Hey, it's Amy again!
I thought it was interesting in Martin Luther King's speech "I've been to the Mountaintop," King emphasized the responsibilities of both individuals and communities.
King built up the sense of unity between the advocates throughout the speech, using the you and we devices to illustrate that each individual has a certain responsibility , but that they belong to a greater, universal cause. In the speech, King stated “I’m delighted to see each of you here tonight…you reveal that you are determined to go on anyhow,” using the “you device” to draw upon the dedication of each individual in the congregation, but then unifies all of the individuals present at the church as he stated, “…something is happening in our world.” The idea that the cause would not be unified and would not be effective with wide support is evident in King’s combination of you and we devices. As Ben said in class, his speech gives directions, a measure to take after listening to the speach. King provided courses of action on multiple scales, from fighting and supporting individually, to protesting in groups and communities.
In terms of unification, King's references to previous struggle, such as slavery in Egypt, unites all victims of injustice to a common battle, the battle for freedom and equality, and gives the sense that African-Americans are not alone in the battle for civil rights, that this is only one of the steps in a journey that has spanned throughout the course of history with numerous triumphs. These references connect the cause to other successful measures taken in the name of justice.
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Hey, it's Jasmine.
I also noticed that King switches between general and specific. I think he used generic terms like "great period history" and "greatness of America" to appeal to his audience's emotions. Usually, broad ideas like patriotism or freedom carry a lot of powerful and emotional connotations. On the other hand, King also uses specifics like "go out and tell your neighbors not to buy Coca Cola" or "deposit your money in Tri-State Bank." He does this in order to provide a specific plan of action, like Ben said earlier in class. I was pretty surprised that King included such specifics. Usually, like in "I Have A Dream" and a lot of the political speeches today, the speaker talks very generally without mentioning specific platforms, etc. Listeners focus a lot more on how the speech affected their emotions (like the powerful words "Yes We Can"). I think that's why Martin Luther King's speech was so effective - he knew how to use just the right balanace.
Also, another thing I noticed (and you probably did too) was King's constant use of reptition. He repeats some things 5 or even 6 times (like "But I wouldn't stop there"). I noticed this before in his "I Have a Dream Speech" too. I think he uses reptition to emphasize the importance of his points. Although...I haven't paid enough attention to political candidates recently - do they use repetition too?
I thought this was very interesting. The way he addresses the fear by talking about how people have previously overcome their hardships throughout history. He seemed to have truly mastered winning the crowd over with his words. I haven't noticed if political candidates repeat within the same speech but I have noticed that they seem to repeat similar ideas and phrases throughout several speechs that they make. I think it helps to keep their ideas consistant and memorable.
( that was paige by the way, sorry i forgot to add my name.)
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