Martin Luther King, the American Dream and Vietnam: A Collision of Rhetorical Trajectories

Authors

George N. Dionisopoulos, San Diego State University
Victoria J. Gallagher, North Carolina State University
Steven R. Goldzwig, Marquette UniversityFollow
David Zarefsky, Northwestern University

Document Type

Article

Language

eng

Format of Original

17 p.

Publication Date

1992

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Source Publication

Western Journal of Communication

Source ISSN

1057-0314

Abstract

This essay explores the rhetorical complexity of Martin Luther King's dual role as political and moral leader, particularly during his last years when he was attacked for his opposition to the Vietnam War. By: 1) discussing and developing the theoretical value and critical possibilities associated with the term “rhetorical trajectories,”; 2) tracing the trajectories present in King's rhetoric in order to set the context for a speech he gave in 1967 at Riverside Church, and 3) analyzing the text of that speech, the essay offers insight into King's rhetorical impact, and, as a result, into the possibilities and limitations for combining pragmatic and moralistic discourse in American society.

Comments

Western Journal of Communication, Vol. 56, No. 2 (1992): 91-107. DOI.

Recommended Citation

Dionisopoulos, George N.; Gallagher, Victoria J.; Goldzwig, Steven R.; and Zarefsky, David, "Martin Luther King, the American Dream and Vietnam: A Collision of Rhetorical Trajectories" (1992). College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications. 374.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/comm_fac/374