a subject that I want to write about

A subject that I want to write about is, even though it is a cliche, the capital punishment or the death penalty. This debate has been going on for a very long time, so I wanted to use this opportunity to make my point to the subject clearly. I actually agree with the death penalty, but in order to be fair in my research, I also covered points that opposes the penalty.

The copy and pasting of the items makes this too messy, so I will just link the sites.
These two are the opposing view :
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/arguments-against-the-death-penalty.html
http://www.religioustolerance.org/executr.htm

and these two are the agreeing view :
http://www.hoshuha.com/articles/deathpenalty.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/us/18deter.html

Assignment - "Alliteration", "Anaphora", "Allusion", "Ethos" and "Pathos"

Assignment : Define the literary element "Alliteration", "Anaphora", "Allusion", "Ethos" and "Pathos". Find the example of these in King's speech, and describe the effect of each rhetorical devices.

 

# 1 : Alliteration.

● Definition

Alliteration is the repetition of a particular sound in the first syllables of a series of words or phrases.

● An Example Outside the King's speech

Come to think of it, the movie "V for Vendetta" has a alliteration in its title. Also, very long and interesting monologue of V at the beginning of the movie is full of alliteration, but I fear it is too long to copy here.

● Examples in the King's speech

"Symbolic Shadow we Stand" (page 1, paragraph #3)

"Capital to Cash a Check" (page 1, paragraph # 4)

"Colored are Concerned" (page 2, paragraph # 1)

"Dark and Desolate" (page 2, paragraph # 3)

"Dignity and Discipline" (page 2, paragraph # 5)

"Trials and Tribulations" (page 3, paragraph # 2)

"To work Together, To pray Together, To struggle Together, To go To jail Together" (page 4, paragraph #4)

"Land of Liberty" (page 4, paragraph # 5)

"Pilgrim 's pride" (page 4, paragraph # 5)

"Mighty Mountain" (page 4, paragraph # 5

● Effect of Rhetorical Device

Alliteration is mostly commonly in used in poetry, in order to give the text some melodic effect. I think King used this device in his speech in order to obtain the same effect - in order to make the speech more fluent and artistic.

 

# 2 : Anaphora

● Definition

Anaphora is repeating a important sequence of words in the beginning of neighboring sentences.

● An Example Outside the King's speech

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair" This is a quotation from the book "The Tale of Two Cities" written by Charles Dickens. The phrase "It was" is constantly repeated, which is an Anaphora.

● Examples in the King's speech

"But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land." (page 1, paragraph #3)

"Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children." (page 2, paragraph # 3)

"Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities" (page 3, paragraph #2)

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.' I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together."(page 3 to 4)

" So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California! But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring." (page 4)

● Effect of Rhetorical Device

I think King used this device in order to emphasize some point in his speech. In a speech as long as this one, the crowd is easily tired, so King inserted these repeating phrases in order to make sure that the listeners will focus on this part. For the people who had been focusing all the time, this will be a signal that a important idea is coming up.

 

# 3 : Allusion

● Definition

Allusion is making a reference to a place, event, literary work, myth, or work of art, either directly or by implication.

● An Example Outside the King's speech

"I was not born in a manger. I was actually born on Krypton and sent here by my father, Jor-el, to save the Planet Earth" This is a part of speech of Mr. Barak Obama, and he makes a direct reference of the "Superman".

● Examples in the King's speech

"Five score years ago" (page 1, paragraph # 2) This is not a direct reference, but it resembles the phrase "Four score and seven years ago" in Lincoln;s Gettysburg Address.

"Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" (page 2, paragraph #1) This is a reference to the Declaration of Independence.

"Justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream" (page 3, paragraph #1) This is a reference to the bible.

"and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together" (page 4, paragraph # 2) This is also an reference to the bible.

● Effect of Rhetorical Device

I think King used this device in order to make his speech more convincing. The Allusion from the bible, Declaration of Independence, and the Gettysburg Address suggest that the idea of King's speech is actually originated from the white, making the speech agreeable to the white.

 

# 4 : Ethos

● Definition

Ethos is an appeal to the authority or honesty of the speaker.

● An Example Outside King's speech

A professor can use Ethos in his speech to his students because he has a great authority to his student.

● Examples in King's speech

I think that the repetition of word "negro" could be noted. Since the listener of his speech is mostly "negro", the word constantly remind the fact that the speech giver, King, is also a "negro". This might work as a very good appeal to the audience.

Also, he uses several phrases from the bible and Declaration of Independence, giving some authority to the speech. I think this could be considered as a ethos, too.

● Effect of Rhetorical Device

Ethos is a good way to make the speech more effective. It has an excellent effect of making the people sympathize to the speech, thus making them focus more to the speech.

# 5 : Pathos

● Definition

Pathos is an appeal to the audience’s emotions.

● An Example outside King's speech

There once were interesting commercials for the christian children's fund. They used images of small children playing in dirty conditions, while saying how the child had lived in poverty. I think this was a excellent appeal to the audience's emotions.

● An Example in King's speech

At the latter part of the speech, King constantly used the term "I have a dream". The word "dream" is a emotional word hinting hope, and this would have made a good effect since the situation of the Black was poor those days.

● Effect of Rhetorical Device

Emotion works much more better at leading cheers from the audience. Constant usage of positive word at the latter part of the speech will give a positive aftereffect of the speech.