Comparing Martin Luther King Jr and Old Major from Animal Farm

As two great speakers, Martin Luther King Jr. and Old Major's speeches share many characteristics. They also differ in very distinct ways. They both set forth a clear goal while expressing their anger at injustice. The differences become apparent when you consider the different methods being used to try to persuade the audience and the action the orators are trying to incite their audience to do.

In August, 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the now-famous "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington D.C. The speech was significant because it showed millions of normal, white Americans the hardships that African Americans faced. King delivered so many vivid examples of discrimination and inequality to a such a huge audience that, "White America" had to take notice. King also set forth a very clear goal when he stated, "We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream" (King 3). This illustrates King's need for equality with the dramatic metaphor of running water. While showing what King's end goal is.

Old Major's speech in Animal Farm reflected many of the same attributes as King's speech, such as; setting a clear goal and stating publicly, the hardships the lower class had suffered. In his speech Major states his goal as, "The overthrow of the human race" (Orwell 4). This illustrates a very clear, but complex goal for that animals to work for. Major also brought to light many issues, that had previously been seen as a normal part of life, in a manner made them look unfair and unjust. Orwell lays this out with the simple phrase, "Man is the only creature that consumes without producing" (Orwell 3). This sums Major's feelings into a single, lucid, comprehensible idea that all the animals could understand.

The major similarities end there. The two speeches have many more differences compared to similarities. The most obvious one being that King's speech was very upfront about who was the bully and who was the victim. Orwell was also very clear about this relation but Animal Farm as a whole was written to symbolize the Communist Russian Revolution of 1917.

Historically, the Bolshevik Party inspired the Russian people to rebel against the last Russian tsar, just as Major's speech inspired the farm animals to revolt against Jones. This makes Old Major's and King's speeches different before even reading them, because Animal Farm has a deeper, more complex subtext.

The two orations continue to differentiate themselves as you take into account the persuasive devices they employ. King;s address used constant, dramatic imagery to appeal to the audience's senses. He also enumerates on the hardships that African Americans faced, and concluded with an uplifting, inspirational ending. These are examples of King using Pathos to appeal to audience's emotions. King