Intention

In his statement on the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Robert F. Kennedy first intends to comfort the black community and acknowledge their feelings upon the news of King’s death. Kennedy understands that this is a “difficult time for the United States” and asks the black community to identify with King and follow his example: “Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and to justice for his fellow human beings, and he died because of that effort”. 

Later on, Kennedy appeals to pathos by sharing a personal story to show the black community that he understands their anger and pain, as he has been through a similar experience: “I can only say that I feel in my own heart the same kind of feeling. I had a member of my family killed, but he was killed by a wh...