Tahiya Chowdhury 09/12/13
“I Have a Dream” Speech Analysis
On August 1963, Martin
Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech to millions of
supporters of the civil rights movement. Although his reputation as a civil-
rights activist gave him an automatic authority, King further established his
credibility by referencing historical sources. He made reference to the decree
signed by Abraham Lincoln that freed all slaves. Mentioning
the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence in his speech, king
said, “When the architect of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the
Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a
promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.” By alluding to these
widely known credible sources, King established an authority on the subject of
racial equality. It shows that he is a well- educated person who has a strong
grasp on the subject of his speech. He
also makes numerous references to God and employs biblical allusions during his
speech to use the common value of religion among his listeners and him to gain
their trust.
King appealed to his
listener’s emotions to make his speech more effective. Depicting his concerns
for his children as an ordinary father he said, “I have a dream that my four
children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the
color of their skin but by the content of their character” Through this quote,
King assured his audience that he is also a parent just like them who has dreams
and hopes for a better life for his children.
This use of emotional appeal enabled him to connect with the listeners
as an ordinary parent and reminded them of their children and their future. It prompted
emotions of the people and encouraged them to hope for a better world for their
children. King additionally painted a picture of the plight of the
Negroes and thoroughly describes their condition, triggering emotions of the
audience.
King also used
logical appeals in his speech by providing the listeners with the reasons to
seek racial equality. Portraying the mistreatment of the African Americans he
said, “America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come
back marked insufficient funds.” This use of extended metaphor enables his
listeners to see the logic behind his claim. It reminds them how they are being
treated unequally due to their race. He also uses the logic that equality is
essential in order for the African Americans to be happy. “This sweltering
summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an
invigorating autumn of freedom and equality.” said King. In this quote, King
justified his call for equality with logical reasons. His reasoning that
equality is the only solution to African Americans’ misery will provide his
listeners with yet another reason to hope for racial equality.
In
addition to the rhetorical appeals, King also used different literary devices
throughout his speech which made the speech more strong and persuasive. He made
strong use of diction throughout his speech that creates the intended mood in
the listeners. Word choices such as “Manacles of segregation” and “Chains of
discrimination” make the listeners feel angry at the injustice done to them. On
the other hand, word choices such as “Whirlwinds of revolt” and “Shake the
foundation of our nation” make the readers feel hopeful and encourage them to
fight for their rights. Throughout the speech King continuously uses the “we”
to create a sense of unity and equality among his listeners and himself. He also uses anaphora various times in his
speech such as “I have a dream”, “One hundred years later”, and “We can never
be satisfied”. These repetitions of the phrases put emphasis and show their importance
while adding rhythm to the sentence.
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