Reread paragraphs 5 and 6. what is kennedy referring to when he says he “had a member of my family killed…”? how might mentioning this support kennedy’s purpose?

In paragraph 5, Senator Robert F. Kennedy is referring to the death of his own brother JFK in order to address the importance of unity based on his own experiences. In fact, he compares the pain that Black people are going through with the pain that he suffered back in 1963 when his brother was assassinated. Moreover, with this mention, he wants to express his understanding of the impotence and desire of revenge that probably some of them are felling after the event. However, his main intention is to invite the people to reflect upon the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. as well as the impact that he generates in the Civil Rights cause, instead of promoting division in America.  

In the same way, this intention is also found in paragraph 6, when Kennedy mentions the Aeschylus’ excerpt. In other words, both JFK mention and the poem are arguments that stand for the main point of the discourse: invite all Americans to join in these difficult times, remembering the legacy of MLK and JFK.  

The devil, who is later referred to as Old Scratch carves the names of the people he makes deals with into the trees. Those whose names are carved into the tress, having made a deal with old scratch, are those who have sold their souls to the devil.