Martin Luther King: Speech Techniques

English

The strength of Where Do We Go from Here lies in its ability to deliver the idea of dissatisfaction to the Christian Leadership Conference, and the African-American community at large. King's understanding of the African-Americans' Christian beliefs allows him to speak in a way that urges the support of his audience in light of overarching feelings of dissatisfaction toward inequality. It is apparent that King presents this speech with a main goal of voicing the dissatisfaction of African-Americans. His use of antithesis and repetition allows him to convey his main goals with simplicity and comprehensiveness. Hence, his use of allusions, antithesis and repetition aim to encourage a change in societal norms and place emphasis on his main goal of expressing the dissatisfaction of his community. King’s ability to employ placatory and persuasive speech techniques ultimately places him as one of the most skilled orators of history.