“I Have a Dream Speech” by Martin Luther King Jr

“I Have a Dream Speech” by Martin Luther King Jr. Background on author 1. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 and died at age 39 on April 4, 1968. He was recognized as one of the leaders of the civil rights movement and an excellent orator. His I Have a Dream Speech is considered to be the best speech in the entire 20th century. King stood against racial injustice in America and went many lengths in order to achieve equality. 2. Summary Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream Speech encapsulates the urgency of the civil rights movement. He creates a sense of urgency and intensity all the way from the beginning, using words like “seared”, “crippled”, and “flames”. The pride and responsibility he instills within the audience flows into his desires and dreams as an activist. He reminds that there is no other people nor time that can change the present in order to create the future that he and so many others have fantasized about. He describes the future of peace and prosperity, which can only be accomplished by the strength and resilience of that day. He continues to let the sense of responsibility echo throughout his dreams as he lists them, because he knows that this was not an issue that will resolve independently of their efforts and unity. His booming voice and emotion awakens the authority of the audience, as his repetitive language of “let freedom ring” concludes his speech. This represents more than just the nation’s hopes, but most importantly their plan for equal rights. 3. Effective Rhetoric Throughout this text King uses many rhetorical devices such as extended metaphors and allusions to different texts. One example is in paragraph 2 where King starts by using the phrase “Five score years ago”(King, line 3) This is an allusion to Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” and it was alluded to for many reasons. One such reason is because Lincoln is credited with the freeing of the slaves. Another allusion King uses is an allusion to the Declaration of Independence,"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal"(line 89). This is relevant to the main purpose of this speech because it contradicts the situation in America at the time due to the fact that the Negroes and Whites were not equal and a change needed to be made. King also uses many anaphoric statements in this speech. One example of anaphora is in King’s use of the phrase ”I have a dream”(88-110) in eight consectuive sentences. This use of anaphoric phrases is effective because he is able to portray what he envisions as a racially equal America. In one paragraph King says that he has a dream that one day his children will not be judged by their skin color but by the content of their character. This specific paragraph connects to the listener because it makes them think about their own children and the importance of change(pathos). Another anaphoric phrase used by King was “Now is the time”(31-36) This phrase stresses the urgency of the situation and that changes need to be made now and not later. 4. Connect ideas: In Martin Luther’s “I Have a Dream Speech,” various connections to current or even other significant historical events can be made. The first connection that can already be observed from the start of his speech is how he starts his second paragraph with “five score years ago.”(4) This simple phrase already has so many meanings that relate to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. The phrase gives his speech a sense of good religious morals as it relates to the Bible. Another connection that can be made in this speech is actually the very big Black Lives Matter movement that is currently in an effect. The main problem at the moment which was also a problem in the time period in which the speech was written is police brutality towards black people still. Finally, one last connection that can be made with this speech was his quote of the Declaration of Independence when he states how unalienable rights were guaranteed to all men yet people still act against the Declaration of Independence through racists acts. Fellow black citizens of this country are still to this day being denied their basic unalienable rights without reasoning and the world has had enough. 5. Organization/Structure Martin Luther King Junior organizes his “I Have a Dream Speech” by giving an introduction and background, stating the problem, giving a purpose, and then giving a call to action. He starts off his speech optimistic as he alludes to the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Abraham Lincoln, and describes it as a “beacon of light” (line 5) to negros all around. There is then a strong shift in the next paragraph where he strengthens his tone by the use of alliteration. He repeats“one hundred years later”(5-8) to emphasize the longevity of oppression to the negro. In this same paragraph, the mood automatically becomes darker as he goes on to describe negro life as “crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.” (line 6) In paragraphs 4 and on, he states their purpose, which is to address the chains put on his people, and emphasizes the unity of the negro. He does this up to where he states, “There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" (line 39) and to that he responds with his solution, which is that the movement will not stop until there is equality and the mistreatment of African Americans stops. Martin Luther King Junior tells us to go back to Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, and the slums knowing that their situation can and will be changed. At the end, the speech resembles a negro spiritual as he blesses us with his famous “I have a dream” phrase where he also goes on to state his purpose. 6. Questions for discussions What is significant about the allusion of Abraham Lincoln and “five score years ago” (line 4) that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. mentioned it in the “I Have a Dream” speech? Why is the anaphoric phrase “I have a dream” (King Jr., 93-109) effective? Dr. Martin Luther King did not approve of violent protests. How would he respond to the looting in recent Black Lives Matter protests? Why is the “I Have a Dream” speech considered one of the best speeches of the 20th century? Martin Luther King Jr says in the “I Have a Dream Speech, “With this faith , we will be able to walk together, to pray together ...to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day”(116-119). What does the parallel structure emphasize?