Martin Luther King, Jr's “I've Been to the Mountaintop” Speech: a Rhetorical Analysis of His Efforts to Motivate His
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MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR’S “I’VE BEEN TO THE MOUNTAINTOP” SPEECH: A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF HIS EFFORTS TO MOTIVATE HIS AUDIENCE AND TO RE-ESTABLISH HIS LEADERSHIP IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT by Nathan Robert Lapin An Independent Study Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Course Requirements for Senior Independent Study: The Department of Communication March 13, 2015 Advisor: Denise Bostdorff, Ph.D. ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s rhetorical motives behind his final speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop.” King faced opposition towards his leadership and his civil disobedience method due to failed events prior to the oration. His goals for his delivery of the “Mountaintop” speech included reinstating his leadership as well as reinvigorating his nonviolent approach in the Civil Rights Movement in Memphis. I employed a cluster agon analysis, which is a branch of dramatism, to the speech. This Burkean method of analysis involved the examination of “God” and “Devil” terms and how they conveyed the ultimate ideal message King wanted his audience in Memphis and beyond to follow as well as the ultimate evil message King wanted them to avoid. King offered his audience of sanitation workers as well as others involved with the Civil Rights Movement a choice of whether to accept his message or not, while using his rhetorical discourse to eliminate division among the audience and convince them to go in the direction of nonviolent demonstration for civil and economic rights. This study helps uncover how “God” and “Devil” terms help speakers persuade their audience to take action. Key Words: cluster criticism, cluster agon analysis, Martin Luther King, Jr., “God” and “Devil” terms, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” motive, Civil Rights Movement, injustice, unification ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I must begin with thanking my mother, father, sister, grandmother, teammates, and all my close friends who have supported me with their consistent love and encouragement while writing. Thank you to Ms. Gillian Lee and the rest of The College of Wooster Writing Center, it was a privilege working with all of you. Without the knowledge of your experienced tutors, I would not be writing as well as I am now. And I acknowledge The College of Wooster graduates who have went through this process; reading over your work inspired me to create mine. Finally, I must thank my advisor, Dr. Denise Bostdorff, and the rest of The College of Wooster Communication Studies Department for providing myself, along with the other students, this wonderful opportunity to work side by side with you all while you guide us through to graduation from The College of Wooster. iii Table of Contents CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1 Purpose....................................................................................................................................... 1 Rationales................................................................................................................................... 1 Definitions .................................................................................................................................. 3 Description of Method .............................................................................................................. 6 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 6 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................ 8 Dramatism ................................................................................................................................. 8 Assumptions of Dramatistim .................................................................................................. 8 Ultimate Terms ..................................................................................................................... 10 Identification ......................................................................................................................... 11 Civil Rights Movement ........................................................................................................... 12 “Jim Crow” Laws .................................................................................................................. 13 Chronology of the Civil Rights Movement .......................................................................... 15 1896 Plessy vs. Ferguson. ................................................................................................. 16 1954 Supreme Court Decision Brown vs Board of Education ........................................ 17 Mississippi: The Murder of Emmett Till, 1955. ............................................................... 17 The Montgomery Bus Boycott, Alabama, 1955. .............................................................. 19 “Little Rock Nine,” Arkansas, September 1957. .............................................................. 20 Albany, Georgia, 1961. ..................................................................................................... 22 The Civil Rights Campaign Gains Urgency, 1963 ............................................................... 23 Birmingham, Alabama. ..................................................................................................... 23 iv Kennedy Speech Makes Civil Rights a Moral Issue. ........................................................ 25 Murder of Medgar Evers. .................................................................................................. 26 March on Washington For Jobs and Freedom, August 1963. ........................................... 28 Birmingham Church Bombings. ....................................................................................... 30 War on Poverty. ................................................................................................................ 31 Legislative Success but Continued Frustration ..................................................................... 32 Civil Rights Act of 1964. .................................................................................................. 32 Malcolm X Assassinated February 1965. ......................................................................... 33 Selma, Alabama, Bloody Sunday, March 1965. ............................................................... 35 Johnson’s “We Shall Overcome” Speech and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. ................ 37 Race Riots, 1965-1966. ......................................................................................................... 38 Black Power as Opposition to King’s Leadership ................................................................ 40 Black Power and Relation to Self-Defense. ...................................................................... 41 Economic Drives of Black Power. .................................................................................... 42 Militancy of Black Power. ................................................................................................ 43 Black Power and the Unification of Black Community. .................................................. 44 The Later Years of the Civil Rights Movement .................................................................... 46 Chicago, 1966. .................................................................................................................. 46 King’s Response to Vietnam, 1967. ................................................................................. 48 Memphis, 1968. ................................................................................................................ 51 Persuasive Challenges of the Civil Rights Movement ......................................................... 52 Different Protest Methods of the Civil Rights Movement .................................................... 52 People in Power of Untrustworthy Institutions ..................................................................... 54 v Interpretations of Rhetoric .................................................................................................... 56 Hostile Rhetoric and Violent Actions from Civil Rights Protesters ..................................... 58 Failed Attempts to Change Values ....................................................................................... 59 Perspective of Poor Whites. .............................................................................................. 60 Martin Luther King, Jr. ......................................................................................................... 61 Biographical Information ...................................................................................................... 61 Prior Studies of the Rhetorical Characteristics of Martin Luther King, Jr. ..................... 63 Use of Metaphor ................................................................................................................... 63 Use of Civil Religious Language .......................................................................................... 64 Use of Mythic and Religious Language ................................................................................ 65 Appeal to Emotions ..............................................................................................................