Artifact Rhetoric Critique- I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King Jr

Artifact Rhetoric Critique- I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King Jr

Title: Artifact Rhetoric Critique: ‘I Have a Dream’ by Martin Luther King Jr.

Introduction

Introductory statement: The speech was delivered at a time when Black people in the United States were deprived of their rights and discriminated against by a system that was meant to protect their rights.

Thesis statement: Dr King Jr. was trying to make the people aware of the hegemonic and discriminatory behaviours and attitudes of the White people towards them as well as empower them of their rights by making this speech.

Body

Method (Topic Sentence): The metaphorical criticism method will be used to analyze the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.

First step: familiarize with the elements of the artifact and its context, to understand the whole experience of the artifact

Second step: isolating the metaphors

Third step: sorting the metaphors into groups (Foss, 2018)

Supporting Idea (Topic Sentence): Use of matrix metaphor- King pointed out three elements, including the dream of achieving racial justice, a promissory note of the Constitution, and the ‘ringing out’ of freedom via the nation-state.

The distinction between dark and light metaphors- The long night of captivity’ is compared to ‘a great beacon light of hope.’

King also compares injustice to flame; he uses the Emancipation Proclamation tenor through the vehicle of daybreak, and captivity through the long night.

Hard and soft metaphors are used when King stated that it was now time to lift our nation from the racial injustice quicksands to the brotherhood of solid rock (King, 1963).

King also uses cold and hot metaphors- the tenor is freedom, whereas the ‘invigorating autumn’ and the sweltering summer’ are the vehicles.

Summary: Understanding the context of the speech, including the life of Luther, is important in understanding the artefact.

King had seen and experienced the injustices of the oppressive government and the Whites and the resistance to change from the same government.

King’s experiences and the past atrocities and oppression of the Black people laid the foundation of the speech.

By using metaphoric criticism, King prompts the audience, including all races to take action to change the oppressive unjust system.

The most important aspect of the speech was the dream: equality and freedom for everyone.

Artifact Rhetoric Critique: ‘I Have a Dream’ by Martin Luther King Jr.

Contextual Analysis of ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech by Martin Luther King Jr.

The speech was delivered at a time when the Black people in the United States were deprived of their rights and discriminated against by a system that was meant to protect their rights. Martin Luther King Jr. fought for the rights of the Black people and was the mastermind of the Civil Rights Movement that came to be the basis of his speech (Sipra & Rashid, 2013). Understanding the oppression of Black people, he led a mass movement against the oppressive government and the inhuman discriminatory behaviour and attitude of the dominant White people. He was focused on the goal of getting equal rights for Black people and eliminating segregation in the system against Blacks. At that time, Black people were viewed as politically, economically, and socially inferior to their White counterparts. During the mid-twentieth century, under Jim Crow laws in the U.S., the southern states had separate beaches, washrooms, restaurants, and drinking fountains for Blacks and Whites (Godwin et al., 2011). The bus service system was also vividly segregated. His early efforts towards making the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech included, among others, joining citizens, committees, and interracial organizations such as the NAACP (Godwin et al., 2011). According to Godwin et al. (2011), this was in response to a Black teenager being thrown out of a bus, handcuffed, and imprisoned. In addition, in 1955, a Chicago native was killed by two White people for allegedly whistling at a White woman in a store (Godwin et al., 2011). In the same year, a Black woman was arrested for not giving her seat to a White man on a bus in Montgomery (Godwin et al., 2011). These cruel episodes, among many other mistreatments against Black people even in the economic/employment sector, led activists led by Dr. King Jr. to organize sit-ins to boycott the Montgomery Bus and allow Black people to share the ‘White only’ restaurants with the Whites. However, King’s disobedience and non-violent direct actions led to his numerous arrests and violent confrontations with the police, who used dogs and fire hoses to interrupt the protests (Godwin et al., 2011). These events of the early 1960s resulted in the dramatic March on Washington and laid the foundation for King’s speech in 1963. King wanted the U.S. to implement equal rights laws for the Blacks because he believed this was necessary for the country’s progress. His speech pointed out the vile exploitations of the Blacks by the Whites. For instance, he writes that one hundred years later, the lives of the Negro people are a lonely island of poverty within a vast material prosperity ocean (King Jr., 1963). This means that the life of black people has been characterized by poverty, yet they live in a rich land. Thus, the rich white people keep getting richer while the black people still live in poverty for myriads of years. Therefore, Dr King Jr. was trying to make the people aware of the hegemonic and discriminatory behaviours and attitudes of the White people towards them as well as empower them of their rights by making this speech.

