Preview

Martin Luther King I Have a Dream

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
337 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Martin Luther King I Have a Dream
Jamie Cheatham
P.3
8/30/13
MLK Analysis

2. In Martin Luther King Jr's speech he uses a variety of vivid phrases that paint a picture for the audience. For example: "crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination" " the negro is still languishing in the corners of society and finds himself an exile in his own land" "let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred." These phrases attribute to gaining his audience's attention and emotion.

3. Primary points in his speech: African American individuals are being discriminated against in society, even though the emancipation proclamation granted all slaves citizenship. America will not be tranquil as long as there is segregation. MLK and his followers will only be a part of a peaceful protest. If America is to be a great nation freedom is imperative among all people.

4. It is clear that MLK is very passionate about what he says in his speech. While staying passionate, he understands that he will not win the war against segregation by being bitter and angry. My interpretation is that he is in a way confident that this issue will be resolved, and he knows that this ongoing issue will not be resolved immediately.

5. The audience in this case would be pretty much everybody in the United States at the time as well as us today. MLK probably didn't know that his speech would make such a big impact in our world today, but his speech was aimed toward American society as a whole.

6. Without hesitation I will say that MLK does succeed with his message. Our country today has minimal racial injustice and people can be judged by their character. I think that the reason he has succeeded is attributed to his attitude and poise that he demonstrates during the speech. His message would not have been accepted if he was to lash out in anger and criticize the white

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Martin Luther King uses rhetorical strategies in his speech in order to do many things. These rhetorical strategies can be seen throughout the Letter from Birmingham City Jail by Dr. Marin Luther King Jr. The main purpose of this letter is to fight for freedom and end segregation between the Whites and the African Americans.King utilizes pronouns to include the audience to persuade his audience that as a nation we are all in this together. King says, “We will win our freedom because the sacred heritage of our nation and the eternal will of God are embodied in our echoing demands” (1). The purpose of this sentence is to make everyone come together. King claims that they will win because God is on their side. If they work hard enough they will also achieve what they are striving for. “We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation” (1) Kings purpose of this quote is to give his readers hope that change will come eventually. He will not just reach the goal of freedom, but the nation will reach the goal of freedom. Using pronouns to include the audience brings king and the readers together. Together they take a stand and become one. King utilizes repetition, which ingrains the problem in your head while making…

    • 727 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Martin luther king jr speech was inspirational to many people and lots of people thx him for what he did and his bravery. He said that all race should be treated the same. “ There are those who are still asking the devotees for civil rights”. I have a dream that one day the nation will rise up and live out the truth. I have a dream that one day everybody and every mankind will be treated equally.…

    • 402 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The key phrases that I have identified are Negro and America from the beginning sentences. The correlation that I notice with the use of these phrases is that he is expressing to the public that a change needs to occur for America to create unity and equality for the Blacks to be included in society. In the following sentences from his speech, he expresses how no change has happened over the course of time towards the Black population. “But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free.” “One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.” These key phrases express the main objective in his speech and that is the division between the Whites and Blacks in society. Mr. King is emphasizing that Blacks are still not free in society even though slavery has been abolished. He addresses the segregation that still exists which is promoting a form of discrimination among society. The end goal of his speech was to open the eyes of the nation to identify the problem and to act on this issue of discrimination by not engaging into the problem anymore.…

    • 649 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister, activist and more importantly, a leader in the African American Civil Rights Movement hailing from Albany, Georgia. The audience consisted of mostly African American activists and supporters but also white elected officials and government officials as well as average white citizens. The purpose of King’s speech was to convey the difficult life African Americans have been faced with ever since Americans forcibly brought African natives to become slaves and work for the white men. King is speech, he effectively succeeded in motivating and aspiring the nation to ponder giving equal rights to their fellow African American citizens.…

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Though distinct phrases can be proven to invoke an emotional response from readers through repetition, MLK Jr. demonstrates that specifically chosen words can have a similar effect. Multiple words stand out in MLK Jr.’s speech that skillfully establish connection with audiences through the critical aspects of his tone. One extremely powerful choice MLK Jr. uses to induce an emotional response is his word,…

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most impactful leaders and speakers. King was able to capture his audience and persuade them to follow his movement. MLK’s use of rhetoric stopped the audience in their tracks. His words and arguments were powerful back when they were said and even in today’s society. So many of Martin Luther King’s arguments are based on emotion and appeal to culture.…

