RFK's speech on MLK Assassination

B R I T T A N Y A R C H E RM E G A N G E T T E R

RFK ON MLK ASSASSINATION

NEO-ARISTOTELIAN THEORY

BOBBY

• Running for president• Brother of JFK• Served as attorney general under JFK

MAJOR EVENTS

• April 4, 1968 – MLK assassination •Ghetto in Indianapolis• Crowd of more than 1000

AUDIENCE

• Kennedy’s campaign rally• All citizens of America• People “who love peace all over the world”

CREDIBILITY

• Asks crowd to lower signs• Pauses respectfully/waits for reactions•Gives sad news

SITUATION

•Dr. King was assassinated • Confrontations began to break out• Segments of audience had heard

MAIN PURPOSE  

• Relates to pain, grief, and anger• Asks to be compassionate and loving •Urges to push beyond current circumstances

EVIDENCE

• Compassionate and loving • Vast majority want to be in harmony• Racial injustice is a difficult obstacle • Time and cooperation to overcome

MAIN POINTS

• Sympathies with grief and anger•Urges them to pull together • Consequences• Violence• Segregation• Polarization

LANGUAGE

• Short sentences• Conversational tone - “yeah, it’s true”• Building trust

FIGURES OF SPEECH

• Anaphora • Epistrophe• Symploce• Scesis Onomaton

SITUATIONAL THEORY

AUDIENCE

• Kennedy’s campaign rally• All citizens of America• People “who love peace all over the world”

SITUATION

• Short amount of time • Inability to compose a refined speech •Disagreement over whether to speak

LIMITATIONS

• Supposed to be a campaign rally• Changed mood immediately• Paid respect to King• Addressed them best way he could

CLOSING REMARKS

“to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world”