AEC Chart Victoria Randolph
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COMMENTARY!!!!
Purpose: move the American people to
Rhetorical Mode: Persuasive
SOA: Freedom of all American people/ at the
continue to protest
Lincoln memorial 1963/brothers and sisters of
SQ: “From every mountainside, let freedom
the American people
ring” (¶36).
Tone: Contemplative, passionate, lyrical
Why: to achieve freedom and unity of the
Shifts: from the once suppressed society to a
American people for the next generation
freer society
THESIS SENTENCE:
In Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I have a Dream” speech delivered at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, he speaks to the
American people, both physically in his audience and those watching him on T.V., about achieving freedom for all
“God’s children” (¶37), which is currently suppressed in society, and the change that needs to occur bringing the liberty
and freedom the country was founded upon for all, to earnestly persuade society to continue protesting, ensuring that
“freedom [will] ring… from every mountainside” (¶36) so unity is achieved for the next generation.
Assertion 1 Concept: His Emotional Appeal to the people
ASSERTION 1 SENTENCE:
Through Martin Luther King, Jr.’s passionate speech, he appeals to the emotions of the American people to join
him continuing in protesting for the unification of the country.
EVIDENCE: (with adjective)
1. Sense of urgency, “… the
fierce urgency of Now” (¶
COMMENTARY:

The anaphora in paragraph 6 quickens the pace of his speech- placed
after his credibility to speed up speech- function
6), to achieve his mission

quickly and within his
generation- function/why
Also briefly summarizes the ideals he already spoke of (Metabasis)function/explanation

Uses this sense of urgency to transition from his allusions (building his
credibility) to rally the people up, to appeal to the people’s sense of
being betrayed by their government-assertion/function/purpose

The phrase itself being immediate, he does not hesitate, it flows
through his words in sharpening contrast with the list of grievances
that were deliberately slow to evoke pain and get the people on his
side- explanation/function/assertion

He evokes passion within the people when he asks them into action,
“Now is the time…” (¶ 6) to claim your rights as stated within “the real
promises of democracy” (¶ 6), a passion that is “fierce” (¶ 6) and
urgent and persistent but “must not be guilty of wrongful deeds” (¶ 8)assertion/purpose/tone

He conveys passion with his sense of urgency through the repetition of
“Now is the time…” (¶ 6) and the pace at which he sets the speech
within his growing urgency (he speaks as a preacher speaks)function/explanation
WRAP BACK: (if you made connections with the assertion and the purpose/why in the commentary you
Have written, just, in this box, write “See Commentary”
See Commentary
2. ADJ Hypophora, “When

will you be satisfied?” (¶
Using “as long as” (¶ 13) in his answer repetitively makes the people
become on edge- function/assertion
13), builds up ideals-

It evokes anger toward the grievances of the people- assertion
function

Says they will not be satisfied till their place beside their brother and
sisters of the American people is restored- function/device

The hypophora and its anaphoric answer lists the wrongs done to
these Americans getting them angrier at the situation, making them
want to change it- function/assertion

Shows his passion through the faster pace of that part of speech which
gets the audience impassioned as well when they listen-tone

Gets them to want to continue the fight for the next generationpurpose/why

Also uses this hypophora and anaphora to transition through his
speech from listing grievances on the current state of society to
continuing protesting throughout the country- function/device

“… we will not be satisfied until “justice rolls down like waters, and
righteousness like a mighty stream”” (¶ 13) this shows when the
change could happen, that it should happen for the next generation if
continued vigorously-why

Through his use of the inclusive “We” (¶ 13) he strives for the
unification of the American people to achieve their goal, completing
Lincoln’s goal from the civil war, for all American’s to be equalpurpose

The American people’s fight not just the fight for the blacks- purpose

When impassioning the people makes them want to continue on their
own and get it done faster for their children- assertion/purpose/why
WRAP BACK
See Commentary
3.
WRAP BACK

Assertion 2 Concept: Building credibility
Assertion 2 sentence:
Within King’s persuasive speech, he builds his credibility and trustworthiness so the people would join and
continue the fight.
EVIDENCE:
1. Historical allusions, “Five

COMMENTARY:
He places these toward the beginning of the speech to compare the
score years ago…
ideals from the founding of our country (1776), the civil war era (1850s),
Emancipation
and the civil rights movement (1963)-function/device
proclamation…

Constitution and the
These comparisons give the audience his ideals through the past ideals
that he boasts about, immediate delivery because of placement-purpose
Declaration of

Lincoln’s solemn duty continues through King-tone
Independence…

Purpose is the same as Lincoln’s, give all American’s their rights the
“Unalienable Rights” of
founding fathers said that could not be taken away/ to continue the fight
“Life, Liberty and the
toward this goal-purpose
pursuit of Happiness” (¶

Lincoln is the example; a credible source for King’s ideals-assertion
2,4), backs his ideals with

Through historical references such as Lincoln, President of the North, he
these widely credible
shows that it isn’t just the “Negro[‘s]” (¶ 2,3,4) rage but the rage of a
sources-
nation past and present-function/device
function/assertion

By building his credibility and trustworthiness through Lincoln’s solemn
duty he speaks impassioned as does his words getting people to believe in
him and his cause-function/tone/assertion/purpose

He uses these historical allusions by creating a timeline in which he ends
it with the gaining of all natural rights for all Americans within his lifetimefunction/why
WRAP BACK
See Commentary
2. Ad Populum, “I am not

unmindful that some of
you have come here out of
The ad populum builds his credibility through his play on the American
people’s experiences-assertion/function

He says he understands, getting them to believe that he is good and a
great trials and
leader, does this humbly-also something the audience likes that he used
tribulations” (¶ 14), this
to his advantage-assertion
puts the people at ease

and allows them his level
of confidence-
Builds a faster pace, accompanied with his word choices sounds
passionate-gets the reader’s attention/ audience-tone

function/device
When he uses this as populum and gets the people’s attention he
presents his purpose, he tries to unify his audience to continue protesting
for their children, so their children can have their natural rights that were
promised by their founding fathers-function/purpose/why

Through the trust/credibility he gains, he can better lead the American
people toward Lincoln’s goal of a unified country where all colors and
whites are brothers and sisters-assertion/purpose
WRAP BACK
See Commentary
3. Parallelism/asyndeton, “…

Using the parallelism he shows all the American people, he tries to
black men and white men,
represent all the American people so that he builds more appeal from the
Jews and Gentiles,
people to gain credibility-function/assertion
Protestants and

He includes everyone in the cause, which is to continue fighting for the
Catholics…” (¶ 37),
freedom of the next generation that has been going on for centuries-
broadens the scope of
function/purpose/why
people; not just hatred

between blacks and
whites but between many
fight for each other and their natural rights-purpose/function

different races and
religions-function/device
Where he places this finalizes the speech giving it to all the Americans to
The asyndeton speeds up the end, making it passionate and powerful to
evoke passion in others while giving him leadership-tone/assertion

Makes them want to join him and continue protesting so the next
generation may be free and have liberty –purpose/why
WRAP BACK
See Commentary
Assertion 3 Concept:
EVIDENCE:
COMMENTARY:
1.
WRAP BACK
2.
WRAP BACK
3.
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Writing out the Paragraphs – make sure that you write out your assertion statement as well!
Thesis:
Assertion # ___
Paragraph: