Recognizing that citizens in poverty were not able to support their families while away from home at war, Martin Luther King included that war [and being enlisted in battle was] an enemy of poor to demonstrate how even though any man could be drafted, the economically stable left behind support for their family while the impoverished were ineligible of doing so (Source A). Retrieved from https://studycorgi.com/the-speech-beyond-vietnam-a-time-to-break-silence-by-martin-luther-king-jr-rhetorical-analysis/, StudyCorgi. No one should be restricted from rights and opportunities that others are given for that long. Thank you for sharing this page with a friend! All of Dr. Kings arguments are very effective. All they wanted was to save the soul of America (King, Beyond, 42). Graduateway.com is owned and operated by Radioplus Experts Ltd Issues have been resolved because now the draft is less common because more people volunteer for war so the poor are not forced. Some would be uninterested and some not knowing what to do. If you have a suggestion about this website or are experiencing a problem with it, or if you need to report abuse on the site, please let us know. It is why he constructs an argument that will help people decide which side to stand with and which to not. Is Hydrogen Fuel Efficient Enough to Replace Fossil Fuels in the Near Future. His first reasons are all about practicality. Through his use of imagery, diction, and parallel structure, Martin Luther King Jr associates the war in Vietnam with injustice in his famous speech, "Beyond Vietnam - A Time to Break. However, the persuasiveness of his speeches does not come solely from his ability to connect with his audience's emotions but from an extraordinary ability to reason and validate his point. Rodriguez 1 Melanie Rodriguez Ms. Jimenez Composition II 20 October, 2017 A Rhetorical Analysis of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Beyond Vietnam" "Never be afraid to do what's right. 804-506-0782 He picks from history as well as politics and also supports his choices with philosophical wisdom. Throughout the first paragraph of Kings speech, he used emotional diction with words such as struggle, poverty, and poor to prove that the war in Vietnam was bringing down the Americans and their families fighting overseas. More importantly, King states that, the poor has been manipulated into believing a type of reality that simply isnt accurate or fair on their part. Martin Luther King Jr. was a social activist that led the Civil Rights Movement, and other movements until his assassination in 1968. This special lyrical and parallel structure helped get his main points across and allows a large audience to understand simple but powerful words (Layfield) . He believed that the Vietnam War diverted money and attention from domestic programs created to aid the black poor and would benefit only the banks who fund wars and the industries that supply the war. The speaker comments, that they wander into the hospitals with at least twenty casualties from American firepower for one Vietcong-inflicted injury. He attempts to call upon sympathy within the audience by using highly expressive language. The most famous speeches in the United States history all have utilized rhetoric devices and strategies. Nothing could be lower than being placed parallel to the senseless violence of Nazi Germany. This convinces the reader to fully consider how the war has brought detrimental consequences, and through Kings diction, he is capable of convincing his audience to, When speaking about how the war had initially seem to have brought opportunities, he says, Then came the buildup in Vietnam, and I watched this program broken and eviscerated, as if it were some idle political plaything of a society gone mad on war, and I knew that America would never invest the necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor. Evidently, the program for the poor was meant to be used in helping the poor, but as soon as the funds were directed to the Vietnam War, resources were no longer cast in their direction. It is just a continuation of the regimes that have been trying to oppress the Vietnamese. His pleas are first to the audiences sense of logic and their immediate concerns for their own country. In this way, while he successfully draws a parallel between the struggles of Vietnamese people and that of the Americans, he also lays the foundation for the next stages of his argument. He also makes an emotional plea by vividly describing the conditions in Vietnam. Likewise, during this time period, America [put little effort into] rehabilitation of its poor creating an even harder life for them (Source A). He quotes Langston Hughes, in his speech to establish a connection between the struggle for civil liberty in United States and the oppression in Vietnam. Acting almost as a climax, King lyrically urges his audience to voice their opinions and wage a war against this unjustified war in Vietnam. While pathos elicits an emotional response from the audience to make them more accepting of Kings ideas, repetition structures the speech and emphasizes key ideas for the audience to take away from listening. They now also understand that the Vietnam War plays a bigger role in America than just the men gone to war, it affects others too, like them. For example, he says that if Americas soul becomes totally poisoned, part of the autopsy must read: Vietnam. King uses this metaphor to establish the potentially dreadful consequences of America continuing to fight the war. Along with, and the almost facile connection between the war in Vietnam, First, Martin Luther King Jr. uses emotional appeals to persuade his audience that the Vietnam War is unjust because it is unfairly killing the poor and its destroying the country. His speech grows deeply sarcastic at times. Additionally, when King claims that all this horror is in the name of America, he appeals to his audience's anger, leading them to believe that it is time for them to break silence on the fact that the United States became involved in an unjust war in Vietnam. The Speech "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence" by Martin Luther We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. Martin Luther King Jr is an African American preacher and civil rights activist that along with every other African American male and female in 1976 was waging a war in America for their not-so-natural born rights. Disclaimer: Services provided by