Parts of Rhetorical Situation
Who is the speaker and what do we know about them?
Martin Luther King junior. He was an activist that spent his life advocating for equality and peace.
Identify one example of a metaphor used in this passage.
"chains of discrimination"
What is tone?
The speaker's attitude toward the subject or audience.
What is logos?
The use of logic and reasoning to appeal to your audience.
What is the first step to analyzing a passage?
Reading the passage and/or source if relevant.
Who is the intended audience of this passage?
"But 100 years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition. In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check."
The American people, especially those with the power to change the law.
Give an example of imagery used in the passage.
"the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination" - illustrates the oppression faced by African Americans, which evokes the image of imprisonment and enslavement.
Give examples of tone words that portray a happy mood.
hopeful, optimistic, joyful, cheerful, Radiant
What is pathos?
The use of emotions to appeal to your audience;
What should you do if you’re unsure about a question during the test?
Process of elimination.
What is the purpose of earlier text?
To urge the Americans towards change and to highlight the injustices faced by the African Americans.
What diction or strong words does the speaker use to get their point across?
Words like "crippled," "chains," "languished," "exile," "shameful" are all examples of strong word choice that provoke emotion and emphasizes suffering and injustice.
Give an example of words in the passage that portray a somber mood.
"languished", "exile", "shameful"
What is Ethos?
The use of credibility, education and/or credentials to appeal to your audience.
When looking for rhetorical devices, what should you pay attention to?
Look for diction, imagery, repetition, and other rhetorical choices.
What is the context surrounding this text?
It was during the cilvil rights moment in the early 1960s, a time of segregation and great discrimination in America.
What are examples of choices the speaker used?
Repetition of "One hundred years later" - emphasizes how long the injustices has been going on and the delay of justice.
parallel structure in phrases like "the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination" - adds impact and helps emphasize the weight of the suffering African Americans go through.
Is tone and mood the same? Why or why not?
No. Tone is author’s or speaker’s attitude while mood is what the audience feels and their attitude to the author’s text.
Which appeal does the speaker use in this passage?
Pathos because he highlights the injustices faced by African Americans and uses imagery and words like "crippled" "chains" and "languished" to get the audience to feel sympathy and anger for his people.
How can you determine the tone of a passage?
Pay attention to diction, figurative language and sentence structure.
What issue or event prompted the speaker to create this text?
The countless injustices, inequalities and segregation faced by Black Americans. The need to address national leaders and the public about the inequalities his people faced.
What device does the speaker use in this sentence:
"It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned."
Personification as he refers to America as "her" giving the country a pronoun like a human.
What tone does this passage convey?
The tone this passage conveys is serious and hopeful as he is speaking on matters that impacts him and his people directly and is calling to change.
Is the appeal used in this passage effective for the audience? Why or why not?
Yes the appeal is effective because the words and tone he uses allows the audience to feel moved and motivate them to support the cilvil rights moments by way of empathy, as he speaks on what his people went through and uses things like imagery to really paint the picture of being black in America.
What strategy helps you identify the author's main argument or purpose?
Summarize and analyze the passage in your own words. Look for clues such as word and rhetricol choices.