Q: How does Dr. King use a rhetorical device to persuade his audience? Support you answer with evidence from the selection.
Assertion: He uses ______________ to persuade his audience by connecting his
message to common struggles.
Text Evidence:
“One hundred years later, the life of the
Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles
of segregation and the chains of
discrimination. One hundred years later, the
Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in
the midst of a vast ocean of material
prosperity.”
Context: He uses anaphora in his introduction.
Commentary:
It emphasizes how much time has
passed, yet how little has changed.
Although not semantically slaves, the
circumstances (poverty/discrimination)
essentially shackles them into a place
where they aren’t allowed the opportunity
to flourish.
“America has defaulted on this promissory
note”…“given the Negro people a bad check
which has come back marked "insufficient
funds."’
Context: Setting up the analogy, after the one
hundred year later remarks
He equates equality to the banking
system. All Americans are promised
freedom by the virtue of being born in this
country, but when African Americans want
to “cash in” they’re denied the rights that
the majority of citizens are allowed to
exercise.
"‘When will you be satisfied?"… “We can
never be satisfied as long as a Negro in
Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New
York believes he has nothing for which to
vote.”
Context: After he clarifies why they’re marching,
he uses parallelism.
He questions they very idea of
complacency with ones place in society.
He riles up his audience to question that
idea as well by equating the struggles of
African Americans from all walks of life.
He brings together the communal
hardships of African Americans and
makes them believe equality can be
achieved.
Anaphora Paragraph
He uses anaphora to persuade his audience by emphasizing his message that African
Americans have struggled for too many generations. He begins, “One hundred years later,
the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of
discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in
the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.” King uses anaphora to persuade his
audience that little has changed for African Americans. Not only does this highlight how
much time has passed, it emphasizes the hardships that African Americans face every day.
Although they are not actually slaves, their circumstances essentially shackles them into a
place where they aren’t allowed the opportunity to flourish. -124 words
Analogy Paragraph
King uses an analogy to persuade his audience by connecting his message to relatable
struggles. He begins by comparing equality to lending practices, “America has defaulted
on this promissory note,” and he extends the analogy with American defaulting on the
promise by, “giving the Negro people a bad check.” The Constitution promises that all
Americans are granted freedom by virtue of being born in this country. However, when
African Americans want to “cash in” they’re denied basic human rights, ones the majority
of citizens are allowed to exercise. King uses this banking analogy to persuade his
audience to not just stand by and let their country break its promise. The audience is able
to relate to his message, and it inspires them to join the fight for equality. -129 words
Parallelism Paragraph
King uses parallelism to persuade his audience by connecting his message to common
struggles. He begins with a rhetorical question, "‘When will you be satisfied?’" which
represents Americans outside the Civil Rights Movement. He then uses parallelism to call
out the absurdity of such a question, “We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in
Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to
vote.” King questions they very idea of complacency with ones place in society. He
persuades his audience to question that idea as well by equating the struggles of African
Americans from all walks of life. He brings together the communal hardships of African
Americans and makes them believe than cannot rest until they achieve equality.-128
words
Q: Which rhetorical device in King’s speech best conveys his message? Support your answer with evidence
from the selection.
Assertion:
Text Evidence:
Context:
Commentary: