Rhetorical Analysis of “I Have a Dream”

When writers and communicators compose texts, they need to pay close attention to the situation to which they are responding. For example, who is the audience they are trying to reach and what are their values? What knowledge, background information, and education does their audience have? What current events have just happened that they could refer to? How will they compose their text? What strategies will they use to convey their meaning and move their audience? 

Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream Speech” is an excellent example of how a communicator (Martin Luther King Jr.) used a variety of techniques to reach a broad audience. Furthermore, he knew that his speech mattered, he knew that his speech would have real consequences for people’s lives, so the stakes were high. 

Many people have studied how Martin Luther King Jr. composed his speech and the effects that it had. Youtuber “NerdWriter” created a video essay that analyzes some of Martin Luther King Jr.’s rhetorical choices. For this assignment, watch this NerdWriter video (Links to an external site.). Then