Alliteration
Alliteration is a literary, rhetoric device using rhyme. It means the repetition of similar sounds in the first syllables of a series of words or phrases. By using alliteration in several parts of his speech, Martin Luther King Jr. achieved emphasizing effects, and made that part of speech more memorable by giving auditive stimulation to the audiences. For instance, in the sentence "in whose symbolic shadow we stand today" the 's' sound is repeated.
Anaphora
Anaphora is a figure of repetition that occurs when the first word or a sequence of words is/are repeated at or very near the beginning of successive sentences, clauses or phrases. Anaphora emphasizes the part of speech or writing where it is used and heightens the emotion by imprinting the repeated expression to the audiences or readers.
In King's speech, "What we need in the United States is not division. What we need in the United States is not hatred. What we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness" in which the phrase 'what we need' is repeated, "But one hundred years later, the Negro is still 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 an exile in his own land." that 'one hundred years later' is repeated, and the repetition of 'I have a dream', 'Let freedom ring from' shows the use anaphora.
Allusion
Allusion is a figure of explication using a brief reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, myth, or work of art, either directly or by implication. It is intended to increase the credibility and persuasiveness of a speech or a writing by quoting famous expressions. Though, it is left to the reader or hearer to make the connection between the reference and the speaker's intention.
King used allusion at the beginning of his speech. The expression "Five score years ago" reminds the audiences of the phrase "four score years and seven years ago" in the Gettysburg Address of Abraham Lincoln. This reference gives the impression that King's speech talks about an important issue related to the rights of Americans as the Lincoln's speech did. Also, King quoted phrases of the Declaration of Independence and the Bible, offering authority and a sense of holiness to the speech.
Ethos
Ethos is one of the three methods of persuasion Aristotle mentioned. It means the credibility of the message speaker delivers, based on the overall image of the speech and repeated features shown throughout the whole speech. The credibility is also formed through the speaker's characteristics in case the speaker is held in honor and respect.
King made his speech persuasive by speaking in clear and confident voice through the whole speech. Also, even though the speech was made to assert African American's rights, King never blamed white people for oppressing blacks. This makes King's speech seem more objective and impartial. The fact that King was a widely respected minister gave authority to the speech and made it more serious and important, increasing the persuasiveness of the speech as well.
Pathos
Pathos is an another method Aristotle mentioned. It is the use of emotion in speeches that appeals to the audience's sympathy. Pathos makes audiences to understand the speaker's point of view and empathize with it, instead of accepting the speech only in a rational, analytic attitude.
King adopted pathos in his speech by mentioning children as "We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: 'For Whites Only." or "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." By extending the objects of the problem to the next generation, King prompted stronger emotion-motherhood, fatherhood- and sympathy of the audiences. The use of anaphora also heightened the emotion. The emotion of the speech is heightened together with the repetition of phrases as 'I have a dream' or ' Let freedom ring'.
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