The war was only going to consume lives and resources. He was in the process of proving that it wasn 't a money issue in America, but an equality issue. The Speech Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence by Martin Luther King, Jr: Rhetorical Analysis. They all had the same goal, but took a different approach with their speeches, and how they would rally support to improve racial equality. [emailprotected] 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. The image of death, as powerful as it is, becomes amplified when Martin Luther King associates the injustices of segregation with the Vietnam war. 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. This is a logical fact with which no one can argue. Apart from highlighting the wicked nature of the war, King Jr 's speech also sets the urgency for protest. Society's punishments are small wounds compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way." Many of us have felt the anxiety to speak up against what we know is wrong. 2022. In other words, the resources were used for the soldiers, yet the poor still needed them just as so. We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. 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. 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. His use of diction and imagery arouses anger while increasing his credibility since he criticizes the unjust war he describes. 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). The most famous speeches in the United States history all have utilized rhetoric devices and strategies. Disclaimer: Services provided by StudyCorgi are to be used for research purposes only. On April 4, 1967, Martin Luther King delivered his first major public statement against the Vietnam War, entitled "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence." Addressing a crowd of 3,000 at Riverside Church in New York City, King condemned the war as anti-democratic, impractical, and unjust. 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. 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. During the final years of . Additionally, by constructing an optimistic view on the civil rights situation during that time period and immediately refuting it, King is able to establish a strong sense of, Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential leaders of his time and played a crucial role in the African-American Civil Rights movement. May 4, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/the-speech-beyond-vietnam-a-time-to-break-silence-by-martin-luther-king-jr-rhetorical-analysis/. In this way, he appeals to the emotions of the audience and challenges the logic behind an unnecessary war. The image of death, as powerful as it is, becomes amplified when Martin Luther King associates the injustices of segregation with the Vietnam war. He proves that the government has been manipulating the poor when he writes, It was sending. A lot of parts from Martin Luther Kings dream have come true, but it is still not all that is how King wanted it to be. Don't let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game. Furthermore, when these stylistic elements are concluded with his use of parallelism, King effectively establishes America's involvement in the Vietnam War as unjust. 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. These two techniques played a crucial role in furthering his purpose and in provoking a powerful response from the audience that made this speech memorable and awe-inspiring. 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. The author is using pathos as one of his central rhetorical strategies. His first reasons are all about practicality. 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. 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. Rhetorical devices are included in Martin Luther Kings speeches to prove conflict. 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." 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 views on America's involvement in the Vietnam War. Finally, Martin Luther King Jr. uses parallelism within his own reflection to evoke emotions in his audience to show that . 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: A Time To Break Silence By Martin Luther King "Beyond Vietnam-A Time to Break Silence" is an article written by Martin Luther King Jr himself. He spoke at Riverside Church in New York City, a venue that had a history of hosting progressive speakers and thinkers. And, to argue that King 's most radical days were never fulfilled; that his next campaign was to confront the president over the Vietnam War and economic disparity, a direct confrontation with a president over an immoral war state Hill and Wang from the book review. Rhetorical Analysis Of Beyond Vietnam A Time To Break Silence In the speech "Beyond Vietnam- A Time to Break Silence," by Martin Luther King Jr. he expresses his opinion on how the Vietnam war is unjust. 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 Braveheart speech, while famous for being powerful, is very different from another powerful speech, the one from Dead Poets Society. For example, this quote personifies war as being an enemy. This makes the irony explicit and that Vietnam being a smaller and weaker nation was being made to face injustice which it never deserved or desired. Then Dr. King says that the church should oppose the war simply because it is counter to the ministry of Jesus Christ. 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. 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. 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. You are free to use it to write your own assignment, however you must reference it properly. 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. 6 Effective Content Marketing Strategies You May Have Overlooked, Market Analysis Definition (With Explanation and Examples). assume youre on board with our, Martin Luther King Jr. vs. President Obama, https://graduateway.com/rhetorical-analysis-of-martin-luther-kings-beyond-vietnam-a-time-to-break-silence/. Martin Luther King was a determined activist for equality for all. Though disappointed, King still loves the church. In Dr. Martin Luther Kings 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. He tries to make people see the other side of the picture where both black and white men were being pushed into hell without considering and questioning the outcome. (These links will automatically appear in your email.). He is disappointed in te church and his disappointment is worse because he feels so strongly for the church, as is evident through his tears. For example, this quote personifies war as being an enemy. 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. He also says the war is further crippling the poor in the United States by sending a disproportional number of them to the front lines to die. 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 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. He expresses his anguish at seeing people of Vietnam and America suffer and also notes that if American folks do not break their silence they stand to lose much more than their opponents. He notes, 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 so long as adventures like Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money like some demonic destructive suction tube. His use of diction and imagery arouses anger while increasing his credibility since he criticizes the unjust war he describes. 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. However, all wanted clarity on the subject. His masterful delivery of these metaphors and the frequent repetition makes the speech much like a poem or a part of a song. The audience felt empowered by the sentence alone. 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. * Hyperlink the URL after pasting it to your document, American Women Struggle in the 20th Century, Charlottesville Tragedy: Racial Issue in the USA, Prison Staffing and Correctional Officers Duties, Gender Issues in the Us Correctional System. 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. 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. Over the past two years, as I have moved to break the betrayal of my own silences and to speak from the burnings of my own heart, as I have called for radical departures from the destruction of Vietnam, many persons have questioned me about the wisdom of my path. 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. Many people believed that America had no reason to interfere, Dr. King being one of those people. He also affirms that people have better options and that the idea of war, despite that it sounds patriotic is basically inhuman. Since the founding of the Americas in the late 1400s, slavery was a problem; until the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862.