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Justin Su
Professor Samantha Krag
English 100
07 October 2014
The Ethical Eloquence of Speech
I [pause] my dictation and listen to the speech. I knew something historic was
happeningIt was kind of like the feeling the night before you think you might be in battle
quiet acceptance and a kind of eagerness for it to start" recalled Don Pfarrer, a Navy veteran who
served courageously in the infamous Vietnam War (Jones). On August 28th, 1963, Reverend
Kings I Have a Dream speech not only mesmerized Pfarrer, a Milwaukee Journal reporter at
the time, but also made Pfarrer abandon his reporting post to join the hundreds of thousands in
experiencing the real-time historical moment. With Martin Luther King Jr.s speech, The March
of Washington itself established historical significance and pushed progressive change in
American society. In the United States, formal speeches are the most eloquent way to address
serious societal issues, and Dr. Kings usage of rhetoric in his speeches certainly abetted a
community collaboration to take action against a troubling social injustice. Serving as a
promising ethical communication tool, speech itself gathers a community toward promoting
social justice, as shown through condemning racial segregation, convincing others to speak up,
and correcting political injustices.
Speeches, especially those during the African American Civil Rights Movement, rally
activists in condemning societys racial prejudices. For example, speeches addressed by
preachers and parishioners during the Civil Rights Movement inspired pragmatic African
Americans to not settle, delivering sermons not as a heavenly promise but as an earthly goal

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(Reed 11). The sermons themselves included subtle codes and messages, demanding a revelation
to the unjust racial segregation embedded in the archaic American society. Having mobilizers
like Reverend King, hysterias of speeches, marches, and large-scale demonstrations
[transcended] media coverage of the movement (Reed 13). Simply after Kings I Have a
Dream speech, the American government expedited ascension to many notable laws the 24th
Amendment, President Johnsons Executive Order 11246, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the
Civil Rights Restoration Act, and Civil Rights Acts of 1964, 1968, and 1991. The power of
speech clearly affirms ethical authority for social justice from an individual to the community.
The influence of public speeches empowers the silence to speak against societys
apathies. For instance, Audre Lordes speech, The Transformation of Silence into Action,
challenges her audience to break that silence and bridge some of those differences (Eschholz,
Rosa, and Clark 296). Lorde directly dictates that speech itself consolidates a society to take
action in resolving injustices of mockeries. Incorporating the elements of rhetoric (Kairos and
much more), Lordes speech bolsters her audience to mobilize themselves with the power of
speech to combat the societys inequities.
At a global-scale, speeches ethically corrected countries suppressed by political injustices
especially in America. Particularly, Patrick Henrys bombastic Give Me Liberty or Give Me
Death speech demanded the House of Burgesses to take military action against the British
tyranny in America. The eloquence of Henrys speech and its rhetorical questions led to the
mobilization of troops that patriotically declared American Independence. If it were not for
Henrys speech, then Americans would have to endure additional years of dire British
subjugation. The countless speeches given in America set a powerful legacy in assuring universal
social justice, rectifying arising social and political injustices of the status quo.

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Giving a formal speech strongly advocates social justice in the most cogent manner. The
versatility of a rhetorical speech grants power to transform society anew, reiterating ethical
values to juxtaposing generations. The power of rhetoric in a speech not only educates the
ignorant, but also unionizes legions of individuals to eradicate the immoral disease in society.
Combining all forms of rhetoric elements, speeches offer hope in times of desperation and terror.
History showcases a myriad of Americans who took opportunity to shine hope through the
freedom of speech entitled in The First Amendment. Today, Americans will speak up, so that
hope, as President Barack Obama famously spoke in his New Hampshire Primary speech, will
begin the next great chapter in the American story, with three words that will ring from coast to
coast, from sea to shining sea: Yes, we can (Obama).

Works Cited
Eschholz, Paul A., Alfred F. Rosa, and Virginia P. Clark. "The Transformation of Silence into
Language and Action." Language Awareness: Readings for College Writers. Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005. 293-96. Print.
Jones, Meg. "Witnesses Recall the Power of 'I Have a Dream' 50 Years Later." Witnesses Recall
the Power of 'I Have a Dream' 50 Years Later. Journal Interactive and Journal Sentinel,
Inc., 23 Aug. 2013. Web. 2 Oct. 2014.
Obama, Barack. "Remarks of Senator Barack Obama on New Hampshire Primary Night." New
Hampshire Democratic Primary. Nashua South High School, Nashua. 8 Jan. 2008.
Speech.
Reed, T. V. Singing Civil Rights: The Freedom Song Tradition. The Art of Protest: Culture
and Activism from the Civil Rights Movement to the Streets of Seattle. Minneapolis: U of
Minnesota P, 2005. 1-39. Print.