The audience of King’s speech included all races, including whites, blacks, Latinos, and all the people around the world who were listening and watching Luther live as he gave the speech. In the book ‘The Dream…’ by Hansen (2003), the police in Washington D.C. estimated the number of the audience at 210,000, but many reporters the next day stated that the crowd had reached a quarter of a million. According to Hansen (2003), the day of the speech was characterized by a sunny day and a cool breeze that maintained the temperature at 80^oC. The fact that so many people gathered to hear Luther speak means that the event was very important. Vail (2006) wrote that the March on Washington D.C. was the biggest demonstration for civil rights in the history of the U.S., drawing people from around the world and all over the nation. He added that the sheer visual effect of a quarter of a million people filling the big expanse of the Mall under the benevolent gaze of Lincoln would without a doubt increase the gravity of the speeches that were delivered that day.

Method

This analysis will use metaphoric criticism where an artifact with explicit metaphors is chosen. Going forward, the artefact will be analyzed, the research question formulated, and the essay will be written as Foss (2018) highlights. This method is not unified but a perspective that louts metaphors at the centre of a rhetorical action. According to Burgchardt (2005), metaphoric criticism shows that metaphors are beyond superficial ornamentation. He argues that metaphors are the means to express arguments and can give insight into the speaker’s motives or the audience’s social reality. This means that in the metaphoric criticism method, metaphors are the key to rhetoric. Considering the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech from this method’s perspective, the critic can see how metaphors used in the speech influence Dr. King’s rhetoric. In this case, therefore, metaphors are not just used for beauty but to bring a deeper understanding and purpose to the speech. In analyzing the speech artefact, Foss (2018) explains that the first step would be to be familiar with the elements of the artefact and its context to understand its whole experience. The next step would be to isolate the metaphors and then sort them out into groups to look for the patterns used (Foss, 2018). The metaphors will be categorized according to tenor or vehicle, depending on the insights and interests in the analysis. Lastly, the groups of metaphors categorized under vehicles or tenors will be analyzed to come up with a description of the artefact (Foss, 2018).

Application of Metaphoric Criticism on the ‘I Have a Dream’ Artifact

When considering the matrix metaphor, a comparison of two objects or concepts that at a threshold generates other metaphors and subsequently provides a unifying bond in diverse figures, the way to identify a matrix in a speech is by looking at the exceptional images and their connections between them (Calloway-Thomas, Carolyn & Lucaites, 1993). In his speech, Dr. King presents three outstanding images, including the dream of achieving racial justice, a promissory note of the Constitution, and the ‘ringing out’ of freedom via the nation-state. These images are well-linked: the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution have for all citizens a promissory note that is metaphoric and symbolizes the creed of the country. Calloway-Thomas, Carolyn & Lucaites (1993) write that living out the true meaning of the creed will result in the realization of King’s dream, which will spread freedom throughout the world.

The three images show the distinction between the promises the U.S. government makes to American citizens and the failure of the government to fulfil those promises to the people of colour. Calloway-Thomas, Carolyn & Lucaites (1993) call this a covenant matrix between the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, and the Emancipation Proclamation is the reaffirmation of them all.

From a more critical point of view, there is a deeper metaphor that King uses. For instance, the tenor is identified in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and the vehicle is the promissory note. Another element is the tenor which is the current American policy, and the vehicle is the passer of bad checks, the defaulter. Third, the tenor is also the demand of the Black people, and the vehicle is the check. Fourth, the tenor is the nation-state, and the vehicle is the arch of opportunity. Lastly, the identified tenor is justice, and the vehicle is the bank. According to Foss (2018), a tenor is a subject or topic that is explained, and the vehicle is the lens or the mechanism in which the subject is viewed.

Luther used many metaphors in his speech, especially in the first parts of the speech. As seen, the method of metaphoric criticism is analyzing the artefact and distinguishing between the metaphors used, as Foss (2018) argued. The first phase is isolating the metaphors and then sorting them into groups. Sorting them out into groups and taking note of the different features of every metaphor helps each metaphor stand on its own merit. For instance, King distinguishes between dark and light metaphors when he says, “this momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves, who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice” (King, 1963). King added that this came as a joyous daybreak for bringing their long nights of captivity to an end. The tenor in this line of speech is hope, which is seen explicitly through the vehicle of ‘beacon light.’ The ‘long night of captivity’ is compared to ‘a great beacon light of hope.’ In this line, Dr. King uses contrast to emphasize the importance of the Emancipation Proclamation for enslaved Black people.

