May 4, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/the-speech-beyond-vietnam-a-time-to-break-silence-by-martin-luther-king-jr-rhetorical-analysis/. For instance, he does when he depicts the, Negro and white boys on TV screens as they kill and die together for a nation that has been unable to seat them together in the same schools. The image of death, as powerful as it is, becomes amplified when Martin Luther King associates the injustices of segregation with the Vietnam war. "Beyond Vietnam-A Time to Break Silence" is an article written by Martin Luther King Jr himself. It is clear that he wants the audience of church leaders to go back to their churches and fearlessly speak out in opposition of the war. In 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his speech Beyond Vietnam-A Time to Break Silence. In the speech, King argues against American involvement in the Vietnam War and explains why he cannot remain silent. 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. Favorite Quote:Make as many as mistakes as you want, just don't make the same mistake. King uses emotional words and descriptions to capture the audiences attention and convey the injustices caused by the Vietnam War. In Dr. Martin Luther King's speech "Beyond VietnamA Time to Break Silence" (1967), Dr. King asserts that the war in Vietnam is totally immoral and has far reaching negative implications not only for Vietnam, but for The United States and the rest of the World as well. The war lasted from 1955 to 1975.The nation as a whole began to uproar over the war and the major consequences of the war. Favorite Quote:Life is like a box of cheese and flower petal sometimes it's soft and sweet, sometimes it just plain stinks. 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. Moreover, it is the poor and the helpless mainly who are falling prey to this war game. This part of the speech is evoking violent images of death that would affect the emotions of the audience. It is not typical for churches to do so. King was establishing his point that America was more troubled about healing and adjusting other countries, but would never invest the same in their own country. Here, at ACaseStudy.com, we deliver professionally written papers, and the best grades for you from your professors are guaranteed! Widely known for his work in the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr eventually also gained momentum in the anti-war movement against the war in Vietnam. Dr. King paints a vivid, heart-wrenching picture of the devastation in Vietnam. Dr. Kings purpose is to make the church leaders he is speaking to aware that the time has come for them to speak out loudly in opposition of the war 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. Martin Luther King Jr says in his first paragraph that,"It seemed as if there was a real promise fr hope to draw men and skills and money like some demonic destruction suction tube." Martin Luther King Jr proves to all throughout his speech Beyond Vietnam --- A Time to Break Silence that the Vietnam war was unjust by his use of emotional diction, the allusion of Jim crow, and repetition. If you use an assignment from StudyCorgi website, it should be referenced accordingly. This comparison is very sobering. To further strengthen, the credibility of his argument and question the morality behind the war, he says, Since I am a preacher by calling, I suppose it is not surprising that I have seven major reasons for bringing Vietnam into the field of my moral vision. cite it correctly. requirements? He does this when he writes, "It was a step that rocked the richest, most powerful nation to its foundations" (King 96-97). 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. His choice of words in the speech is meant to have a direct effect on the audience's psychology. Hence, Kings works always had the recurring theme of the unity and strength of combined willpower. Encompassed within this quote is pathos because the harsh accusation leads the reader to think poorly of the government while pitying the poor. The line, For the sake of those boys, for the sake of this government, for the sake of the hundreds of thousands trembling under our violence, I cannot be silent, demonstrates how King uses parallelism. At last the paper discusses and assesses how to what an extent Kings dream came true with self-elected sources as backrest for the asses. Encompassed within this quote is pathos because the harsh accusation leads the reader to think poorly of the government while pitying the poor. 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. In case you can't find a relevant example, our professional writers are ready Luthers speech was a passionate rhetoric that preached his views about the future. King argues that all people are created equal and directly challenged the outdated and abhorrent views that upheld the false flag of racial superiority among White Americans. Copyright 2023 service.graduateway.com. An Analysis of Martin Luther King Jr's Beyond Vietnam Martin Luther King Jr. builds an argument to persuade his audience that American involvement in the Vietnam War is unjust. Dr. King's purpose is to make the church leaders he is speaking to aware that In addition, his use of parallelism allows him to appeal to his audience's pity for the oppressed in order for him to express his call to action, a call for activism that goes beyond Vietnam. Moreover, this set of diction allows King to logically state that he can not continue to fight on behalf of the oppressed if he himself doesn't address their oppressor, the U.S. government. The war lasted from 1955 to 1975.The nation as a whole began to uproar over the war and the major consequences of the war. Martin luther king jr beyond vietnam speech analysis sat. Rhetorical Rhetorical Analysis of MLK's Speech "Beyond Vietnam" December 22, 2016 By Richcoca PLATINUM, Canoga Park, California More by this author Widely known for his work in the Civil Rights Movement,. He spoke at Riverside Church in New York City, a venue that had a history of hosting progressive speakers and thinkers. Acasestudy.com 2007-2019 All rights reserved. 