StudyCorgi are to be used for research purposes only. Beyond Vietnam Rhetorical Analysis Essay.docx - Course Hero Favorite Quote:What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. How about receiving a customized one? Rhetorical Analysis In King's Beyond Vietnam. King demonstates this by saying, In deep disappointment, I have wept over the laxity of the church. Martin Luther King Jr. disagreed with the way the war was being handled, and thought nonviolent demonstrations would be more efficient. In addition, his use of parallelism allows him to appeal to his audiences pity for the oppressed in order for him to express his call to action, a call for activism that goes beyond Vietnam. The author is using pathos as one of his central rhetorical strategies. His audience at Riverside Church, likely familiar with his Civil Rights work, would most likely than view him with more credibility because they too could sympathize to an injustice done by the American government. He states, repeatedly, To begin, King uses figurative language in the first half of his speech to highlight the destructive nature of the war, strengthening his overall position. Likewise, the image of men, both black and while, "in brutal solidarity burning the huts of a poor village," helps establish the war in Vietnam as a complete disaster and atrocity. This demonstrates to the audience that he realizes it is going to be difficult for them to speak out in opposition of the government. Martin Luther King, Jr in his speech Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence argued that US foreign policy was hypocritical when compared to the inequality present in the United States. He proves that the government has been manipulating the poor when he writes, It was sending. In this way, he tries to stress that even if we have progressed, we have grown nowhere better than the ancient barbarians that killed for fun. By repeating the phrase, "for the sake," he creates a rhythmic flow that causes his audience to be more receptive to his idea. To help his audience see that Vietnam is only madness, a wastage of resources and an ignorance of more pressing concerns, King once again affirms that war was never a means of peace. The image of death, as powerful as it is, becomes amplified when Martin Luther King associates the injustices of segregation with the Vietnam war. This quote is referencing how poor and rich people were drafted to war but the poor people had no one left to support the family. Martin Luther King (MLK) was an activist and a minister who claimed that the war on Vietnam was wrong. May 4, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/the-speech-beyond-vietnam-a-time-to-break-silence-by-martin-luther-king-jr-rhetorical-analysis/. Beyond Vietnam: A Rhetorical Analysis . Not to mention, many young people protested because they were the ones being drafted while others were against the war because the anti-war movement grew increasingly popular among the counterculture and drug culture in American society and. Due to the Vietnam War is that plenty of individuals, both Americans and Vietnamese were killed. "The Fine Art of Baloney Detection" Essay by Carl Sagan. In a similar light, King addressed the speech I have a dream to a peaceful mass gathering in Washington asking for change. Then the segregation of African Americans and White Americans started. "The Speech Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence by Martin Luther King, Jr: Rhetorical Analysis." Through utilising figurative language to juxtapose optimistic progress and demonic destruction, King is able to emphasise how devastating the Vietnam War is. Moreover, Martin Luther King states that after the French were defeated, it looked as if independence and land reform would come again through the Geneva Agreement (King). In other words, the resources were used for the soldiers, yet the poor still needed them just as so. His audience at Riverside Church, likely familiar with his Civil Rights work, would most likely than view him with more credibility because they too could sympathize to an injustice done by the American government. Copyright 2023 service.graduateway.com. BEYOND VIETNAM- " Martin Luther King" by Anne Marie Paintsil - Prezi Dr. King says that the war is draining valuable resources that could be helping the poor in our own country. writing your own paper, but remember to Public opinion steadily turned against the war following 1967 and by 1970 only a third of Americans believed that the U.S. had not made a mistake by sending troops to fight in Vietnam (Wikipedia). This is an obvious and extremely effective argument, especially among a group of Christian church leaders. He is using vivid language to describe the casualties; however, they are also supported by evidence, as he is using precise numbers in this part of the speech. When he argues that the war's immoral nature should be "incandescently clear," he implies to his audience that those who do not voice their opinion against the war are not concerned for, "the integrity and life of America.". If you have a suggestion about this website or are experiencing a problem with it, or if you need to report abuse on the site, please let us know. King is effectively able to convey his point about his topic by using rhetorical devices such as logos, ethos, pathos. Then Dr. King says that the church should oppose the war simply because it is counter to the ministry of Jesus Christ. For example, this quote personifies war as being an enemy. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. His masterful delivery of these metaphors and the frequent repetition makes the speech much like a poem or a part of a song. There were many reasons why so many Americans were against the war. In this way, he personifies war as a demon that consumes people's lives and a nation's valuable resources which would otherwise be happy if it was not being ruined by bombs and bullets. Supplemental understanding of the topic including revealing main issues described in the particular theme; Rhetorical Analysis Of Beyond Vietnam A Time To Break Silence analytical essay Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech "Beyond Vietnam- A Time to Break Silence", he used a variety of techniques to reinforce the argument and persuasiveness of the American involvement in the Vietnam War. All rights reserved. His choice of diction and use of imagery help him deliver his point effectively in a manner that impresses both the audience's heart and mind.