Analysis Of I Have A Dream By Martin Luther King Jr.

1712 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Martin luther king

In “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr. published in 0000, MLK Jr. speaks about how black people are still not free and how we should strive for equality for all people. Martin Luther King Jr. was an educated man and a very profound speaker and reverend (bio.com website). He was a strong activist for the Civil Rights Movement and spoke out a lot about equality and freedom for African Americans. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at the March on Washington where he gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Although Martin Luther King Jr. focuses on racism and equality in his “I Have a Dream” speech, he explores intertextuality through allusions and metaphors. Martin Luther King Jr.’s focus of his speech was equality. He wanted freedom from …show more content…

was not only a speaker, but also a reverend. He was an extremely strong Christian, and spoke openly about his faith. In his “I Have a Dream” speech, King Jr. was not only preaching to Christians, but was so passionate about his religion that he also incorporated words of wisdom passed down through his beliefs. King Jr. faintly quotes the bible on numerous occasions mixing religion and politics throughout his speech. This is significant because King Jr. was very passionate about both subjects and the fact that he found a tie to connect the two implies he was very devoted to making arguments for both religion and politics. He felt God would guide then people in the right direction. Martin Luther King Jr. strongly believed his faith and hope would guide him in the right direction. King Jr. said, “With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day” (I have a dream). King Jr. felt as if his faith in God and humanity would one day bring all God’s children together as a whole. He believed the country would be better and the words to the song “my country tis of thee” would have a new meaning. King Jr. trusted in God that one day everyone would be brothers and sisters. He gave thanks and praise to God and fully trusted in God’s goodness to make America great. He thought things would only change through the power and …show more content…

uses a lot of differentiation in his speech. He talks about how Black people live in a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. He is saying that all white Americans are succeeding in the world all around the minority of Black people who still do not have equal rights. He explains it in this way to show just how bad it really is. King Jr. says “now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the rock of brotherhood”. Martin Luther King Jr. compares the segregation of Black people to a dark and desolate valley because of how hard they had it. The Black people during this time were treated so poorly and felt as if they were in a dark place. King Jr. felt equality would compare to a sunlit path because everyone would be happy together; he hoped for peace. King Jr. argues that living with racial tension and segregation caused the nation to be unstable like quicksand, but equality and brotherhood was solid like a rock. Martin Luther King Jr. used these examples to explain that fighting against equality would just make the nation sink farther into the quicksand, but striving toward brotherhood would cause a stronger nation. When King Jr. quoted Shakespeare in saying, “this sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of

Show More
Related

  • Summary Of Rhetorical Devices In Martin Luther King's Speech

    540 Words  | 2 Pages

    On August 28th, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C, Martin Luther King Jr., spoke to roughly twenty-five thousands people attending the March on Washington for jobs and freedom. In Dr. King’s speech, “I Had a Dream”, he uses rhetorical devices to convey that all people are created equal and to educate the importance of the Civil Rights Movement.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis of Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream Speech

    1020 Words  | 3 Pages

    After 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln gave African American slaves their freedom in society they were still not treated as equals. In August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C Martin Luther King Jr. gave the speech “I Have a Dream” that impacted the nation. The twenty-six-year-old pastor of the city's Dexter Avenue Baptist Church had to show the grievances of his people, justify their refusal to ride on Montgomery's city busses, and encourage them in peaceful way. In the “I have a dream” speech given by Dr. King he uses persuasive appeals to fight for the civil right movements in the most civilized way. To do this he had to convince African Americans that his way of going with things was in their best interests, and he had to convince white Americans that his vision was not going to change their heritage and in their best interests as well.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Charles Perkins And Marti Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have A Dream

    984 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the past 60 years, the unstable frame in which the world was built, began to truly change by commencing to form into a world where every individual will one day be accepted for who they are no matter their race or colour. The belief that white people were better than others had been accepted in imperialist nations for generations. Although, some inspirational individuals who have opposed suprematism, their values and beliefs differed from the majority but still voiced it, they rose up and fought for equality for all human beings. Although worldwide equality and freedom has not yet been established much has been achieved and credited to freedom fighters in the 1960’s. During this time two inspiring men fought for freedom in their own ways; Charles Perkins and

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King Jr Allusion

    997 Words  | 2 Pages

    The “I Have a Dream” speech given and written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was and still is one of the most powerful speeches given. Because of the literary elements used in the speech is gives the audience something to think about and relate to and mixes with their feelings to possibly change their stance on the subject. Because of the serious issues that went on during the civil rights movement, such as separation of public services and unfair treatment to African Americans, something had to be done to end the racial injustice. People did try to prevent the discrimination by gathering marches and leading protests. But one of the largest impacts on this time period was the “I Have a Dream” speech and Dr. King’s use of literary

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King Jr.'s Fight for Racial Equality

