ANALYSIS OUTLINE

Historical Figure: 

I have selected Dr Martin Luther King Jr as the historical figure due to his importance during the Civil Rights Movement, and how he has a lot of resilience with his struggle for justice and equality. Her legacy provides important lessons about the power of focus, the importance of seizing strategic leadership windows and adhering to principle when change Come. 

Analytical Strategy: 

The central means will be to delve into the photographic details, especially what emotional and communicative aspects become apparent. Using King’s facial expressions, hand gestures, posture and everything to illustrate the conclusions he was trying to reach. 

● Facial Expressions & Hand Gestures: King’s face and hand gestures appear 

resolute, full of zeal. His eyes are on the audience and his mouth is ajar, certainly to 

convey a message with clarity. This is a determined man, one whose speaking style, 

and therefore, hand gesture, called for action that would provoke change. 

● Setting & Historical Context: Timing & Location: This shot is in black and white 

which adds to the historical significance of the photo, capturing an iconic moment. 

From the microphone and King’s position we see that he is addressing a huge crowd, 

representing his role as spokesperson of the movement. 

Themes and Patterns (Coding): 

Theme 1: Resilience and Determination in Leadership 

○ Recurrences in the rhetoric of King’s speeches, his motions, and written works show an assertion that these are unchangeable patterns of King’s mode of nonviolent resistance gearing towards violence. 

○ This perseverance also takes the form of the innumerable arrests, public rejections, and physical threats he incurred. But he stayed faithful to his message of peace and equality, demonstrating his tenacity for the cause of civil rights. 

Theme 2: The Power of Symbolic Action and Communication 

King’s speeches, including his “I Have a Dream” speech, are some of the best 

examples of using symbolic and emotional storytelling. He used words right 

out of the dictionary and from our hearts: dream, freedom, justice so 

simple but symbolic that they crossed racial lines encouraging every kind of 

American to join with them in the movement. 

○ And there was as much in what the camera caught of his body language (as 

stills and increasingly video via the mobile) as ever in his words. The 

photograph that was used represents the symbolic impact of King’s 

leadership, by a moment of change where the public saw the embodiment of 

Hope and change. 

Examining these patterns and themes will underscore the idea of Martin Luther King Jr. as a 

vision leader, resilient in nature where he survived an effort to end such ideas by choking 

him out, and displayed grace leading the Civil Rights Movement through conviction. 

Theme 3: The Role of Faith and Morality in Social Justice 

● Moral Conviction: King was unashamedly Christocentric in his understanding of the 

Gospel, and faith permeated every aspect of his life and leadership. As a pastor, his 

pink face shining with fervor, he would interweave the religious mandates of what 

was later termed ‘social justice’ with the notion that the campaign for civil rights was 

not simply to be seen as political undertaking alone but a moral charge and spiritual 

mission. He appeals to a higher power that guides the movement towards justice in 

his famous speeches like “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop. 

● Nonviolent Resistance Rooted in Faith: His belief in nonviolent resistance also 

reflected his faith. Drawing on Christian theology and the strategic teachings of 

Mahatma Gandhi, King believed that nonviolence was his best moral and effective 

way to combat injustice. This commitment to nonviolence, even in the face of 

violence, was describe as a characteristic of his leadership and a recurring theme in his 

speeches and writings. 

This theme of King is central to the moral and faith-based perspective he developed on what 

It means to be a leader and his ideals of justice in society. King argued that using religious 

and moral arguments appeals to the conscience of the nation, moving beyond demands for 

legal or social change to a request for a basic moral conversion.