Riots broke out all over the country after dr kings

by asking them to take up the cause further. Riots broke out all over the country after Dr. King’s
assassination, though Indianapolis did not experience any riots or violent incidents, potentially
attributable to Kennedy’s delicately worded speech.
Kennedy’s use of empathy to connect and identify with the audience enabled them to
trust him, despite the fact that he was a white man. He spoke directly to them, with no prompter
or paper, which gave his audience the impression that he was speaking from the heart. He spoke
with authority, sincerity, and passion, and used a favorite poem to share a piece of himself,
speaking of his own personal loss of loved ones. Kennedy spoke carefully and respectfully and
was met with applause, which was a testament to the strength of his speech and speaking style,
given the heartbreak borne by the audience.
“Though short (637 words and lasting under six minutes), it was an extraordinarily
powerful speech and is universally considered among his most eloquent.” (Sussman, 2008).
Kennedy’s speech was powerful because it was short, and he was able to keep a steady intensity,
carefully picking his words in order to deliver the biggest impact. As Mohammed Gandhi said,
“A man of few words will rarely be thoughtless in his speech; he will measure every word.”