"Trust the Dreams"

Dreams are some of the most persuasive forms of communication. Martin Luther King Jr. convinced the nation that his dream was desirable and attainable. In my opinion, the fact that he used dreams to persuade made all of the difference. If he would have said, "I believe that one day..." it still would have been persuasive, but having used the word dream, it became a dream instilled in the hearts of the American people. 

Martin Luther King Jr. knew his audience. He understood that most of the American population was christian and that they believed in visions, angels, and revelations. The way he proposed his dream was, in a way, divine. 

Although, Agamemnon and Nestor were not Christians, they were religious men that believed in a higher power or higher powers. So, when Jove sent Agamemnon this 'lying dream' he knew that his audience would accept it, because it was a dream from the Gods. Now, Jove not only knew his audience but also knew how to use karios to his advantage. Sending the dream to Agamemnon, would give Nestor the confidence to accept it as truth. Just as Amanda Debuse put it, "when the person speaking is someone who the audience likes or esteems highly, the better chance the speaker has of convincing the people with his/her rhetoric." For this reason Nestor was convinced: "He who has seen it is the foremost man among us - we must therefore set about getting the people under arms."

Agamemnon also understands the effects of kairos because he called the elders to a meeting, creating a kairotic moment to persuade the rest. Knowing how important Nestor would be in persuading the rest, he calls this meeting in the ship of Nestor and throughout his speech refers to Nestor in pleasing ways. 

Martin Luther King Jr., Jove and Agamemnon all understood that a dream would strike their audience deep in their hearts and leave them with a conviction to follow.