Allison Mao Week 9: What Made Martin Luther King, Jr A Powerful Speaker
Being a persuasive speaker may not always seem as important as being extremely intelligent or physically strong. Nevertheless, many people in history have proven that a silver tongue can do much to persuade, or even manipulate, the people around them.
With the holiday honoring his memory being yesterday, it makes sense to mention Martin Luther King, Jr; his “I Have A Dream” speech is remembered for being excellently persuasive to his cause. I wondered what qualities of his speeches, aside from simply looking at the important topics he covers, make them so memorable.
According to an article by Scott Elbin, six qualities make Martin Luther King, Jr a great speaker. One, he utilizes careful control of his cadence during his speeches, starting many of his speeches with a slow pace before beginning to speak more quickly. This helps draw in the audience’s attention and increase their sense of urgency. Two, King makes good use of context, often mentioning stories from the Old Testament and modern history. Since much of his audience was Christian, it made sense that he could unify them with stories they were all familiar with. Three, his authenticity allowed his speech to be viewed differently than if he was not well-known for his abilities. Four, practice was also important since that allowed him to become familiar with what he was going to say, making the delivery smooth. This also helps maintain his image as a great representation of leadership. Five, the phrase “I have a dream” is a good use of repetition, allowing the audience to follow along and engrave his message in their heads. Finally, King was able to establish a connection with his audience through all of these techniques, providing them a common ground.
Although King’s impressive speaking skills were put forth for a good cause, other speakers using similarly compelling tactics may have used these techniques to bring harm to others. One such example is Adolf Hitler, the man who was able to control the opinions of much of Germany during World War II. However, whether used to advocate African American rights or to instigate a war, there is no denying that language has the ability to make a huge change in today’s society.
Hi Allison! I liked how you managed to condense an entire article about Martin Luther King, Jr’s speeches into a relatively small paragraph, as that made your blog post very cohesive. In addition to the well-written body paragraph, the concluding paragraph greatly solidified your argument about powerful speaking having the power to change the world; that idea is especially interesting this year because it explains the impact that the American presidential elections often have on the world. Also, the contrast you created between one of the most respected men in American history, Martin Luther King, Jr, and one of the least respectable men, Adolf Hitler, helped demonstrate the immense breadth of the impact that powerful language can have. Even on a personal scale, powerful speaking can make a big difference in how people react to the things you say, which can have major effects on your relationships with the people around you—this is why I think this blog post could become even more captivating by adding an anecdote about the importance of persuasive speaking after the introduction.
ReplyDeleteHey Allison! Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have A Dream” slogan immediately makes me think about a more recent figure, Donald Trump, and his “Make America Great Again” slogan. Both of them definitely knew how to properly utilize words in an effective manner that would gain them supporters for their causes, demonstrating the incredible power of a few simple words. It’s interesting to analyze how Martin Luther King Jr.’s specific way of talking grabbed people and made them listen, catalyzing one of the most important movements in history. This makes me want to question if he purposefully planned all of those techniques, or did they just come naturally to him? As you stated, how he mixed up his pace, threw in some stories everyone could relate to, and kept it real were undoubtedly the key points that made his speech so memorable. Also, your mention of Hitler drew me to think about Trump. Disregarding political stances, I think that most people can agree with the fact that Trump knew what he was doing by starting the slogan, “Make America Great Again.” This straight-up style played a significant role in gaining him supporters, as the four words became a big symbol of what some people wanted for the country. Comparing these leaders, it's clear that talking isn't just talking. It's a powerful tool that can bring people together or drive them apart. This makes me think about how leaders should use their words responsibly to unite, not divide. With all of the crazy things that are going on in today's world, it's a reminder that words still have a crazy impact on how we see things.
ReplyDeleteHi Allison,
ReplyDeleteI liked how you were able to incorporate something about the recent holiday we all enjoyed last weekend. I also think that the structure of your blog itself is very effective. The short introduction and conclusion make your message easy to understand and concise. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech is certainly a very memorable and iconic work that beautifully captures the power words and language have on others. I had never thought about what techniques Martin Luther King Jr. used in his speech until I read your blog. I found your blog very enlightening, especially considering all the rhetorical analysis work we did as AP Language students last semester. Reading your blog prompted me to wonder how much time and effort it must have taken him to come up with such a wonderful speech. There are a lot of societal factors that greatly impact the reaction his speech would get at that time, so I can hardly imagine how much careful planning and effort must have been put into the creation of that speech. I also think your blog was intriguing, especially how you mentioned that the power of words could also have negative impact, like the Hitler during WWII. While it contrasted with what your main paragraph was about, I think it brought up a very valid point that everyone should be aware of. Words and languages have immense power, but just as you state, it’s important to be mindful of how we use them to ensure that they bring upon positive and not negative impacts.
Hi Allison,
ReplyDeleteYou brought up interesting points in your blog about the power of speeches, and I particularly liked how you chose Martin Luther King, Jr. as the main subject for this topic. King definitely had extremely powerful speeches, such as the one you covered in your blog: “I Have A Dream”. I was unaware of the specific strategies that King used in his speeches, and reading your blog helped me realize all the unique qualities that he used to further enhance his speeches. Two qualities that seem the most important out of the five you mentioned are repetition and familiarity with the topic being presented. His repetition of the phrase “I have a dream” has been incredibly effective as many people would associate that phrase with this famous speech. Being familiar with the topics of the speech is also very important as it improved King’s authenticity and his credibility. Lastly, at the end of your blog, you briefly mentioned how speech can be so effective, but it can also be used with negative intentions, and you definitely brought up a great point with effective use of language. The power of language and speaking skills are immense, and unfortunately not everyone had good intentions as King and many other powerful speakers did. While the power of speaking can help improve society, it can also be a great danger to society at the same time.