Rhetorical Analysis Of We Shall Overcome By Lyndon Baines Johnson

In the 1965 speech, We Shall Overcome, Lyndon B. Johnson discusses the copious amounts of cruel racial discrimination occurring in America and his plan to eradicate it. This speech follows the recent events that occurred in Selma, Alabama when African Americans were attacked while preparing to march to Montgomery in protest of voting discrimination. Johnson asserts his stance on racial equality by using compelling anaphora, the specific use of pronouns, appeals to pathos through references to the bible, and appeals to logos through the use of historical evidence. Johnson successfully utilizes these rhetorical devices in order to communicate to Americans of all races, religions, and political parties, his plan to eliminate discrimination, as well as encourage every American to embrace diversity and equality and spread his idea of a “Great Society.” Although the idea of a President with allegiances to the white southern population taking initiative towards equality was a very controversial and unfamiliar concept, Johnson does an exceptional job of maintaining an authoritative, yet inspiring tone throughout his speech in order to persuade Americans that equality is the first step to a greater nation.

In Lyndon B. Johnson’s speech The Great Society he is effective in showing that the society must work to build and achieve a great society. He is effective in showing this by giving examples of how to improve America by using rhetorical devices in his speech to create envisionments of the future in the society. By doing this he is effective in his speech to motivate people to participate and help develop this great society.

At the time of Lyndon B. Johnson’s speech in 1965, “The American Promise”, conflict over civil rights has been brewing for over a hundred years. A large group of people planned on marching from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, but fights broke out and it quickly escalated into violence. Given shortly after the happenings in Selma, President Johnson spoke before the Congress on the importance of passing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. As a man in a position of power, the desperation of the situation is prominent to him, yet he calmly presses the manner in order to persuade them of his view. President Johnson uses rhetorical devices, such as allusion and connotative diction, to create an ethical and emotional appeal toward his audience during that time of civil unrest.

In fear of having many claim equal rights were already in effect, he proceeded to acknowledge “the harsh fact … men and women are kept from voting simply because they are Negroes” (Johnson 2), showing how equal rights were not distributed to all men. Continuing to utilize emotional examples, Johnson addressed the chilling truth about African Americans struggling with “actions and protests, his courage to risk safety, and even to risk his life” to liberate themselves (3). Another key point is how the actions of African Americans are being rejected to vote simply because “the only way to pass these barriers is to show a white skin” (2) , discovering the ugly truth of the discrimination towards colored people. His ambition for the near future is to make America’s heart yearn for the passing of the bill and change the lives of those who will benefit from it. Johnson has such a strong belief towards the positive changes in which the bill will have because he knows “there is only the struggle for human rights” being seen right under the nose of every American

Comparatively, the most used appeal throughout the speech is pathos. With every word, Douglass painted a straight of emotions and feelings to close the listeners in and make them understand the sentiment behind the slave's stories. Frederick uses his credited background in slavery to describe the life compared to the white man's. For example, Douglass states " ...above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions, whose chains, heavy and grievous yesterday, are today rendered more intolerable by the jubilant shouts that reach them" (Douglass 1). This imagery sets the idea that while the freed white privileged Americans are ignorantly celebrating, there are man and women struggling to stay alive. The uneasy feeling that follows this idea is pathos. The

President Lyndon B. Johnson delivered on the most famous and fascinating speeches in American history on March 15 1965. The speech was inspired over the situation that occurred in Selma, Alabama one week earlier. African Americans were protesting over voting rights, as due to manipulation of the voting system by whites. The purpose of President Johnson’s speech was to convince Congress and Americans to pass his bill on voting reformation. President Lyndon B. Johnson’s speech is rhetorically effective, by using strategies such as kairos, pathos, logos and ethos.

In “We Shall Overcome,” Johnson also employs pathos when he asserts “…we are met here tonight as Americans – not as Democrats or Republicans. We are met here as Americans to solve that problem.” By using restatement of the phrase “we are met here as Americans,” Johnson develops the literary device of pathos by eliciting feelings of patriotism within his audience. The feelings of patriotism in turn call for compassion based on equality from Johnson’s audience. In addition, by saying the term “American,” Johnson’s audience would be able to realize the nature of the treatment of fellow Americans (African Americans such as Martin Luther King Jr.) and possibly lead to change. Overall, the application of pathos by Douglass and Johnson sparks emotions that can lead to societal transformations.

Pathos is the appeal to emotions. The major moments of pathos in "Letter from Birmingham Jail" comes in the parts about the suffering of the African American community. King wrote, “when your first name becomes nigger”, which “nigger” is a powerful and insulting word. He also stated, “Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society.” African Americans were treated horrendously, and he addresses his pain throughout the whole letter, not just a mere statement. This continued application of pathos throughout the entire letter shows his audience just how bad the situation was. By continually bringing the suffering and inequality to the eyes of the audience, King is able to effectively make his audience realize how big of an impact the inequality has on the African American

Lastly, additionally to using literary devices, diction, and sentence length, Lyndon B. Johnson uses pathos to impact his audience more prominently and emphasize his purpose in an emotional sense. Johnson frequently uses pathos in his speech, which all have the same effect, either for reflection, unity, attention, or connection. In Lines 6-7 (“So it was at Lexington and Concord. So it was a century ago at Appomattox. So it was last week in Selma Alabama”), Johnson uses pathos for two reflection as to show how Selma, Alabama will influence U.S history as the other battles of the Revolutionary War and Civil War, respectively. This can also be seen in Lines 17-19 (“Our lives have been marked with debate about great issues -- issues of war and

To make a connection with the reader one must use pathos. MLK was able to use this in his favor to connect with other African Americans. As MLK wrote “We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God given rights.” In other words he wrote that they were tired of waiting and it was time to stand up for their rights. MLK was genius for using those words, because telling every reader what they are fighting for in a passive voice. When I was reading the letter this line stood out to be. It made me understand why he started his movement. It also made me feel sad that for 340 years they had been discriminated against. As a reader the more closer you feel to the writer,

King also used pathos in his speech to show emotion. “And those who hope that the negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual.” (King 262) King is showing emotion in this patho by saying that even though the

Dr. King effectively used the rhetorical strategy of pathos effectively through “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” to pull at the reader's emotion and sense of

Lyndon Johnson’s role during his presidency between November 22, 1963 and January 20, 1969 could be interpreted as the key mechanism forward to a ‘Great Society’, gaining the civil right for black Americans. Though the Civil Rights Act had been passed under his presidency it is believed to be triggered by the work of various other presidents. Johnson’s role as the president began with an instantaneous announcement of his vision of America whilst speaking at the University of Michigan. Johnson spoke of the ‘Great Society’ - a view of the United States he wished to portray as this speech to set the tone for the forthcoming presidency.

President Johnson’s speech was a stepping stone in American history giving African Americans the right to vote. America was separated because of the voting rights of African Americans who gained their freedom, but not the right to vote. This was a highly influential speech because it was given a week prior to the event in Selma, Alabama, a march in which African Americans protested for their voting rights. President Johnson expresses his point of view on African American voting rights and importance of the “American Promise.” The American Promise was a promise from Johnson to urge congress to join him to push for civil rights and equality for all.

He also uses pathos to make the audience relate to him, make them see that he is a human being like themselves, a person with a family and a home. He does this by telling what he wants for his own kids: “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 the content of their character.”(p. 3 ll. 100-103)