In the emotional yet powerful speech delivered to the United States House of Representatives on January 21, 2009, then Representative John Lewis utilizes multiple effective rhetorical strategies, namely an anecdote with a remarkable contrast, repetition for effect supported by a list of King and Lewis' achievements, and an anaphora, in order to highlight the undying spirit and dream of Martin Luther King Jr. with the intention to advance his legacy in the United States even more.

To start, Lewis feels the need to point out how King has reached many people's hearts just like how he has reached Lewis'. For that, Lewis starts his speech by immediately stating that King was "a man [he] knew personally," followed by a list of nicknames to show how close they were together and how important King was to Lewis. By stating so, Lewis is establishing the credibility necessary to convince the Representatives why he is the suitable person to talk about King's legacy. But the most important point of Lewis is what comes after that, when he begins to share his personal story about how he decided to work with King. It all started when Lewis shared his own experience seeing the signs such as "Colored Men" or "Colored Women," and as a young kid, his curiosity prompted him to ask, but the answer he received was "Don't get in trouble." Just like other people of color at the time, Lewis was forced to be silent, but Martin Luther King Jr. brought to him the light. Lewis recalled he "heard the voice of Martin Luther King Jr. on an old radio, talking about the discipline and the philosophy of nonviolence." And that is where the contrast is. Among many people who were silenced, King stood out as the only voice for their justice. Between the two men, one accepted to not question, while the other was willing to stand up for what he believed was right. King gave Lewis a voice, as if "he was talking directly to" Lewis, and that experience changed Lewis forever. What Lewis wants to do right now, in front of the Representatives, is to use that same voice, that same lesson King gave to him, use it to advocate the message, the struggle, and the goals of Martin Luther King Jr., because Lewis believes in the power of raising voices, and just like how he believes to his valuable personal experience, he also believes everyone "too can make a difference in [the] society."

After pointing out the power behind King's speech and how he appealed to people, Lewis wants people to understand that his legacy does not just come from the words he said, but also from the actions he did. To prove that, Lewis utilizes a long list of what they have accomplished together, a list of their legacy, primarily to show how persistent King was and how he would do anything for his dream. King and Lewis had worked together over the span of 10 years, from 1958 when Lewis was just in 18-year-old boy, to the March on Washington in 1963, to the March from Selma to Montgomery in 1965, did not stop at the Riverside Church in New York City in 1967 against the Vietnam War, and was about to further even more in 1968 when King was planning to come to Washington. Martin Luther King Jr. was a man of his words: he said it, and he did it. That is the value of the man that Lewis wants the Representatives to acknowledge. Remember, King was not a politician, but he worked endlessly for his people. So, to the Representatives, Lewis clearly has a strong message to say as to why honoring King's legacy would be a great lesson for any politician to learn from: to work for the people. And Lewis wants them to know it is not easy to find a man like King, because "this good man, this man of God, this song of America, this citizen of the world" is not just any ordinary man. Lewis utilizes "this" to shift all of the focus to Martin Luther King Jr., to his great personality and his great heart. Because if there is any man that deserves all the honor and recognition, it has to be "this" man. After accomplishing so many things together, Lewis knows how good "this man" is, further strengthening his credibility as to why he can talk about King in such great details, and also why King's legacy should be honored even more.

Near the end of his speech, Lewis uses anaphora to highlight the immortal spirit and dream of King, while also appealing to the patriotic feeling that exists of every single American. Even though Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, the murderer "could not kill the dream of peace," "could not kill the dream of an open society," and it "could not kill the dream of a Beloved Community." Lewis strategically uses anaphora with the phrase "could not kill" to implant into the minds of the audience that his goals are undefeatable. Everything that kills his struggle makes his struggle alive even more. And for a lot of time in the United States history, people have tried to kill someone in order to silence them, but it backfired them badly. Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, but his legacy remains eternal. No killings could destroy the American Resolve, even during catastrophes such as the September 11 attacks. Lewis knows it, and he knows American people know it, that is why he wants to emphasize on the fact that nothing could kill King's goals and dreams, and the next generations should uphold his goals forever for a better future. Forty years after King's assassination, the United States still saw his dream became true: the country got itself the first African American president. Lewis does not have to work hard to convince, because the American people have proven his point to be true.

In front of the Representatives, one day after the inauguration of the first-ever African American president of the United States, Lewis continues to further Martin Luther King's long-lived mission and goals of an equal society for all, as promised by the Founding Fathers, by using effective rhetorical choices such as an anecdote with contrast, repetition for effect supported by a list, and anaphora appealing to the patriotic belief of Americans.