Remarks on the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr
Robert F. Kennedy took on a great responsibility of informing the people of Indianapolis, Indiana that probably the world’s greatest icon of peace and love, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was shot and killed. On the night of April 4th, 1968 Kennedy was scheduled to deliver a speech to a mostly African American crowd, trying to win votes on the Democratic Party nomination for president of the US. However, upon arrival he learned the news of King’s assassination and wrote an impromptu eulogy. This was a very important speech because Kennedy urged the crowd to follow Dr. Kings lead and respond to this with understanding and comprehension. He mentions the need to avoid division hatred and violence amongst blacks and whites and calls for love, compassion and wisdom. He also sympathizes with the crowd with an emotional reference to his brother’s death. Robert F. Kennedy was able to give this inspirational message with much constraint from agitated people who were ready to riot because to them their only vision of light was now diminished.
Robert F. Kennedy begins his speech by telling the crowd of King’s assassination and then he immediately starts talking about Dr. King’s life. He opens up with “Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and to justice between fellow human beings.” He was trying to send a message to ease the crowd’s anger and remind them that all is not lost, we must love one another the way Martin Luther King wanted it to be. Then he incorporates a poem into the speech to try and convince the crowd that there is a way to live in peace amongst one another and to remind them of another one of Dr. King’s virtues. Kennedy speaks that through all of our pain and despair there will come wisdom that will lead us in the right path through the one thing that unites most people, which is the belief in God. Throughout the speech, Kennedy talks about compassion, love and justice because that was what Martin Luther King’s message was about and it was what everyone could relate to. There is a larger issue that Robert Kennedy is trying to address, it is not only to inform people of King’s assassination but to remind them that life goes on and we must make an effort to live with each other in peace through love and compassion for one another.
