Martin Luther King - Comparing Two Speeches

This essay will analyse the comparison two speeches which are I have a dream (IHAD) and Sorry speech. I have a dream was delivered by Martin Luther King (MLK) on August 28,1963 in Washington, D.C and Sorry speech by Mr Rudd as a Prime Minister on February 13,2008 from Parliament House in Canberra. MLK was a Baptist minister, Preach and social activist who led the Civil Rights and Movement in the United States. Mr Rudd is a former Australian politician who was twice Prime Minister of Australian from 2007 to 2010 and also in 2013.

Both of Martin Luther king and Mr Rudd knew that their speeches were being recorded and perhaps broadcast. The audience of I have a dream were addressed to both white and black citizens of the United States during the civil rights era and moreover people around the world. The actual audience of Sorry speech at that time were the Aboriginal and Torres Islander known as The Stolen Generation and their families as well as community members also the journalist in Parliament’s House who will report this speech in the newspaper. The tone of IHAD and Sorry varies according to each voice. The tone of IHAD speech established by MLK’s voice which were determined, excited and hopeful whereas Sorry speech has remorseful tone.  The structure of both speeches are slightly different. The structure of MLK speech starts with him offend the promise of Lincoln then it goes back to ‘I have a dream’ and ‘let freedom ring’, when that happens, it finish with peroration ‘free at last, free at last’. Sorry speech’s structure begins with him wanting to honour the indigenous peoples of Australia’s land then apology and it goes to promise a future for the Stolen Generation and ends by telling a story about of the indigenous people Nanna Nungala Fejo as a reason ‘why apologise?’ as well as the other reasons. The interesting part of these speeches is about freedom.  As both MLK and Mr Rudd said,  

        “Let freedom ring”, MLK convinces that everyone shall have liberty and freedom in the United States of America.

        “A future based on mutual respect, mutual resolve and mutual responsibility”, the Prime Minister, Mr Rudd promises the same rights for all Australian including The Stolen Generations. Both speeches have the main point that Mr Speaker frequently mentions it.

Repetition is the most rhetorical device that is used in these two speeches but for different effects. Many examples of repetition are used along IHAD speech. In the first line,

“I have a dream”, is repeated constantly.

This creates such a powerful tone that MLK uses while speaking. He is emphasizing his point through that line which is freedom of each person and not segregation between black and white people. Mr Rudd uses repetition in sorry speech when he mentions,

        “We apologise for the laws and policies of successive parliaments and governments. We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander”.

He continuously says “We apologise” where sorry on behalf Australian for the stolen generation of taking away them from their families and communities. This repetition is used in this speech so that his message is successfully conveyed. MLK and Mr Rudd knew that they were expected to report their speech so they tried to persuade the reader or listener by using allusions.

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