Rhetorical analysis of Martin Luther King Jr's "I've Been to the Mountaintop

Martin Luther King Speech

Critical Analysis of "I've Been to the Mountaintop" by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The last speech Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered has been popularly referred to as the "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech (). Dr. King delivered this speech on April 3, 1968 at the Mason Temple Church of God in Christ Headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee. Following this speech on April 4, 1968, Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis. In this oration primarily focused on the concerns regarding the Memphis Sanitation Strike, Dr. King males a call for nonviolent protesting, economic action, boycotts, and unity. He further challenges the United States of America to uphold the ideals established in some of the most famous legislative documents posited that outline the principles of the right to protest and assemble non-violently, the right to the freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom and liberty for all. Following is a critical analysis of Dr. King's last public speech as well as commentary with regard to the historical significance of this particular event.

Critical Analysis

"Something is happening in Memphis; something is happening in our world" (King, 1968, web). In examining Dr. King's speech on the eve of April 3rd, it is clear that his use of language was designed to be understandable to everyone who may have been in the position to hear the speech. His use of language was no so lofty that the 'common man' could not understand the message he was trying to get across; nor was it so grammatically incorrect, that scholars could not discuss and dissect it for the intelligence with which it was presented. That is, for many, the mark of a great orator: the ability to speak at such a level that the majority of individual's would understand. Further, Dr. King took the listener on a journey to mark the relevance of the occasion by articulating times in which he would live; when individuals had done remarkable things and stood in the face of adversity and were successful. He used these historical events to highlight the importance not just of responding to the Sanitation Strike in Memphis but also to bespeak the larger civil rights movement that he was intimately a part of.

We aren't engaged in any negative protest and in any negative arguments with anybody. We are saying that we are determined to be men. We are determined to be people.

We are saying -- we are saying that we are God's children.

And that we are God's children, we don't have to live like we are forced to live (King, 1968, web).

In this speech, Dr. King continued to reiterate the importance of and the purpose for his call to action; again, attempting to ensure that the focus of the speech remained relevant to the situation at hand, while continuing to iterate the contextual framework of the struggles delineated between those compelled to continue the restriction of freedom and justice and those determined to secure freedom and justice at any cost. Although Dr. King used analogies and biblical references to highlight his point-of-view, he continued to bring the speech back to the Memphis Sanitation workers and the strike; chastising those in the media for focusing on some small scale violence that had transpired and attempting to dissuade the focus from the struggles of the sanitation workers, and the manner in which those in authority were addressing the situation. Some would argue that the use of analogies and parables may have been off topic and inappropriate for the group that he was speaking to; however, others would certainly argue that Dr. King was poignant and effective in speaking to the issue at hand but also relating the presenting problem to the bigger issue and placing it in both social, political and economic context.

Let us keep the issues where they are. The issue is injustice.

The issue is the refusal of Memphis to be fair and honest in its dealings with its public servants, who happen to be sanitation workers. Now we've got to keep attention on that (King, 1968, web).

During his speech on April 3rd, Dr. King does not speak directly to the point of discontent regarding the Sanitation Strike. He makes mention of it but does not go into detail as to the discourse or lack of discourse between the two groups. He does speak to the issue of his perceived unfair treatment of the sanitation workers, and part of the global appeal that he makes suggests that others put him or herself in the position of the sanitation workers to understand the impact. Further he challenges those listening to use their collective economic power to deliver the same kinds of hardships to others in various businesses so that the understanding of what the sanitation workers were going through could be felt by others; white companies, in order that the economic hardship an disparity could become real.

Of course, Dr. King uses emotional appeal as the cornerstone of his speech. First and foremost, Dr. King Jr. was a minister of the gospel. As such, he delivered this speech as he would a sermon on Sunday morning. With that being said, the points outlined in his speech were not 'well documented', or considered in a scholarly context to be 'reliable'. However, that was not the intent or the precept of his speech. It was not designed to be scholarly discourse. Dr. King's intention was to appeal to the emotionality of the people in order to evoke a response and bring his subsequent call to action to fruition. As such, Dr. King's psychological appeal to aid audience identification can be determined to be appropriate and effective.

Conclusion

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech, April 3rd, 1968 in response to the Memphis Sanitation Workers' Strike but also as a part of a continued appeal regarding the civil rights movement. Dr. King effectively used emotional and psychological appeal to bespeak the circumstances of those specifically affected by the strike and also to make a call to action regarding the ongoing struggles of the acquisition of Civil Rights in America. Dr. King's points during the speech were clear, his analogies and scriptural references gave the listener the ability to put the current situation in present day and historical perspective and the reasoning offered was sound in the sense that Dr. King acted as a voice of the people to fight against injustice.