Martin Luther King Jr Last Speech Analysis

On April 4, 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the speech “Beyond -- A time To Break SIlence” at Riverside Church in New York City. This speech spoke out against the American involvement in the Vietnam War. On this day, Dr. King was able to create a stir within America that would soon cause a ripple effect in our community about the unfairness of this participation when compared to our own needs. Dr. King was able to effectively use strategies such as diction, irony, and ethos to strengthen his argument that the American involvement in the Vietnam War was unjust. In his speech, Dr. King’s use of diction emphasizes the immensity of the situation at hand. He is able to take a simple statement and draw in the audience with his compelling words that create a sense of realization for almost anyone listening. Take his words “demonic destructive suction tube” for example. He uses these words to compare the businessmen that stray their attention from America into unnecessary “adventures”, such as the Vietnam War, and instead of
King’s speech still impacts those who read it. Not only did King fight for the injustice done to black Americans, but also to Americans in general. Unfortunately, no person can proudly state that racism and discrimination are long gone today, because it simply is not true. And no person can proudly state that we still aren’t put into groups that depend upon our financial and social status, because it is, yet again, simply not true. Dr. King’s speech went beyond the talk of the Vietnam War, but it also spoke out against America’s corrupt government that couldn’t and wouldn’t unite all of its people together. Although decades have passed and we’ve finally gone through many injustices, a wake up call is long overdue for the people who still view others as anything less than human. King’s words are still alive today in many aspects, and they still speak volumes to people around the world experiencing similar