I HAVE A DREAM - ETHOS, LOGOS, PATHOS

ETHOS :

• In his speech, Martin Luther King Jr uses at the beginning of his speech when he says "Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation." - This shows that a president that every American knows about, also fought for black equality. Abe Lincoln is a president that many people look up as a role model, and by using him, the audience feel like they are fighting for the same reason.
•  "We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now." He pointed out the location of the speech because he considers it holy and finds the Lincoln Memorial fitting for the situation, for Lincoln also fought for equals rights of blacks. The word "hallowed" makes the audience feel apart of the fight for the rights, since they are all in a holy location.

LOGOS :

• "When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the declaration of Independence. They were singing a promissory note to which every American was fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed to the "Unalienable Rights of Life, Liberty, and Happiness." - This shows the people a fact of what has not actually took effect to every African American person or every colored person in the United States.
•   When he states "America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back 'insufficient funds.' And so we have came to cash this check." His analogy is using logos as a form of reasoning. He reasons that everyone understands money and that the listener is able to relate to being handed a bad check, when the white people are handed good checks.

PATHOS :

• In the beginning of the speech, he states "Now is the time to make real promises of democracy (my lord) Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time [applause] to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial justice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice reality for all of God's children.(King) His use of imagery allows the audience to visualize there is an end to this troubled time. He conveys to pathos because the audience feels empowered to take action because, "Now is the time."
• Further along the speech, Martin Luther King Jr. claims "There will be neither rest nor tranquillity in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges."(King) His use of diction emphasizes how hard they will work for their freedom. He conveys pathos because the audience feels determined to work to be granted their rights.