King obviously relates to one of the audiences because he is African American, which gives him credibility. Even if we didn't know what King has done for African American rights, he establishes himself by creating an intimate relationship with the audience. By using the word "we", King shows that he has had a lot of the same experiences as the rest of the African Americans.
The African American audiences feel like they know him more personally because King implies that they have been through the same trials. He calls them "my friends" (par. 15), and treats his audience as if they know each other personally. By combining himself with the audience, King also proves that he is not just arguing for self-interests. He wants change for the entire African American population.
King is trying to convince the entire United States population that African Americans should be given their rights. He wants to convince the Government because the location is at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. He wants to convince the religious black and white men and women, that everyone can come together as "God's Children" (par. 6). He wants to convince those who don't believe African Americans should be free. "And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights" (par. 7).
King also wants to convince the African American people to continue to fight without violence. "We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence" (par. 8). By making it clear he wants to negotiate peacefully, King appeals to the police force, and gains credibility by not advocating any violent acts. Finally, King encourages the African Americans in the South and the North, to have hope that the situation will change.
One of the main African American audiences King is trying to convince are those who think that waiting will solve their problems. "This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy... Now is the time to make justice a reality for all God's children" (par. 6). King's credibility is so powerful at this point in his speech because of his experience and letter he wrote while in Birmingham Jail. In the letter, King says that he is disappointed with the "white moderate" and white religious people for being "more devoted to 'order' than to justice; who prefer a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace..." and for "[believing] he can set the timetable for another man's freedom..." (par. 19). Birmingham Jail is where King really developed his solid view about not sitting by and waiting for freedom.
Martin Luther King says, "I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come from fresh narrow jail cells". King, and many other African Americas, were unjustly put in prison. King describes the jail cells as "narrow" which gives the audiences an image of the cells, but also eludes to the narrow-mindedness white men in the South. In this context, going to jail gave the African Americans credibility because of the unjust laws that put them there. It stood as proof of the prejudice that was in the South.
King recognizes the value of his argument when he shares his personal desires. "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." (par. 20) He connects to the audience by sharing what his dream is for his family and every African American family. Using this personal information, King establishes that he is a father with little children and relates to others who are in the same position.
I would add that Dr. King, in regards to those who had been in jail, was doing a couple of different things when he acknowledged them. Foremost, he was implying that there were African-Americans being imprisoned unfairly. This is evident as he elaborated on the jail cells being "narrow" instead of just stating that they had been in prison, insinuating inhumanity. He also mentions police brutality in that paragraph. Secondly he was telling those who had been justly imprisoned that he was not above addressing them as his fellows. This put him on a level with everyone from the guilty to the innocent.
ReplyDelete2nd sentence: why "has changed" instead of "changed"?
ReplyDelete"Abolitionist" refers to someone who fought slavery. Dr. King was a civil rights leader, not an abolitionist.
Good analysis of "we."
Martian? great trails?
"This gives King credibility because he not only speaks to respectable African Americans, but to the prisoners." WHOA! Context is essential here. Who served in prison at this time? What did it say about them?
This post makes me wonder if it's possible to do a thorough job at ethos without doing it in conjunction with more thorough audience analysis. You would be well served to spend some time and which audienceS Dr. King is trying to reach here, and what he is trying to achieve with each.