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.". Don't let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game. We try to make TeenInk.com the best site it can be, and we take your feedback very seriously. A comment like this doesnt leave the reader unmoved. The fact that young black men are being sent [across the world] to fight for the liberties in Southeast Asia, which they [have] not found in Georgia and East Harlem questions the validity of Americas founding principles of the unalienable rights of every individual; life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. By repeating the phrase, "for the sake," he creates a rhythmic flow that causes his audience to be more receptive to his idea. This is an attempt to connect with the audiences emotions and prove that the war was imposed on them and even if politicians call it patriotic, society and people would never love war. StudyCorgi. In multiple paragraphs of his speech, King effectively appeals to emotion by using personal anecdotes that involve him speaking to people of poverty directly. However, a very powerful speech, in manys opinion, is the Ive Been to the Mountaintop speech, given shortly before Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. 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(8). 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. 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. King uses quotes as these to suggest to convince them of the destruction of the Vietnam War, with pathos, by strongly appealing to his audience's emotion. A few lines after, King writes about the injustice the African-American community has faced, by stating, We were taking the black young men who had been crippled by our society and sending them eight thousand miles away to guarantee liberties in Southeast Asia which they had not found in southwest Georgia and East Harlem. To further show to the audience how his community has been suffering from the war, he uses a comparison statement between the facts to illustrate how freedom has been hard to attain. Rhetorical Analysis Of Beyond Vietnam: A Time To Break Silence, During the 20th century, the Vietnam War had a profound impact on Americans, but there was a side of the story that was less known- voices from the poor. Rhetorical Analysis Of Beyond Vietnam | ipl.org There were many reasons why so many Americans were against the war. These emotionally charged images would seemingly convince anyone that the cause for this war could not possibly be just. Disclaimer: Services provided by StudyCorgi are to be used for research purposes only. 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). The United States got involved in the Vietnam War because they wanted to stop the spread of communism. Rhetorical Analysis of MLK's Speech "Beyond Vietnam" He proves that the government has been manipulating the poor when he writes, It was sending. down the pipe, "I watched this program broken and eviscerated" through the "buildup in Vietnam,". On April 4, 1967, King addressed a crowd of 3,000 in Riverside Church by delivering a speech titled, "Beyond Vietnam," in the midst of the cruelty of the Vietnam War. He also states, I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. Thank you! This quote causes the audience to realize the contradiction in the Vietnam war policy, making them less likely to accept. In the article "Beyond Vietnam", Martin Luther argues that war in Vietnam has far reaching affects that not only rapaciously take away America's resources, but make an immediate impact on African Americans perspective on the civil rights movement. Introduction 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. The image of death, as powerful as it is, becomes amplified when Martin Luther King associates the injustices of segregation with the Vietnam war. Also, if you have a comment about a particular piece of work on this website, please go to the page where that work is displayed and post a comment on it. Nothing evokes a more emotional response than the image of children suffering or being killed. Rhetorical Analysis of Martin Luther King's "Beyond | Bartleby The audience felt empowered by the sentence alone. 1) Controversial Opinions of MLK 2) Religious figure talking about political problems 3) Malcolm X and his ideas Fitting Response EXIGENCY First Persona-Martin Luther King Second Persona-American Population and the Civil Rights Movement Third Persona- Vietnamese Population He also focuses on the maltreatment of humanity, and how the Vietnam War is a start to the violence that occurs in America. Thomas 1 Javon Thomas Mrs. Yelton English 1301 - Period 4 14 September 2018 Beyond Vietnam Rhetorical Analysis Essay In Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech, Beyond Vietnam-A Time to Break Silence, King discusses his opinion on America's involvement in the Vietnam War. This paper was written and submitted to our database by a student to assist your with your own studies. He says, And we must rejoice as well, for surely this is the first time in our nation's history that a significant number of its religious leaders have chosen to move beyond the prophesying of smooth patriotism to the high grounds of a firm dissent based upon the mandates of conscience and the reading of history. King uses personal anecdotes, elaborate word choice, and reliable facts to persuade his audience of the injustice of the war. This is an obvious and extremely effective argument, especially among a group of Christian church leaders. In the speech, Martin Luther King specifically indicates that America needs to end the war with Vietnam. The audience now feel as though this is very important because it has to do with regular poor people and t effects them as well. He picks from history as well as politics and also supports his choices with philosophical wisdom. 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). He talks about the innocent people killed in the crossfire, mostly children. Ironic elements are evident in abundance throughout Kings speech which elicit an comical tone and draws on the reality of the war. Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King Beyond Vietnam 534 Words | 3 Pages In 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his speech "Beyond Vietnam-A Time to Break Silence." In the speech, King argues against American involvement in the Vietnam War and explains why he cannot remain silent. During the final years of . Dream like you will live forever, live like you will die today. The author is using pathos as one of his central rhetorical strategies. The author here is using statistics to present the horrifying picture of the Vietnam War. 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. One of Kings main techniques he uses to persuade the audience of his point is imagery. War is expensive. Rhetorical Analysis of Martin Luther King's "Beyond Vietnam - StudyMode King is effectively able to convey his point about his topic by using rhetorical devices such as logos, ethos, pathos. An Analysis of Martin Luther King Jr's Beyond Vietnam Get original paper in 3 hours and nail the task.