I Have A Dream Central Idea

The central idea of the speech, “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King is that everyone is equal, and everyone deserves rights. I found this speech more compelling because he used great analogies and figurative language to relate to people in the community.

The most important main idea in this speech, that they must protest peacefully, is demonstrated through connotation and imagery. The protesters must, “not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.” If they use violence in their protests, it will push them back even farther. This main idea develops the central idea because it is showing how they need to fight for the rights they deserve. This is illustrated in the audience’s mind with the imagery, “Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.” This device provides great support to his argument, saying they must protest peacefully, even when the enemy chooses not to. The other device, connotation, is used in the speech here, “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking

The constitution of the United States of America grants everyone the rights, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Yet the Negroes are denied when they try to exercise these. The central idea is developed by this because it relates back to the we are people, and we deserve rights. It also shows how much discrimination there still is. The imagery was used here, “The life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.” The diction also provided get support, like “languished” and “crippled.” These devices make the message easier to grasp for the audience.

Obviously, based on how Martin Luther King wanted the audience to make it clear that there is a problem, the central idea is that everybody deserves rights, no matter how they