Essay Example on Martin Luther King Jr.: A Civil Rights Hero for Equality

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a phenomenal speaker with good intentions during the civil rights era, making him an early American hero. Along with the rest of the African American men in this time period, King experienced discrimination throughout his entire life. As a priest, he felt he had moral obligations to stop prejudice among the people of America (Heltzel 296).

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King presented this speech to create equality among all races of men in America. He gave this speech with the purpose of addressing the "issues [of] economic - not just racial - discrimination and inequality" ("Martin"). During this time in the civil rights movement, African Americans were becoming frustrated with the slow process of equality and were resorting to violence against King's words. This specific speech was actually given to a group of African American sanitation workers in Memphis who began to engage in such acts of violence through rallies and boycotts. The immoral approach to equality drove King to give his last speech, "I've Been to the Mountaintop" (Keeley 280). His reason for giving this speech was because the "...civil rights of former slaves" were "...undermined...in the late 19th and early 20th centuries..." (Kirk 52). African American men did not have equal opportunity against white men; therefore, King felt he had a duty to create fairness between the two, which motivated him to publicly speak on the issue. King had a "...vision of equality, harmony, and nonviolence..." for the future of America (Keeley 281). Not only did he want the white man and the black man to have equality in the workplace, but he also wanted the two to be able to get along on a personal level.

King, being a part of the civil rights movement, was certainly in favor for equality for all people, and wanted this accomplished for the future of America. He gave his speeches in the hopes to "...propel new dreams of democracy" (Heltzel 287). He believed that the democracy in America should be able to develop into a more fair democracy, and all people of different race and color should be able to participate when it comes to their government. During this time politically, African American's did not have all the freedoms that white people did. There was a 'separate but equal' law enforcement, but the "white's only" facilities were almost always better than the black facilities (Kirk 52-53).

Martin Luther King fits the ideology of a conservative. He had very traditional beliefs when it came to the average American home. As a priest, he gave his speeches in the "...terms of religious and moral proposition" (Keeley 282). For example, his nonviolent approach to discrimination reflected his moral obligations. Despite the harm and hatred that came from those who despised him, King never made a violent move or committed any hate crimes.

The majority of present day America treats all races of people equally; this shows how far we have come since the civil rights movement. According to Earl Graves of the Black Enterprise, "Lofty aspirations...[were] little more than the wistful ideal of uniquely American mythology" (16). Graves explains the little amount of freedoms and the unsuccessful futures that blacks were faced with before King helped to change America forever. Before the civil rights movement, an African American man would never dream of becoming anything great, such as the President of the United States. The author explains that such an idea was nothing short of "American mythology," meaning that it could be nothing more than a dream for an African American. Graves mainly exemplifies the fact that America has now come so far as to elect our first black president, and that the future of equal rights in our country is greatly looked forward to.

King's speech was full of the rhetorical appeals logos, ethos, and pathos. Within his speech, he says, "We aren't engaged in any negative protest and in any negative arguments with anybody. We are saying that we are determined to be men. We are determined to be people" (King). This appeal is a very logical. King is saying that obviously, no matter what race an individual is, they are still a human being. He blatantly states that even though African Americans are technically men, they are determined to be accepted as men and as people in general. This quote is another example is his conservative nature; he mentions that there is no "negative protest...[and no] negative arguments," which again shows his moral standing on the issue. King wants his audience to understand that the color of a person's skin does not matter when it comes to their legitimacy of being a human. The same quote could also be classified as pathos. There is a sympathetic tone, especially when he says, "We are determined to be people." It is as if African Americans have been treated like wild animals and are in no way capable of being anything more than undesirables.

King strongly announces in the beginning of his speech that "[he] would even come up to the early thirties, and see a man grappling with the problems of the bankruptcy of his nation. And come with an eloquent cry that we have nothing to fear but 'fear itself'" (King). The last phrase from this, "we have nothing to fear but fear itself," is an ethical appeal referring to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a great American president. It works really well with the speech because throughout the entire beginning of "I've Been to the Mountaintop," King is telling of a hypothetical journey that lead him to the era that he was meant to be in by the will of God. Within that phrase, King refers the early thirties, which was the time of the Great Depression, an American economic tragedy. During this time, President Roosevelt's famous words went down in history as he attempted to recover the country. King receives credibility by mentioning the admired president and his words, which in turn evoked trust from the audience.

Martin Luther King, Jr. had a way with words when it came to extracting emotion form his audience. King presents a pathetic appeal when he says, "...in the human rights revolution, if something isn't done, and done in a hurry, to bring the colored peoples of the world out of their long years of poverty, their long years of hurt and neglect, the whole world is doomed" (Martin). Hardship and distress are brought out in this sentence creating sympathy for the colored peoples of the world. When King repeats "their long years," he reminds us that African Americans were brutally treated as slaves and the property of white men for many years. The sorrowful approach is essential for the speech because the whole purpose of the civil rights movement is that people, especially African Americans, were treated badly and despite the constitution stating that "all men are created equal;" the African American was in no way comparable to the superior white man. King also stirs up emotion from his audience by simply stating that, "The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land; confusion all around" (King). These concise sentences create the realization that America was not the great place that it is supposed to be. The feeling that is evoked is sinful of the white man and an encouraging realization for the black man.

King ends his speech strongly by making a lasting impression. Near the end of his speech, King uses the phrase, "If I had sneezed," repeatedly. This is an example of King using alliteration, which is typical of his usual syntax. It creates empowerment, energy, and excitement for the audience and for King himself. This phrase is very meaningful because King tells us in his speech that he was stabbed in the chest, and the doctor told him that if he sneezed he would die. He continues to say that, "If [he] had sneezed," he would've died and he wouldn't have been able to have the impact on America that he did (King). This use of syntax embeds in the audience's brain a gratefulness for King and an encouraging factor for the civil rights movement.

Works Cited

Graves, Earl G. "Dr. King's Legacy of Faith." Editorial. Black Enterprise Apr. 2008: 16. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Jan. 2011

Heltzel, Peter G. "Radical (Evangelical) Democracy: The Dreams and Nightmares of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Antonio Negri." Political Theology 10.2 (2009): 287-303. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Jan. 2011.

Keeley, Bethany. "Detailed Record Title: I May Not Get There With You: "I've Been to the Mountaintop" as Epic Discourse." Southern Communication Journal 73.4 (2008): 280-94. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Jan. 2011.

King, Martin L. "American Rhetoric: Martin Luther King, Jr. -- I've Been to the Mountaintop (April 3 1968)." American Rhetoric: The Power of Oratory in the United States. Web. 25 Jan. 2011.

Kirk, John. "The Long Road to Equality." History Today 59.2 (2009): 52-58. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Jan. 2011.

"Martin Luther King Jr: I've Been to the Mountaintop, April 3, 1968." Ripples of Hope: Great American Civil Rights Speeches. Jackson: Perseus, 2003. Credo Reference. 13 May 2009. Web. 25 Jan. 2011.

Sugrue, Thomas J. "Stories and Legends." Nation 290.22 (2010): 30-38. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Jan. 2011.