    • 378 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Mr. King’s speech is about the fight for justice and equality. In Mr. King’s speech he talks about the signing of the emancipation proclamation 100 years ago and how the Negro is still not free. In his speech Dr. King repeats the phrase “100 years later” to list the difficulties of the Negro. In King’s speech he also talks about how we should change and how we should keep moving forward and not turn back. In the last parts of King’s speech he talks about his dreams for the world. King says that he has dreams that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” King wanted there to be equality amongst everybody.…

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    “I Have a Dream” Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech speaking to his people to assess the problem of segregation and the unfairness of it all. The promises made saying that they would fix the problem only to snatch it away at the last second or to add some kind of loophole that they could find their way around. His goal was to get the people to join together to come to a peaceful solution a solution that would come about without the violence of fights breaking out. King uses Ethos, Pathos, and, Logos to make his point to get his idea and dreams across and he gives substantial evidence.…

    • 744 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The main one was “ I have a dream.” His speech states that all black men and white men will be together as loving brother and sisters. Affirming that all white men and black men will sing together “Free At Last ! Martin also had a lot of white followers. Not all whites were as cruel as the other whites. Martin Luther King’s speech inspired lots of people then and now.…

    • 999 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    MLK came from a middle class background and was very well educated. People respected him for this reason. He attracted support from middle-class, northern, black people. MLK was a Baptist Minister who became world famous leader of the civil rights movement. King’s first important civil rights campaign was Montgomery Bus Boycott. His Christian faith, and his admiration of the Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent protests, meant he was a firm supporter of non-violent direct action. He was an inspiring speaker and convinced many people to play a part in demonstration boycotts and sit-ins, despite the fact that they were likely to be arrested, imprisoned or attacked. MLK gained popularity in the north and protests spread through the south. During the civil rights movement Malcolm X was more expressive and fluent in explain the condition that black people in America dealt with and for the reason had masses of support in the south and north. The two individuals came from to very different households and backgrounds. MX brought many of the inequalities and discrimination that black people suffered to the general public’s attention. MX coherently associates with his own race as he endured all of the difficulties that the lower black person suffered. Young blacks unintentionally found themselves participating in crime due to the complete lack of options and opportunities. Like other black people, MX was also…

    • 1931 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Our world today is much different from the world Martin Luther King Jr. experienced. He had to go through some things that fortunately people my age will never have to face. Today we do not fight for the right to drink at certain water fountains nor do we have assigned seats on city buses. People do not worry about the Ku Klux Klan burning down their churches and killing their kids simply because they hate the color of that person’s skin. It is so sad to see how superficial those people were before, during, and after Martin Luther King’s impact on segregation. He states in the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” that time is valuable, complacency is just as bad as hatred, and sometimes extremism is a good thing.…

    • 677 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Martin Luther King Jr was an activist for African American civil rights. On the day of the speech 200,000 fellow activists were participating in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom; King delivered his speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial – a symbol for freedom in the eyes of all Americans. This speech was given at a time when racial tensions were at a peak and African Americans were discriminated and ostracized.…

    • 1377 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    For over 400 years African-American people were subject to the horrors of slavery and racial injustice. Day in and day out these same people desperately hoped for better times, during these times people found their way through speeches and protests. One of the best speeches ever, was one given by Martin Luther King Jr, he told of his dream to one day have equality amongst all races and religions of the United States. Since this speech drew so much attention, it became very impactful, and helped people to realize a change was needed to be made now. Although many of Americans believe equality started for all races of the world, in reality equality has not been achieved according to MLK’s dream. This is evident due to the lasting segregation,…

    • 1323 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 25th 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States of America. He was an American clergyman, activist and prominent leader in the African-American civil rights movement. His main legacy was to secure progress on civil rights in the United States and he is frequently referenced as a human rights icon. King became a civil rights activist early in his career. King led many non-violent protests, to make his point; such as sit-ins, strikes, marches, speeches and boycotts. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. King's efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. There, he raised public consciousness of the civil rights movement and established himself as one of the greatest orators in U.S. history. During this speech King used many memorable lines such as “I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will join hands with little white boys and girls as brothers and sisters.…

    • 443 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Finally, the speech incorporates metaphors to highlight contrasting concepts. Metaphors are ideal in facilitating the inherent relation between the speech concepts and concrete emotions. For instance, King uses the phrase “the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity (King ¶3)” to evoke contrasting aspects of segregation and racial justice. This strong, vivd language creates memorable imaging for the African-American community as well as others who are for the Civil Rights…

    • 646 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays