Throughout American history, Americans have had many issues, whether it had to do with gaining independence from Britain, or even claiming the rights for African Americans to have equality. With both of these issues came either a significant document by Thomas Jefferson, which is called the Declaration of Independence, or an effective speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, which is called I Have a Dream. Both of these event changers appealed to Americans in a way that had a huge impact on history. The Declaration of Independence gave Americans the freedom to do what they believe. The I Have a Dream speech envisions that later Africans Americans will have equal rights. Therefore, this important document and speech have many similarities and …show more content…
Jefferson and King both use repetition to emphasis the purpose of the document and speech. In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson states “he has” to show the many problems America is facing with the King in charge. He even repeats “for” to show the crimes that the King has made on his own people. The use of repetition makes the listener not forget the purpose of the speech. In contrast, King uses more figurative language and imagery to get his message across. For an example, when he states “… the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination” or even “… Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity” (King). King even uses metaphors. For an example when he refers to cashing a check to freedom. One of the main rhetorical devices he uses is repetition. He uses it throughout his entire speech, it is shown by these quotes “one hundred years later,” “now is the time,” “we can never,” “go back,” “I have a dream,” and “with this faith” (King). These repetition helps the listener understand that Negro equality was a big problem at that time. Jefferson’s document has to do more with political problems while King’s speech as to do with personal ones. The Declaration of Independence is more demanding and argumentative while I Have a Dream speech has and …show more content…
In the Declaration of Independence, there are two groups of people the document is for: people of the colonies, the other country such as Great Britain. The document was written in a way that pumps the energy of the colonies, so that Britain would listen to what they are demanding. It reminds the colonies what the King of Britain has done to them. When Jefferson says the word “we” he is referring to the people of the colonies, but mainly he is writing to the King to demand for independence (Jefferson). In I Have a Dream speech, King’s audience is anyone willing to listen to him. King’s speech goes towards the people who are against, which are the Negros, or for segregation which are mainly the whites. He says to the people against segregation that they should continue fighting for the Negro’s freedom; he says to the people for segregation that the Negros deserves to have their freedom. When he uses the words “our” and “we” he is referring to the Negros because the speech is based on personal experiences (King). The audience in the document and speech both have to do with the people of the country, however the Declaration of Independence has more to do with the King and the colonies and the I Have a Dream has more to do with the Negros and the
Martin Luther King Jr. “I Have a Dream” speech was delivered as motivation to fight for their rights and help paint the picture of what America could look like in the future. He does this by in the beginning saying that even though the Emancipation Proclamation was signed African Americans are not treated as normal citizens. By saying this Martin Luther King Jr. was saying we should not just be content with being free from slavery. That now it is time to fight for our rights and to end discrimination because of the color on one’s skin.
Every individual has their own definition of freedom. Depending on time, place, religion, or race, this definition varies, but essentially comes back to one point: all men, regardless of anything, are created equally, and therefore have a right to be free. "The Declaration of Independence," by Thomas Jefferson, and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" are two works addressing this concern. Although Jefferson and King led extremely different lives over 150 years apart, both faced issues of human equality that drove them to write two of the most influential works in American history.
There are lots of differences and similarities between the Declaration Of Independence and The “I Have A Dream speech” by Martin Luther King. One of the similarities is that Thomas Jefferson and Martin both faced with human equality problems and those problems inspired them to write two of the most influential works that made people from all around the world to realize that they were doing wrong by not having equality and respecting each other. Now for a difference would be how Thomas freed the colonists and gave them freedom. Martin gave African-American equal rights and respect.Some of Thomas’s goals were similar to Martin’s goals. They both had a really big impact in American literature. The Declaration Of Independence was written as a letter
In the persuasive poem, “I have a dream,” and the testimony,”Before the the Credentials Committee DNC Convention,” both have differences and similarities.In the poem,”I have a dream,”which was written by Martin Luther King Jr.,.Martin Luther King Jr, was a compelling speaker, whom expressed a sense of freedom for all races.Fannie Lou Hamer,expresses her perceptions about the right to vote in her testimony.Fannie Lou Hamer, begins to have flashback about her time in jail.Fannie Lou Hamer and MLK, both have their differences and similarities, when it comes to conveying
Martin Luther King Junior’s famous speech “I have a Dream” has many amazing memorable references. For example one reference is “let freedom ring” which is in the last sentence before the last paragraph of his speech. Another reference according to Standord.edu is borrowed from a speech given by a minister by the name of Archibald Carey which was a politician and family friend of Mr. Kings. That speech was delivered on 8 July 8, 1952 at the Republican National Convention. One of the best references that Mr. King mentions in his speech is from the United States Constitution itself, he said “This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the “unalienable Rights” of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” I believe King was inspired by all the men he referenced in his speech therefore he decided to honor them by using their words to prove a point to his entire beloved country and all of it’s people.