The dark and light metaphor is also used when Dr. King states, ‘Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice” (King, 1963). This line compares the ‘sunlit path of racial justice’ to the ‘dark and desolate valley.’ This contrast is used to force the audience to think about the path or road they consider more important. The dark and light metaphors symbolize optimism and confidence because dark and light are very contrasting qualities in the environment. They are in a fixed chronology where a day turns into night and a night into day. Thus, perceiving the past as dark and the current day as light or the future as light and the current day as dark brings out a subtle factor of determinism (Burgchardt, 2005).

King also compares injustice to flame; he uses the Emancipation Proclamation tenor through the vehicle of daybreak and captivity through the long night (King, 1963). However, in some of his metaphors, tenor is not openly implied. For instance, ‘standing in the symbolic shadow of Lincoln’ does not show tenor explicitly. Rather, King implied the past struggles and history that lend their spirit and cast their shadow on the recent circumstances.

The use of dark and light has proven effective in this artefact. The contrast between the two concepts can change the audience’s mindset. The audience would be left with the question of whether they would like to see the present in the dark or discover the future in the light. When it comes to black people, do they want to stay in the same situation of injustices that they faced? Or are they willing to take action and get themselves out of oppression? By using the contrasting images, King wanted to inculcate optimism and confidence in black people and other races to embrace racial justice.

In addition, King used hard and soft metaphors when he stated that it was now time to lift our nation from the racial injustice quicksands to the brotherhood of solid rock (King, 1963). In this line of his speech, equality is identified as the tenor, whereas the solid rock of brotherhood and quicksand are the vehicles. King highlights the concept of satisfaction and thirst when he adds, ‘Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred’ (King, 1963). He intends to make the audience realize the tenor, freedom, seen via the vehicles of ‘cup of bitterness and hatred’ and satisfy our thirst’ can be achieved.

Lastly, King uses cold and hot metaphors in his speech. He stated ‘this sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality” (King, 1963). In this line of speech, the tenor is freedom, whereas the ‘invigorating autumn’ and the sweltering summer’ are the vehicles. He added in his speech that even Mississippi state, which is a state that swelters from the heat of injustice and oppression, will be changed into an oasis of justice and freedom (King, 1963). In this case, the heat of oppression and the heat of justice, as well as the oasis of justice and freedom, are the vehicles, and freedom is the tenor. Therefore, by using metaphor in his speech, King presents the effectiveness of metaphor in helping the audience think and pressure them to act on the shortcomings of the U.S. at that time.

Summary

In summary, it is crucial to understand the life of Martin Luther King Jr. to comprehend the context of his speech ‘I Have a Dream.’ He had seen and experienced the injustices of the oppressive government and the whites and the resistance to change from the same government. His experiences and the past experiences of black people laid the foundation for executing the speech in the Mall to be seen not only by over a quarter of a million people in the U.S. but also by those around the world who listened and watched him live as he gave the speech. With the method of metaphoric criticism, it has been identified how King’s arguments were valid and effective. He not only describes the injustices that black people face but also prompts the audience, including all races to take action to change the oppressive unjust system. The most important aspect of the speech was the dream itself. Although the speech was sophisticated and full of contrasting metaphors, the dream was rather simple: equality and freedom for everyone. He stated in his speech that it was the duty of the American citizens to secure and work for these rights for all people and the time to act was now.

References

Burgchardt, C. R. (2005). Readings in Rhetorical Criticism, Third Edition. Strata Publishing Company.

Calloway-Thomas, C., & Lucaites, J. L. (2005). Martin Luther King Jr. and the Sermonic Power of Public Discourse. University of Alabama Press.

Foss, S. K. (2018). Rhetorical Criticism: Exploration and Practice, Fifth Edition. Illinois: Waveland Press Inc.

Godwin, J. L., Houghton, J. D., Neck, C. P., & Mohan, E. C. (2011). Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s” I have a dream” speech as a tool for teaching transformational leadership and vision. Journal of Organizational Behavior Education: JOBE, 4, 23.

Hansen, D. D. (2003). The Dream Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Speech That Inspired a Nation. HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

King Jr, M. L. (1963). I have a dream speech. Washington, DC, August, 28.

Sipra, M., & Rashid, A. (2013). Critical discourse analysis of Martin Luther King’s speech from a socio-political perspective. Available at SSRN 2928691.