    281 Words  | 1 Pages

    In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the speech “I have a Dream,” in attempt to end all racism throughout the United States. Baptist minister and Civil Rights Activist, Martin played a pivotal role in ending the legal segregation of African American Citizens throughout the south and other areas of the nation. Not only was he a part of that, but he also was a part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and he fought for African Americans voting rights in 1965. King craved for a nation that accepted each other for their personality, rather than their skin color. He wanted all men to be equal, as the Bible says to do. He took the first step in achieving his goals and voiced his opinion to everyone who had the ears to listen.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis of the I Have a Dream Speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

    1025 Words  | 3 Pages

    King uses the phrase "I have a dream today," twice in his own paragraph. This statement was probably spoken with great emphasis since it gave the listeners the desire to change "today" instead of continuing to be discriminated against. Martin Luther King's speech could very well have been titled something else, but because of his use of anaphora which strongly emphasized these words, it earned itself the title "I Have a Dream." Martin Luther King's use of alluding to other historic documents, which also deal with equality issues, helped his speech reach the listener. These allusions were probably geared more towards the white listeners than it was towards the black because it provided textual evidence from past documents which stated that all men were created equal and all people should have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

    Read More

  • How Did Martin Luther King Jr I Have A Dream

    536 Words  | 2 Pages

    “I have a dream.” One of history’s most famous and well-known lines of the Civil Rights movement spoken by King himself. Martin Luther King Jr. was a baptist minister and social activist, born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. A man who sought for equality in everyone and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He is remembered every year on January 18 as he was given his own day of remembrance after his death. This man was the driving force behind the watershed events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Washington. Inspired by advocates of nonviolence, such as Gandhi which in turn led him to his amazing people skills and peaceful acts.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have A Dream Speech

    1198 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, he elaborates on the injustices that were wildly plaguing America in the year 1963. Black people all over the country were being treated unfairly, locked up in prison for false crimes, and refused the great opportunities that white people were so lucky to receive. Before the year 1963, President Abraham Lincoln was the last person to make such an impact in the equal treatment of all people, so for about 100 years, blacks had no one to back them in their fight for equal treatment.

    Read More

  • How Did Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream Speech

    509 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the speech Martin Luther King Jr is explaining the pain and suffering the Negro’s /‘Black’ citizens and slaves had to go through every day. Martin’s purpose and message of the

    Read More

  • The Civil Rights Movement In The 1920's

    617 Words  | 2 Pages

    “I have a dream”, Martin Luther King Jr. said in front of thousands at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. Martin Luther King Jr. a minister and activist had a dream, his dream was to end racism in the United States who wanted economic and civil rights. This era began in the 1950’s when oppression towards African American’s became prominent. Unfortunately racism has been evident for centuries, but it took a series of events that led people to realize enough is enough and there needs to be change. After years of fighting for equality, African Americans were able to make a change.

    Read More

  • Diverse Interpretations of the Declaration: Notable Political Leaders

    1147 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Comparison of Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'Letter from Birmingham Jail' and 'I Have a Dream'

    780 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the greatest speakers for the black civil rights movement was Martin Luther King, Jr. Two of his pieces that stand out the most, were the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and “I Have a Dream”. The Letter From Birmingham Jail is exactly that, it’s a letter that King wrote while he was in jail, to a group of clergy members who disapproved of his actions in Birmingham City. I Have a Dream was a speech delivered in Washington, DC at Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. This speech was written to inspire people to look beyond themselves and also demanded the country unity focusing on equality for all without focusing on the color of their skin; King also wanted the people to take a stand in a nonviolent manner.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Devices In I Have A Dream Speech

    1218 Words  | 3 Pages

    On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave the “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. This was a real turning point at this time due to the tension of segregation and racism in the United States. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential civil rights leaders of the 20th century, and his “I Have a Dream” speech became one of the most influential speeches due his use of rhetorical strategies in order to bridge the social divide in America. The reason for this is because of his passion to see change in the racial segregation in the United States, and his intelligence on the topic of racial discrimination. From his upbringing as a young boy in Atlanta, Georgia to his eventual assassination

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of "I Have A Dream" Speech By Martin Luther King Jr.

    814 Words  | 2 Pages

    From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial more than two score years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King electrified America with his momentous "I Have a Dream" speech. Aimed at the entire nation, King’s main purpose in this speech was to convince his audience to demand racial justice towards the mistreated African Americans and to stand up together for the rights afforded to all under the Constitution. To further convey this purpose more effectively, King cleverly makes use of the rhetorical devices — ethos, pathos and logos — using figurative language such as metaphors and repetition as well as various other techniques e.g. organization, parallel construction and choice of title.

    Read More

  • Dr. Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream Speech

    1012 Words  | 3 Pages

    On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial during the “March on Washington” (King). Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a credible speaker. He was a Baptist minister and the leader of the Civil Rights Movement as well as the leader of Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Dr. King was also a Nobel Prize winner and a believer of nonviolence (“Martin Luther King Jr.”). For example, Dr. King addresses in his speech that “we must not allow our creative protests to degenerate into physical violence” (King).

    Read More

More about Analysis Of I Have A Dream By Martin Luther King Jr.

Open Document