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He says, To me the relationship of this ministry to the making of peace is so obvious that I sometimes marvel at those who ask me why Im speaking against the war (12). However, he wishes that they would have lived up to his respect, and continues to hope that they will do so in the future. In this way, he condemns and questions the Vietnam war and its relevance at a time when America had several of its own major problems to address. Analyzes how john kerry's "beyond vietnam- a time to break silence" by martin luther king jr. uses rhetorical devices that emphasize the importance and meaning of his speech. Rhetorical Analysis of MLK's Speech "Beyond Vietnam" 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. 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). To get his point through and make the meaning clear, King uses phrases like break the silence of the night, a vocation of agony, based upon the mandates of conscience, deeper level of awareness. King's criticism of the war as "broken and eviscerated," allows him to establish a disappointed tone that conveys the idea that the war is immoral and by doing so his precise word choice lets him to attack it as such. King uses personal anecdotes, elaborate word choice, and reliable facts to persuade his audience of the injustice of the war. He does this by appealing to certain issues the public see as important, using irony, and using diction and tone in persuasive ways. 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. 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). A comment like this doesnt leave the reader unmoved. Likewise, during this time period, America [put little effort into] rehabilitation of its poor creating an even harder life for them (Source A). King uses personal anecdotes, elaborate word choice, and reliable facts to persuade his audience of the injustice of the war. It permits Dr. King to enlighten people of what was going in that time period. His masterful delivery of these metaphors and the frequent repetition makes the speech much like a poem or a part of a song. Therefore, to remain silent would truly be betrayal. It is why he constructs an argument that will help people decide which side to stand with and which to not. King calms the African Americans who are being oppressed by using the words, this situation can and will be changed. and Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. which gives them hope that there will be a new day when a change will take place. Acting almost as a climax, King lyrically urges his audience to voice their opinions and wage a war against this unjustified war in Vietnam. King uses this metaphor to emphasize the treatment of African Americans in America. Furthermore, when these stylistic elements are concluded with his use of parallelism, King effectively establishes America's involvement in the Vietnam War as unjust. 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. 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. 6 Effective Content Marketing Strategies You May Have Overlooked, Market Analysis Definition (With Explanation and Examples). In order to convince his audience that the civil rights movement in the United States should oppose the Vietnam War, the speaker appealed to their ethos, pathos, and logos. 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. Kings letter is a response to those in the church who have critizied him, Yet, instead of apologizing, he stands strong for his cause and turns it around on them stating his own critisim. Later, he mentions, 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. (King). He then outlines the history of the war in Vietnam, showing that he is not simply preaching about religious ideals. Favorite Quote:Life is like a box of cheese and flower petal sometimes it's soft and sweet, sometimes it just plain stinks. Ethos, the appeal to the legitimacy and authority of the speaker, is used throughout the speech. However, his words while they aim to bring the pain of the Vietnamese alive before the audience also include a request that a progressive nation should stand with humanity and not lose control of its feelings. King draws sympathy for his cause from the reader who sees the unjustness of the situation he and his followers are dealing with. 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. This demonstrates to the audience that he realizes it is going to be difficult for them to speak out in opposition of the government. By claiming that the United States, "the greatest purveyor of violence," prefers, "massive doses of violence to solve its problems," King effectively establishes the U.S. government as the pervasive wrongdoer. It is not typical for churches to do so. The persuasive techniques utilized by King Jr are aimed at making people think over the outcomes of Vietnam war and if it was not against Americas integrity. 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 Silence.". 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. He includes various perspectives and addresses several counterarguments with the intention to prove the futility of war as a tool to address social, economic and political problems. While his I Have a Dream speech is considered his best one, his other speeches too offer a glimpse of his powerful rhetoric and his art of persuasion. Moreover, Martin Luther King Jr meticulously chooses specific words that carry with them a negative connotation that helps associate the Vietnamese war with injustice. Ironic elements are evident in abundance throughout Kings speech which elicit an comical tone and draws on the reality of the war. Martin Luther King Jr. disagreed with the way the war was being handled, and thought nonviolent demonstrations would be more efficient. 