Vail, M. (2006). The” Integrative” Rhetoric of Martin Luther King Jr.’s” I Have a Dream” Speech. Rhetoric & Public Affairs, 9(1), 51-78.

Yu, C. C. W., Chan, S., Cheng, F., Sung, R. Y. T., & Hau, K. T. (2006). Are physical activity and academic performance compatible? Academic achievement, conduct, physical activity and self‐esteem of Hong Kong Chinese primary school children. Educational Studies, 32(4), 331-341.

Yu, Q., Zhang, L., Wu, S., Guo, Y., Jin, S., & Sun, Y. (2017). The influence of juvenile preference for online social interaction on problematic Internet use: The moderating effect of sibling condition and the moderated moderating effect of age cohort. Computers in Human Behavior, 68, 345-351.

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In this paper, you criticize an artefact using one of the methods discussed in class, other than the Neo-Aristotelian method (don’t just analyze ethos, pathos, logos, etc.). YOU CAN USE A NEO-ARISTOTELIAN METHOD FOR THIS PAPER; YOU CAN FOCUS ON CANON ELEMENTS LIKE STYLE, ETHOS, DELIVERY, ETC. You may choose any artefact (not just a speech), provided it has a significant message, is in the public sphere, and that it is demonstrably persuasive. Points to consider:

1) Choose any artefact that is a persuasive message and is public communication. It should have a significant message, be a complete artefact (not a partial clip or portion), and be in the public sphere (not private or personal communication). It can be a speech (like Paper 1), but can also be a film, ad, book, video, song, poster, flyer, e-zine, website, etc.

2) Set up the analysis in the paper with these parts in the Context:

A. Explain the context of the message, the background or context for the message should give an understanding of why this is an important or significant message. Who created it, under what circumstances, and for what audience? What is the specific background, or the “spirit of the times” in which this message is created? What might be constraints on the creator?

B. Clarify the METHOD or specific concepts you will use for your analysis. How do you propose we look at this artefact?

C. Include and italicize a Thesis Statement which identifies the main elements of your analysis and summarizes your position on the implications of the speech. This should be a single explanatory overview that is also a concise single sentence.

3) Analyze the message in this way:

A. Apply specific vocabulary terms (concepts) from your chosen method (dramatism, narrative, ideology, genre, etc) to the artefact. If you are using terms from more than one method, make sure one of the methods is the primary focus.

B. Develop ideas in some depth (AT LEAST A PAGE/SEVERAL PARAGRAPHS PER MAIN POINT, or vocabulary concept). Support your arguments with clear examples from your artefact using concepts from the module.

C. Limit the number of main points… Usually, 3 for the analysis, plus 1 for Context and 1 for Implications makes a maximum of 5 main points altogether. Avoid using a “laundry list” of theoretical ideas.

D. Create clear full and concise titles that accurately convey the sum of your analysis for each main point and major subpoint.

4) Provide a final main point giving a clear evaluation

A. Using the analysis in the paper, summarize the importance, value or aesthetics of the message. This does NOT have to focus on Effect as in Paper 1, but can look at other reasons for importance or significance.

B. Identify any interesting puzzles or further ideas that this might spark

C. Include a final section tying things together in some way, answering the “so what?” question. That is, what do you gain from doing this kind of criticism; what do you learn about the message which, in turn, can contribute to further knowledge or social awareness about this kind of rhetoric?

*6 pages TYPED, double-spaced, 12-point font, 1″ margins (Page length does NOT include the outline, abstract, title page, or bibliography).

*Provide FULL, ARGUMENTATIVE TITLES for all the main points in the paper (these should match the outline).

*NEW: You MUST PROVIDE AT LEAST FIVE (5) REFERENCES WHICH ARE USED IN THE PAPER, CITED USING PROPER APA FORM, AND REPRESENTED IN A FINAL SECTION OF REFERENCES OR BIBLIOGRAPHY. I expect AT LEAST THREE QUOTES IN THE PAPER. You can use sources to develop your theoretical position, to give background to the issue, or to comment on the artifact. Your artifact itself counts as a reference AND MUST BE CITED.

*Attach an OVERVIEW OUTLINE (1-2 pages) of your paper at the front of the paper.

*NEW: Provide an ABSTRACT (50-75 words) on the title page or before the outline that summarizes what your paper is about. This is NOT A PREVIEW STATEMENT. It is an Overview of your main arguments and your overall claim about the artifact (not “first, I will talk about this,” but more like “My arguments about this artifact are that…”