Martin Luther King Jr. was targeting the white people of the America that were still on the fence about taking action for black rights. King references the Declaration of Independence three times in his “I Have a Dream” speech. King was passionate about the social equality for the black people of the United Sates, and said the government had given American people of color a bad check. He proclaimed “This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the ‘unalienable rights’ of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness” but even 100 years after the emancipation proclamation, the United States citizens of color still were not a free people. It is important to note that Martin Luther King Jr. does something in his speech that the other two have not. He uses “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal” clause as a way to emotionally connect with his target audience. While the other two have just use logic and reason to make their points, King points to the hearts of his audience by talking about the Declaration and his dream for a colorblind society, one where “his children will be judged by not the color of their skin but the content of their
Comparing and Contrasting The Gettysburg address by Lincoln and I have a Dream by Dr. King.
There are many similarities between I Have a Dream and the Letter from Birmingham Jail. Both of the pieces have many rhetorical appeals in common, whether it is pathos, logos, ethos or even repetition. In the speech, “I Have a Dream”, one pathos part that had stand out the most was, “ I have a dream that my four little 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”. This quote is so emotional because it was not about what King wanted for himself but for his children, it also stand out because it make the audience thinks about their children and how they wouldn’t want their kids going through what they was going through, which makes it even more important to put end to racism. In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, one pathos part that stand out was when King said, “For there is the more excellent way...
Martin Luther King uses a lot of repetition in his speech. They are scattered throughout but very close. One of the repetitions in his speech is “I have a dream.” He uses this phrase to show what he sees in the future of America. One of the phrases he uses with it is: “I have a dream that one day this nation will and live out the true meaning of its creed: we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” Another is “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 nature. I have a dream today.” (King, M. L. Jr. (1963, Aug.28) Para 12) Two other repetitions he uses is “Let freedom ring” and “Free at last.” (King, M. L. Jr. (1963, Aug.28) Para 16&17)
Civil rights activist and minister, Martin Luther King Jr., in his “I Have a Dream” speech, emphasizes the need for lawmakers to pass the Civil Rights act. The purpose established by King shows how rights are necessary for all people by making references to historical literature and documents. He adopts a motivational and serious tone in order to convince lawmakers and encourage activists in America.
The I have a dream speech was a spirited call for peace and equality, that many consider a masterpiece regarding rhetorical knowledge he used with great appeals and powerful metaphors he could relate to their pain and with all combined makes this speech credible. America the motherland has given the Negroes a bad check, a check that has come with insufficient funds, but we stand here on this day to stand against the belief that the bank of justice has become corrupt, we refuse to believe freedom is free so we’re going to fight for it.
In Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech, King makes use of an innumerable amount of rhetorical devices that augment the overall understanding and flow of the speech. King makes the audience feel an immense amount of emotion due to the outstanding use of pathos in his speech. King also generates a vast use of rhetorical devices including allusion, anaphora, and antithesis. The way that King conducted his speech adds to the comprehension and gives the effect that he wants to rise above the injustices of racism and segregation that so many people are subjected to on a daily basis.
King repeats the phrase, “Now is the time to…”, after describing the troubles African Americans faced. Often used to emphasize ideas to the reader or bring an emotional appeal, anaphora, in this case, is extremely effective. By previously recounting the struggles blacks had to go through, it makes the audience frustrated, and by then adding anaphora, those emotions channel into a sense of urgency where there needs to be a change now. Possibly one of the most eminent anaphoras of all time, the repetition of “I have a dream” is what makes the speech change history. Martin Luther King Jr. states, “...that even though we must face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.” The expression “I have a dream” suits particularly well since he just described how long and miserable their fight has been but that it will all be worth it. Every time King uses anaphora, his audience becomes more and more hopeful of their future, and they anticipate what will come next. Next, he repeats the phrase “Let freedom ring” and describes landscapes from different parts of the United States. This anaphora is especially successful since he firsts starts by stating northern states and then moves onto the southern states, which tended to be more prejudiced. The anaphora in “I Have a Dream” was part of the reason why King’s rhetoric was so
The "I Have a Dream" speech has repetition through the whole speech. One of the words that were used constantly was "we". The word "we" is used to represent everyone in the nation no matter their race or gender. This word is also used to signify everyone coming together on one accorded. Also, he used the word phrase "I Have a Dream" many times. This phrase was letting the audience know what he
“I have a dream” by Martin Luther King Jr, is a widely known speech mainly for its message directed at the racist politics of its time. Perspective could influence this speech into an inspiring message or influence it to mean less than nothing. People could view it only one way or the other and all it depended on was how that particular person viewed another's skin. However most people's good perspective have positively influenced Dr. King's speech