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 Silence.". This use of repetitive language conveys urgency and shows that he deeply believes the churches may influence the government if they speak against the war. Martin Luther King (MLK) was an activist and a minister who claimed that the war on Vietnam was wrong. His passionate tone flowed through these strategies, increasing their persuasive power on the people and encouraging them to follow/listen to his message on racial injustice. In short, this makes the audience more inclined to listen to the rest of Martin Luther king Jr's speech, as well as setting the bottom line that the Vietnam War creates devastating problems for everyone. In Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech "Beyond Vietnam- A Time to Break Silence", delivered at Riverside Church in New York City on April 4, 1967, he claims that the American involvement in the Vietnam War is unjust. To this day, Kings speech remains one of the most famous and influential speeches in, Martin Luther King was a determined activist for equality for all. The Braveheart speech, while famous for being powerful, is very different from another powerful speech, the one from Dead Poets Society. requirements? He offers many practical reasons for the opposition, as well as spiritual and moral reasons. Overall, the effective use of various rhetorical strategies is what makes the speech so valuable. In his speech on the meaninglessness of the Vietnam war and to persuade the audience to listen to its own conscience rather than to conform to the idea of war in the name of patriotism, King Jr draws from the realms of economy, society, polity as well as religion and philosophy. 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. 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 Silence. Martin Luther King Jr. applies imagery throughout his speech in order to illustrate the horrors of the war to arouse anger at its atrocities and injustice. Manacles of discrimination, Lonely island of poverty and Chains of discrimination paint a bleak picture of life as a minority in America, and contrasts phrases such as Bright day of justice and Sacred obligation which symbolize freedom. Overall, Martin Luther King Jr. eloquently argues against the United States involvement in Vietnam through his use of parallelism, diction, and imagery. 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. 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." Beyond Vietnam- A Time to Break Silence speech delivered on April 4, 1967, revolved around the growing concern with America's involvement in the Vietnam war. By showing his own emotions, King inspires compassion in the. King's criticism of the war as "broken and eviscerated," allows him to establish a disappointed tone that conveys the idea that the war is immoral and by doing so his precise word choice lets him to attack it as such. Moreover, Martin Luther King Jr meticulously chooses specific words that carry with them a negative connotation that helps associate the Vietnamese war with injustice. While his words clearly deliver his disappointment over the path American government had chosen, it also expresses a clear intention to not be with the wrong and instead listen to ones inner voice. 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." Another rhetorical device is the common ground he establishes in his last sentence where he writes, "This is the story of Why We Can't Wait" (King 98-99). The rhetoric helps prove how the poor lived worse in the, King, a supporter of President Lyndon B. Johnson and his Great Society, became concerned about U.S. involvement in Vietnam. 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 also focuses on the maltreatment of humanity, and how the Vietnam War is a start to the violence that occurs in America. During this time period there was a lot of controversy surrounding the war. He then paints a picture of the suffering endured by Vietnam and tells how the United States has a long history of doing the wrong thing to this tiny country. (2022) 'The Speech Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence by Martin Luther King, Jr: Rhetorical Analysis'. Copyright 2023 service.graduateway.com. Kings criticism of the war as broken and eviscerated, allows him to establish a disappointed tone that conveys the idea that the war is immoral and by doing so his precise word choice lets him to attack it as such. https://studycorgi.com/the-speech-beyond-vietnam-a-time-to-break-silence-by-martin-luther-king-jr-rhetorical-analysis/. So, what America is doing to other nations like Vietnam also matters. As example, King uses I have a dream that one day and Let freedom ring.. to open his points on how Americans should change against racial indifferences. It allows them to imagine what might happen if America were to keep fighting in the war. He spoke at Riverside Church in New York City, a venue that had a history of hosting progressive speakers and thinkers. As a leader of his people, King took the stand to take radical measures to overcome the false promises of the sovereign government that had been addressing the issues of racial segregation through unimplemented transparent laws that did nothing to change the grim realities of the society.