancient barbarians that killed for fun. Kings criticism of the war as broken and eviscerated, allows him to establish a disappointed tone that conveys the idea that the war is immoral and by doing so his precise word choice lets him to attack it as such. He includes various perspectives and addresses several counterarguments with the intention to prove the futility of war as a tool to address social, economic and political problems. He also affirms that people have better options and that the idea of war, despite that it sounds patriotic is basically inhuman. To this day, Kings speech remains one of the most famous and influential speeches in, Martin Luther King was a determined activist for equality for all. His use of imagery and diction is aimed at making people break their silence and express their anger clearly. He spoke at Riverside Church in New York City, a venue that had a history of hosting progressive speakers and thinkers. Moreover, Martin Luther King Jr meticulously chooses specific words that carry with them a negative connotation that helps associate the Vietnamese war with injustice. In other words, the resources were used for the soldiers, yet the poor still needed them just as so. (21). There were many reasons why so many Americans were against the war. When he argues that the war's immoral nature should be "incandescently clear," he implies to his audience that those who do not voice their opinion against the war are not concerned for, "the integrity and life of America.". Analyzes the literary device martin luther king jr. uses in his speech is allusions, adding to the importance on how awful the vietnam war was corrupting the united states. The Braveheart speech, while famous for being powerful, is very different from another powerful speech, the one from Dead Poets Society. Disclaimer: Services provided by StudyCorgi are to be used for research purposes only. Therefore, to remain silent would truly be betrayal. This quote causes the audience to realize the contradiction in the Vietnam war policy, making them less likely to accept. He states, Many people have questioned me about the wisdom of my path. Issues have been resolved because now the draft is less common because more people volunteer for war so the poor are not forced. However, he is about to arm them with many valid reasons why it is crucial for them to join the opposition. We try to make TeenInk.com the best site it can be, and we take your feedback very seriously. Martin Luther King Jr. applies imagery throughout his speech in order to illustrate the horrors of the war to arouse anger at its atrocities and injustice. 1) Controversial Opinions of MLK 2) Religious figure talking about political problems 3) Malcolm X and his ideas Fitting Response EXIGENCY First Persona-Martin Luther King Second Persona-American Population and the Civil Rights Movement Third Persona- Vietnamese Population Favorite Quote:Make as many as mistakes as you want, just don't make the same mistake. Widely known for his work in the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr eventually also gained momentum in the anti-war movement against the war in Vietnam. If it is, let us trace its movements and pray that our own inner being may be sensitive to its guidance, for we are deeply in need of a new way beyond the darkness that seems so close around us. He says, To me the relationship of this ministry to the making of peace is so obvious that I sometimes marvel at those who ask me why Im speaking against the war (12). To get his point through and make the meaning clear, King uses phrases like break the silence of the night, a vocation of agony, based upon the mandates of conscience, deeper level of awareness. In conclusion, Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Beyond Vietnam" speech was a powerful and eloquent call for peace and justice. The line, "For the sake of those boys, for the sake of this government, for the sake of the hundreds of thousands trembling under our violence, I cannot be silent," demonstrates how King uses parallelism.